So muh wife and I went to see the new Bond film this weekend. Before we get too deep into this blog, I am going to say this quickly.... so make no mistakes abotu how I feel about it. This ... is ... one of the BEST Bond films of all time.
Side Note -- Yes... it isn't perfect and is a bit on the long side, but I love the "introduction" of the Bond character as we see Craig handle it beautifully turning Bond from a cartoon into a likable smart ass. Daniel Craig is fantastic.
I have been having lots of Bond movie discussions with people this week and I noticed that there appear to be two ways to rate the Bond movies -- by the movies themselves and how they are played by individual actors. I must state that each actor brings a different type of movie so you can still lump all of a particular actor's movies into one group. I think you will see what I mean in a second.
Bond as played by the actors.
1. Sean Connery -- He was the first and will probably always be the best. He was handsome and charming and I enjoyed his quips. His best film was Goldfinger by far.
2. Daniel Craig -- A few people will give me crap, but I thought he handled the role perfectly, bringing the unsure Bond through a series of failures until he came into his own during the torture scene. This may change after his next movie, but he stands firmly in number 2 to me.
3. George Lazenby -- Too bad he only got one movie. The only movie where Bond gets married and shows a whole different side of his personality until the Craig character.
4. Roger Moore -- He lightened up the character quite a bit and I enjoyed it immensely.
5. Pierce Brosnan -- He carried the role through the 90s and early 21st century. The best I could say about his version of Bond was that he didn't die.
6. Timothy Dalton -- I still feel bad for him. He got the role at completley the wrong time and was given a P.C. Bond. It made it impossible to be good.
Bond as a reflection of society?
1. Sean Connery -- What a classic and still rules the top.
2. George Lazenby -- The world needed a more sensitive Bond and Lazenby offered it up as he kicked Telly Savalas' ass.
3. Daniel Craig -- I didn't write much for Connery because I wanted to save these comments for Craig's movie. What made Bond great in the beginning was that his "kills" were personal. He focussed his energies on individuals and this was a nice return to that practice.
4. Roger Moore -- He was a world traveller with a sense of humor. It was a lot of fun.
5. Timothy Dalton -- A P.C. Bond? blech...
6. Pierce Brosnan -- Yes... I think his movies were the worst of the series... they were great for special effects and mass murders (How can we forget the North Korea scenes.... ???? ), but that was it. They were empty and stupid in the long run. Who really gave a shit at all? Not me.
I know a few will disagree. I would love to hear how you honestly feel and not just naysaying....
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
I agree with your enthusiasm about Daniel Craig, so I won't give you any crap. Not this time, at least. As much as I loved Pierce Brosnan in the role, Bond had become too much about the actor playing him and not enough about the spy himself. I thought Daniel Craig did a fantastic job letting the real Bond shine through. I think the only reasons he's not tied for the top spot are because he's only made one movie and Connery's too sacred. I'm already looking forward to 2008!
I respect SZG's opinion but I have to explain why I liked it more than him and the friend of mine who would only put his opinion in email.
The plot is ultimately irrelevant in this movie. The movie was a re-invention of the Bond character in so much as it showed us where he came from and how he changed.
The torture scene was a shift in his character where he essentially went from cocky crybaby to suave, smart ass tough guy.
I enjoyed the development of a character that I have grown up with and loved since I was 7.
The last few Bond films got away from Bond as a person and were focused on Bond as a means to destroy and kill.
Craig's Bond is a cool character and deeply personal again.
I agree with szg -- this was a mediocre movie at best. Yes, it shed light on who the character James Bond was before he got caught up in being a 00, but the fact remains that he is a 00, and 00s are meant to be all about destroying and killing and looking good doing it.
True, Daniel Craig didn't look bad, but I thought Eva Green was an awful Bond girl -- I mean, what up with her makeup!? It was terrible and so British!
I will have to wait to see the next movie with Daniel Craig as Bond, even though he was fantastic during the torture scene. At the end of the day, though, I think the jury is still out...
Lori
Post a Comment