For years I have been a fan of the Bond franchise, I went to see Sean Connery as Bond when I was six years old, 1966, and I was hooked. I always thought for the longest time that Connery was the ultimate Bond, then came and went George Lazenby then Sean Connery came back... Then came Roger Moore, and I left the Bond franchise for many years, because I could not tollerate Roger Moore, especially as Bond.
Then Timothy Dalton came to the rescue, he took over the mantle for three films and then Brosnan, Pierce Brosnan came along, he was dashing, sophisticated and charming... In many ways he was Connery phase two.
Then came along Daniel Craig. Craig was a vast departure from every actor who had played Bond before. He was plain looking, crass and very cold the anthesis of what we were used to.
Yet, in Casino Royale he fit the part, yet he was still aloof. He is coming back in Skyfall, so he will have matched the total number of films that Timothy Dalton had made.
However recently I was watching "On her majesty's secret Service" Lazenby's one foray into the franchise and something struck me, something I have never noticed in all the times I had watched Bond before.
How slow the film was in its' set up, and how long the film seemed to be. Now this was the second time I had noticed this, when I had watched "Goldeneye" with Brosnon, just a few weeks before I had noticed the same aspect, and something else that bothered me, especially with Goldeneye. How Bond was a secondary character.
But what really bothered me, about both of these films, was that The set up seemed to take forever, and how very very very long they seemed to be.
I noticed one other thing, and perhaps this is because I am now half a century old, but I noticed that with the exception of the villan, the setting and the weapon all Bond films are identical. The set up is usually Bond on a mission that is a set up for the rest of the film, or is unrelated except that it sets up one character in the story.
Now there have been great lines, some dammed funny moments and lots of sexy women, however the films are so set in stone, you can predict what will happen next.
Bond is on an assignment, he meets a beautiful woman, he ends up failing in the assignment or being called back to HQ. He has his dialogue with Money Penny, gets his briefing and weapons, then goes off.
He somehow comes back into contact with the women he met at the beginning of the film, she is in danger or a source of danger. Bond allows himself to be captured, he loses his expensive car and has to figure a way to get out, save the world and the girl then get rescued.
The only exception was "... Secret Service" which ended interly different from all Bond films before and after.
Perhaps I am just growing up, perhaps it is the fact that Daniel Craig is not on the same level as everyone who came before him.
Maybe it's just me, or maybe the Bond franchise should come to an end.
Then Timothy Dalton came to the rescue, he took over the mantle for three films and then Brosnan, Pierce Brosnan came along, he was dashing, sophisticated and charming... In many ways he was Connery phase two.
Then came along Daniel Craig. Craig was a vast departure from every actor who had played Bond before. He was plain looking, crass and very cold the anthesis of what we were used to.
Yet, in Casino Royale he fit the part, yet he was still aloof. He is coming back in Skyfall, so he will have matched the total number of films that Timothy Dalton had made.
However recently I was watching "On her majesty's secret Service" Lazenby's one foray into the franchise and something struck me, something I have never noticed in all the times I had watched Bond before.
How slow the film was in its' set up, and how long the film seemed to be. Now this was the second time I had noticed this, when I had watched "Goldeneye" with Brosnon, just a few weeks before I had noticed the same aspect, and something else that bothered me, especially with Goldeneye. How Bond was a secondary character.
But what really bothered me, about both of these films, was that The set up seemed to take forever, and how very very very long they seemed to be.
I noticed one other thing, and perhaps this is because I am now half a century old, but I noticed that with the exception of the villan, the setting and the weapon all Bond films are identical. The set up is usually Bond on a mission that is a set up for the rest of the film, or is unrelated except that it sets up one character in the story.
Now there have been great lines, some dammed funny moments and lots of sexy women, however the films are so set in stone, you can predict what will happen next.
Bond is on an assignment, he meets a beautiful woman, he ends up failing in the assignment or being called back to HQ. He has his dialogue with Money Penny, gets his briefing and weapons, then goes off.
He somehow comes back into contact with the women he met at the beginning of the film, she is in danger or a source of danger. Bond allows himself to be captured, he loses his expensive car and has to figure a way to get out, save the world and the girl then get rescued.
The only exception was "... Secret Service" which ended interly different from all Bond films before and after.
Perhaps I am just growing up, perhaps it is the fact that Daniel Craig is not on the same level as everyone who came before him.
Maybe it's just me, or maybe the Bond franchise should come to an end.
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