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Tuesday, November 14, 2006

The Best Bond Since: Brosnan?


Obviously, Daniel Craig (left) won the title of Best Bond since Brosnan as soon as he landed the role (since he's the only one since Brosnan at this point), but how will he compare? My guess is that the media will spend most of their time describing how different Craig is in the role compared to Brosnan, not whether he is better or worse.

This may be an unfair analogy, but perhaps Brosnan's portrayal can be seen as a more serious version of Roger Moore's Bond, who brought more than his share of campiness to the role. Brosnan's films are full of double entendres and quick quips throughout, but he never approached some of Moore's silly shenanigans. (Have you watched Moonraker or A View to a Kill recently? I hope not.) Brosnan also brought a ruggedness and credibility to the character of Bond that Moore rarely exhibited.

If it's true that Brosnan is a more serious take on Moore, perhaps Craig will emerge as a more realistic (but not necessarily more serious) take on Connery. Connery is my favorite Bond, now that I'm farther removed from the Moore movies of my youth, and to see Craig follow this route would be most welcome, in my opinion. Connery was plenty serious until his last film, Diamonds Are Forever (yes, I'm disregarding Never Say Never Again), and that served him well. He exhibited a well-timed sense of humor while focusing on getting his job done on behalf of the Queen, and he was sophisticated and credible throughout his original run in the series. That said, no one is still buying that megavillains have hidden launchpads and space ships capable of capturing astronauts in flight. In other words, perhaps Craig will bring a level of realism to the role that will actually be real: a story that is compelling and could actually happen in the real world.

Where does that leave Casino Royale in relation to Goldeneye, Brosnan's first movie? I think it is all but assured to earn the title of the Best Bond Since that 1995 film, but will it be better? My guess is yes, but we'll have to wait until this weekend to know for sure. More to come...

2 comments:

Unknown said...

i think he will be definetly be one of the best bond so far. He has that killer edge about him that makes him a spy - something that other bonds such as roger moore didnt have.
http://www.jamesbondtheme.com/finally-true-007-fans-hit-back/
this shows that despite the segative comment about craig being blond etc, he has got the support of true bond fans, including me!

Rob Robinson said...

Thanks for that link. I'm glad to know that fans are warming to Craig. I was unsure at first, but I like what I see now that we've gotten glimpses of Craig in the role. I think he's going to be a smash.