Friday, January 9, 2009

Article 4

From Connery to Craig: The Evolution of Bond
by Ryan Bissonnette

On October 5, 1962, director Terence Young released the first ever
James Bond movie throughout the world to entertain the masses with
it's high-tech gadgets, and nail-biting suspense. Little did Young
know, this one movie release would lead to a worldwide phenomena and
become the largest spy sensation to ever hit the world. Audiences were
so captivated by these films because they depicted a secret agent, an
occupation every child dreams of being at one point, performing
death-defying stunts, foiling evil villains' plots, and wooing a
beautiful woman while working in witty humor and intense story-telling
techniques. The franchise, as of now, consists of 23 films with two
more already in the planning stages. It's been a matter of debate just
who played the best Bond and which film was the best of the bunch.
Throughout the 23 films thus far, the actor playing bond has changed
and the different gadgets Bond used have changed greatly as well.

The first Bond film, Dr. No, stared Sean Connery as the spy. Connery
played Bond in Dr. No, From Russia With Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball,
You Only Live Twice, and Diamonds Are Forever. The next Bond was
played by George Lazenby who only starred in Her Majesty's Secret
Service. Following Lazenby was Roger Moore who starred in, Live or Let
Die, The Man With the Golden Gun, The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker, For
Your Eyes Only, Octopussy, and A View To Kill. Next was Timothy Dalton
who starred in The Living Daylights and License to Kill. Following him
was Pierce Brosnon who starred in Goldeneye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The
World Is Not Enough, and Die Another Day. The most recent Bond is
played by Daniel Craig. He's starred in Casino Royale and Quantum of
Solace thus far. Many critics find Connery to be the best Bond because
he was the original, but personally, I find Brosnon to be the best
Bond so far. He had witty dialogue, looked the part, and starred in my
favorite of the Bond films, Goldeneye.

Back in 1962, that gadgets Bond used were revolutionary and completely
awe-inspiring to audiences. They were nothing anyone had ever seen
before. Unfortunately, with the enormous advances in technology, the
wonder of Bond's gadgets is completely lost and they seem to have lost
their charm over the years. Though for awhile, the plots of the films
varied between each other, one can tell that writers are running out
of ideas. Don't get me wrong, I love the Bond movies, but it seems
like almost every film involves Bond foiling the plot of a terrorist
or mastermind trying to take over the world. Many viewers love this
and enjoy the fact that it has not changed over the years. But what
many viewers love, is what makes the films do somewhat poorly in
critical reviews as of recent. They do amazing in the Box Office
because Bond is a household name and has been around for over 40
years.

In many ways across the 40 years Bond has existed, he has remained
more or less the same. He's still a witty British spy who always gets
the girl and saves the world from an evil terrorist plot. He has,
however, also changed greatly over the years. He has been played by
six actors, his venue is commonly different and he has been getting
new gadgets that, unfortunately, no longer impress. I'm not in any
way, bashing the series because I am a huge fan. I expect the series
to continue for at least 3 more films in the coming years, so the
producers are able to utilize Daniel Craig to his full potential.

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