*This is a reprint of story that originally appeared on October 2nd of 2021, with some updates
IN October 1962, ‘Dr No’ leaped onto cinema screens, with bodybuilder-turned-actor Sean Connery embodying the suave yet brutal enforcer of British resolve. Last November saw Daniel Craig smouldering as the hesitant superspy, past his prime, but ready to do one final mission for Queen and Country.
In the years in between, James Bond was played by Connery (6 times), George Lazenby (the once), Roger Moore (7 times), Timothy Dalton (twice), Pierce Brosnan (4 times) and Craig (5 times).
Who’s your Bond?
Now the question that everyone asks, almost automatically, is “who is the best Bond?”
For many, this depends on what generation they’re from. If they’ve been around since the beginning, then there’s no one who can top Connery. If they came of age in the 90s, then Brosnan holds a sentimental place in their hearts (Goldeneye was my first Bond). And if they are a millennial, then Craig embodies the weariness and complications of the modern era.
These movies are not high art, and are often cheesy and cartoonish – sometimes on purpose. Roger Moore’s run as the character was definitely more tongue-in-cheek than Connery’s, often relying on charm and wit instead of menace. Until Craig, he had the longest run as 007, with 12 years in the role, though his record of seven films is still unbeaten.
Brosnan started off in 1995’s ‘Goldeneye’ as a grounded (for the time) post-Cold War reinvention, but the plots grew more ludicrous over time to the point that in ‘Die Another Day’ (2002), Bond goes up against a rogue North Korean colonel who has altered his appearance to look like a white businessman in order to advance his plan of starting another Korean War.
In terms of box office, ‘Die Another Day’ was the most successful Bond movie by that point – raking in US$432 million – however, the producers who run the Bond franchise, the Broccoli family, realised the series needed a fresh start to fit in with the times.
This coincided with the rise of the rival Bourne franchise (also based on a series of novels), starring Matt Damon as a renegade amnesiac assassin. As opposed to Bond’s increasingly ridiculous gadgets, plots and villains, the Bourne trilogy was more grounded in reality, its hero relying on his fists and wits instead of futuristic tech and double entendres, with a story that commented on the ongoing War on Terror.
Coming in the wake of Bourne and ‘Batman Begins’ – which codified what a gritty franchise reboot would look like following a cartoonish nadir – ‘Casino Royale’ (2006) was the shot in the arm 007 needed. Gone were the corny one-liners and the cartoony bad guys, and in their place was a more physical, brutish, and world-weary Bond.
It helps that the movie kicks off with one of the best action scenes in all of Bond and modern action cinema (parkour!).
However, if there’s one glaring criticism of the Craig movies it's that they take themselves too seriously, with Bond being overly morose and grim. The series has maybe strayed too far from its fanciful roots, and has wrapped itself too tightly in the patina of prestige.
In between past and present
However much the times have changed around him, many things about Commander Bond (his official rank in the Royal Navy) have stayed the same. Despite receiving more modern guns, he still brandishes the iconic Walther PPK pistol. Even though every movie hands Bond the keys to a new (sponsored) sports car, he still has a gleam in his eye for the Aston Martin DB5 (which first appeared in 1964’s ‘Goldfinger’).
This reverence for the past is part of the appeal of Bond; in an age where his skills might be replaceable by technology, 007 is a relic that holds strong against the currents of history and has to continually prove his worth.
This is a big part of the plots for both ‘Skyfall’ (2012) and ‘Spectre’ (2015), to the point of being redundant.
In many ways, this commitment to days gone by, might explain some of Bond’s special appeal in the UK. While the movies are popular around the world, they are especially successful in the series’ native country, with the newer movies breaking all sorts of box office records (‘Skyfall’ was the first to make more than US$1 billion).
As Britain shrank from its role as the world's preeminent empire, besieged by problems of its own making, it’s not hard to see the appeal of a resolute Brit, dressed in the finest clothes and highly skilled in the art of combat, travelling the globe to dish out justice in the name of Old Blighty.
The sexual politics of Bond have also been dragged fitfully into the 21st century, with ‘No Time to Die’ being talked about as the first movie from the series to come out in a post #MeToo world, featuring Bond Girls who are more than just sexual exploits. That being said, the Craig movies have not necessarily been especially progressive up to this point.
Bond Girls
Gone are the days of damsels in distress and femme fatales having extremely sexualised names (Honey Ryder, Pussy Galore, Holly Goodhead) – though the silliness of those names is just comedy gold – but Bond still finds plenty of women to have his way with.
In ‘Casino Royale’ and ‘Skyfall’, among others, Bond sleeps with a woman, she ends up murdered a couple scenes later, and the best he can summon is a shrug.
A major deviation from these casual encounters, is his relationship with Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) in ‘Casino Royale’ – probably the best love interest in the whole 60-year franchise. There’s actual chemistry between the actors and it’s genuinely surprising to see Bond be openly emotional.
But we know it’s not meant to be, as the movie is about Bond’s first assignment as a Double-O agent, which means he hasn’t yet hardened into a cold-blooded killer. Her betrayal during the movie’s conclusion gives him a lesson that he will take to heart.
A close second is featured in George Lazenby’s solo adventure ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’, in which he falls in love with Teresa di Vincenzo (Diana Rigg), only to have her snatched away at the very end in a shooting by Blofeld. That downbeat ending stands alone amongst Bond’s typically triumphant finales.
In ‘No Time to Die’, Bond starts off in a relationship with Madeleine (Lea Seydoux), which is a break from tradition. For plot reasons they spend much of the movie apart, but Bond is driven to save her out of love. Some critics decried this more sensitive version of the character as ‘emo’, but the movie commits to Bond’s emotions, letting Craig flex more of the acting muscles he uses in other films.
Perhaps the most important Bond girl of all is Judi Dench’s M. Yes, she’s no love interest, but it was a big deal when she was introduced as Brosnan’s boss in Goldeneye.
No longer was the spy game an old boys network that bent over backwards to accommodate its star agent, as M pushed back and called out 007. Judi Dench was so good in the role that even though ‘Casino Royale’ served as a franchise reboot, she stayed on in her role.
While there were maternal overtones before, that aspect really only came to the forefront in her performance in ‘Skyfall’. She becomes a target of one of her former agents, Silva (Javier Bardem), who succeeds in killing her, but not before she expresses her feelings towards Bond.
Where to now?
In the wake of the pandemic and the rapid rise of streaming platforms as people’s choice of entertainment delivery, the movie industry as a whole is at a crossroads. James Bond can be counted as one of the last remaining name brand franchises that people flock to the cinemas to see.
And unlike those other series’ – such as Star Wars or the Marvel Cinematic Universe, among the most prominent – Bond is about one man with a well defined personality and has an established list of qualities.
There’s an action scene, followed by a song (typically a ballad) by a of-the-moment popular artist (‘No Time to Die’ features an Oscar-winning song by Billie Eilish), a briefing by M, receiving new gadgets from Q, a bunch of globetrotting in expensive clothes and cars, a villain with a weird trait (Rami Malek has burn marks on his face) and a couple Bond Girls for Bond to sleep with – one usually ends up dead.
Very rarely have there been variations to this formula over the decades, and audiences probably find that comforting. These are after all blockbusters meant to entertain, and if it isn’t broke why fix it.
That being said, ‘No Time to Die’ deviates from these patterns by notably (spoiler alert!) having Bond sacrifice himself in the end. Though the exact way it happened in the movie was pretty contrived, it still packed an emotional punch that wasn’t undercut by a post credit scene. He received a hero’s death, knowing that he saved the world and the woman he loved.
Will the next Bond please stand up
Bond is defined by the actor who plays him, and according to the Broccolis’ the search for Craig’s replacement has not yet begun. Despite that claim, there is definitely a shortlist out there. It’s also become a bit of a joke that whenever a young British actor emerges on the scene he is immediately floated as a possible 007.
There will be calls for a woman Bond – and counters to those calls (including from Craig himself). Lashana Lynch played a competent 00 agent in ‘No Time to Die’, but she’s her own character.
There’s also been a long running campaign to name perennially cool Idris Elba as the first black Bond. However, at 50 years old he is only a few years younger than Craig at his retirement, so he is unlikely to take the role.
Maybe it will fall to someone more obscure (for now) and will make them a movie star. Either way, James Bond will likely be with us for as long as movies are made. – The Vibes, October 9, 2022
