*SPOILERS*

Skyfall (2012)

Oh, Mr Bond!

The screen fades to black and we start off with a single beat from the traditional James Bond theme before our English patriot steps out of the shadows with his PPK. The presence of Mendes is immediately felt and you know you are in for a different type of Bond film. An MI6 agent has been shot, his sensitive information stolen and before the inevitable chase begins we get a taste of what is to be the most character driven entry in the series since On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

As always you can rely on the first 10 minutes of a James Bond movie to blow you away. Some claim Mendes isn't an action director. And yes, that's true, but in this case it's about as insulting as saying Donald Trump doesn't work at the local real estate office. Obviously, if he wanted to he could. And in Skyfall you quickly see that he does.

It's very hard to pick out the best Bond opening of all time, but this is one of them. Certainly one of the most elaborate. Our characters are on foot, in cars and on motorcycles. Rooftops are scaled and the top of a train car passing through a tunnel is deemed a good place to pick a fight. They even give us a Caterpillar chase, on the train.
It's not only the grand set pieces though that make this memorable, it's the inventive attention to realism. Cars flip, but only once. And when they come to a stand still they don't take a whole market place of fruit with them. Magically they also don't explode when hit by bullets. Of course Bond can scale a brick wall, but his bike no longer can. Shockingly a gunshot wound to the shoulder actually impairs you. Who would have thought? As a movie buff with way too many generic action movies under my belt I was simply left exhilarated.

The first action sequence is also the biggest. There's still plenty to be had, but from then on we enter a far more personal film. And I must say, for this type of film it's quite exquisitely done. It's not deep in any philosophical sense, but the characters all have substance. There's a reasoning behind their actions. Silva isn't a evil mastermind looking for world domination, he's just an orphan with intelligence training looking to take revenge on the only person he's ever loved because he feels she betrayed him.

Despite what one might think it's not easy to make a James Bond movie. After you've respected the old films you have to start on making the action cutting edge. The characters has to be memorable and you need levity as well as gravity. In the end all of that must mesh into something coherent and entertaining. Bond films usually end up relying too much on one or the other. This I might suggest could very well be the first example of a successful balance. There's some genuine artistry here, but the monumental achievement I feel is how they handled the entertainment aspect. It's just brilliantly done. Yes they have to pander to that tired feminist agenda, but then immediately switches to a male masochistic stereotype. Bond can still kick some sick stunts, but they feel realistic in that Ethan Hunt/Jason Bourne way. He's gentle and caring with the women but also an unstoppable stud, witty and bantering. They even manage to satisfy the gay demographic by maybe making Silva gay and even hinting at Bond having experimented at some point. The genius aspect is they leave it completely open to interpretation.

This is also a 50th anniversary film, like Die Another Day was for the 40th. It's funny that you could call this DAD 2 cause they're both salutary films with a lot of references to the classics. The penultimate reference this time around is of course the reintroduction of the Aston Martin. Not just any either, THE Aston Martin first made immortal by Connery in Goldfinger. Complete with machine guns and ejector seat intact (which Bond threatens to use on Judi Dench! )

One of those films being the worst and the other one of the best is another curios occurrence, cause yes, this is one of the best Bond movies ever made. I don't like to come on too strong right after a watch, but I just might think it's the best at the moment. As AP said, the perfect mix and balance of old and new. True to the spirit while also looking ahead. Do I want every Bond film to be like this? No, for that it's far too contemplative and drama oriented, but as a type of celebration to the whole series it's just fucking brilliant. And as a kind of abstract formula for future films, definitely and I hope so.

Craig can now officially step into the ring with Connery and Moore, though before he can start to challenge he needs to do a couple more films that aren't terrible. That however seems unlikely to happen and I hope we see him as Bond for more than the 5 he's contracted to do. As a Roger Moore and Sean Connery fan this was a monumental experience. Craig is Bond, only in 2012.

You should definitely watch QOS again sometime. Used to hate it too, but it seems to grow on each viewing. Don't think it'll ever be great, but I'd put it in the top half.

Going to see Skyfall in a few hours. Haven't been this pumped for a Bond movie since TWINE, and by the looks of it I won't be as disappointed this time around.

MTV yes, music no. And everybody who remember when they used to air videos knows the M stands for music. As a result they get some shit for it, that's all it is.

It's about the money, true, but the joke is still on them as long as they continue calling themselves MTV.

The Living Daylights (1987)

Dalton as Bond was a little like Duke Nukem Forever of its day, you thought it'd never happen. He was first approached to replace Connery in the late 60s, but at 22 thought himself too young for the role. He declined again in the early 80s now thinking the character had gotten too silly. Some speculate the temporary shift to a more serious tone in For Your Eyes Only was an attempt to lure Dalton to the role.

For whatever reason it doesn't seem to have worked as Pierce Brosnan was set to replace Roger in the mid 80s, but someone at his studio apparently felt emasculated someway and prolonged his contract at the last minute forcing him to decline. Once again their plans for the future of Bond looked uncertain, but luckily they approached Dalton for a third time and he finally accepted to take on the role.

His debut looks very much like a Moore film, and sometimes feels like it too. But Dalton's influences are clearly felt. Being the first proper actor to portray Bond we get some dramatic scenes not really seen before in the series. Some think this is a great move and creates depth to the character. I may be inclined to agree in principle, but there's a difference in exploring Bond and turning his character into a wush wassy sentimentalist. That's probably hyperbole, but I still don't think Bond should act like a boyfriend with his women. There's a reason he's living a life on the edge with multiple short relationships, and he's not about to see the light and become a "good person". This is not Disney (least not yet ) And I don't like a Bond that is angry as much as this. Him being a little nonchalant about it all I feel is an essential part of the character.

That's just a small ingredient though, and for sure Dalton has some great qualities as Bond. Physically he's very convincing and he's got the acting chops to deliver in almost any situation. There's some great action set pieces, especially the pre title sequence. Plays a little like FYEO in that it's a pretty down to earth spy action thriller. Villians are a bit disappointing and the Bond girl spends too much time with him, but all in all a good, fun ride.

Licence To Kill (1989)

A pure Dalton film. Some go as far as to call it humorless, but it's more that the brutal moments outshine the more lighthearted parts. Felix Leiter is graphically mauled by a shark, his wife murdered and Bond goes rouge to take down the villain. The dispatching of one of the henchmen is particularly disturbing, put in a pressure chamber and inflated to death.

In a way it's Moonrakerish in the way the film exploits popular trends. Pablo Escobar was still flying high back then so we get a south american drug lord villain. Die Hard had just redefined action so we get not only Agent Johnson but also Special Agent Johnson, no relation of course.

I think it's a very good action film and the script suits Dalton, but it lacks as a Bond film. Trying to make his character too realistic can be self defeating since his popularity in the first place isn't a whole lot due to realism.

GoldenEye (1995)

For England James?
No, for me.

Dalton was supposed to have done more films, but after some business shenanigans the franchise got held up in court for several years and everything went into limbo. Though profitable and hits in their own right, the Dalton films had been underachievers at the box office, especially in America. Also by that time Brosnan had become available and the producers decided it was worth it to risk casting a new, younger Bond. The counter to that risk was to bring the scripts and the character of Bond more in line with the more profitable Moore outings, with a dash of Connery.

It was the perfect storm. Brosnan was as easy as you can get on the eyes without looking like a girl, even men could find themselves gazing, and he had just become a household face with Mrs. Doubtfire. Famke Janssen as the Bond girl still features in most top 5 lists, and the release of the film was to be accompanied by one of the most acclaimed and popularly loved video games of all time. Throw in a couple of grandiose action sequences and you got yourself a hit.

In hindsight I struggle to see what all the fuzz was really about. I'll put it blunt, Brosnan is a terrible Bond. The limited actor that he is his delivery often falls flat. He comes across as crude and arrogant as opposed to charming and carefree. Granted the character of Moneypenny is now a tacked on feminist, but Bond shouldn't ever be giving her angry looks. He comes off as a person who's gotten by just by presenting his pretty face, and for much of his life that is probably true.

Sean Bean is a good villain though, and Xenia Onatopp is hard to forget. The action alone should be worth a watch.

Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)

They'll print anything these days.

For many people Brosnan made one very good Bond, then slipped into sillier and sillier antics as his run went on. True enough, but I'd still rank TND as Brosnans best. Yet another You Live Only Twice remake. The twist this time is the bad guy is going to use his newspapers to start a war between China and the UK. Jonathan Pryce is a fine actor, but he's not very good at this villain thing. His performance comes off as comedic and embarrassing.

I think despite it's flaws the plot isn't all that bad. A mighty newspaper mogul trying to influence the world for his own gain is as relevant today as it was then, even more so. The pre title sequence with Bond raiding an arms bazaar to steal a jet plane with nuclear weapons ranks high among my favorites. It has one of the coolest Bond cars, and being a Superman fan having Teri Hatcher as the Bond girl is very pleasing to the eyes. True, her character is boring and useless, but she does have some real chemistry with Brosnan. It would be interesting I think to cut Michelle Yeohs role and have Hatcher play out the remainder as the traditional damsel in distress.

The World Is Not Enough (1999)

I thought Christmas only came once a year.

Connery and Moore both had good third movies. Brosnan should not be so lucky. The first part of the pre title sequence is good then it goes downhill fast. A confused, uninspired mess would be the best way to describe it. Even Robert Carlyle doesn't know what to do. Definitely one of the worst Bonds.

It has some moments though. Marcaeu and Richards are a great one two punch for a Bond movie, so excuse me that I don't care if that rack and those lips aren't really a nuclear physicist. And even though it's obvious they have a character named Christmas Jones just so they can have some jokes at the end, I like those jokes.

Die Another Day (2002)

The "official" worst Bond movie ever. The reasons usually given: Madonna, Yo Mama, invisible car and tsunami surfing. It's definitely low in the valley, but I don't think it's the worst. Bond booking a room at a 5 star hotel only wearing wet rags has the familiar charm. John Cleese taking over as Q after Desmond Llewelyn passed is a nice touch, wished they stayed with him for some of Craig's as well. Despite having the worst haircut ever in a movie Halle Berry's beach scene is still hot and I've always had a liking for Rosamund Pike. Some decent action here and there, but that's about it.

I decided the Craig films needed a post of their own. Coming up.