007 at the Movies

It takes a lot to get me to the movie theater these days. One thing that will always do the trick, though, is a new James Bond movie.  I’ve always been a big fan of the 007 franchise, and the character of James Bond has to be one of the most intriguing and enduring characters in cinematic history.  Every so often, one of the cable channels will run a James Bond Marathon and it’s fun just to scroll through the channel guide to see what is coming on next.  Whenever those marathons get going, I make it a point to set aside some time to watch “Goldfinger” and “Thunderball”.  Sean Connery, 007’s gadgets, and sinister masterminds at their respective best.

I’ve been very encouraged by the most recent installments of the franchise starring Daniel Craig in the 007 role.  For my money, he is a close second to Connery in the series and each of the most recent movies have been well worth the time.  The opening chase sequence and the poker scenes in “Casino Royale” are as good as Bond gets and I would put “Skyfall” right next to “Goldfinger” at the top of the list for all time Bond movies, thanks in large part to the performance of Javier Bardem as one of the best villains to have ever threatened the free world on screen.

Unfortunately, I thought the franchise took a slight step back with “Spectre” released at the end of last year.  One of the things that I like so much about the Bond movies is their relative accessibility from one movie to the next.  For the most part, new viewers don’t have to be familiar with the entire series of movies to be able to follow the plot of any one of them.  This allows casual fans or new fans (like my kids) to be able to enjoy the movie without having to be worried about an extensive back-story.  On that note, “Spectre” fell short.  There were a lot of inside jokes that I appreciated, but probably missed the casual fan.  I also found the plot harder to follow than usual.  The best characters in Bond movies, good guys and bad, are not subtle about their motivations.  Everything is right on the surface.  “Spectre” was a bit more complicated than that.

With all of that said, “Spectre” certainly delivered on many important fronts.  The action sequences were as good as you will see in any movie, including a sprawling battle in a helicopter over Mexico City and a chase that ultimately results in Bond intentionally crashing a plane into his adversary’s car.  Great stuff.  I also appreciate the return of the henchman.  The henchman is an underappreciate feature of the Bond films.  Who could forget Oddjob in “Goldfinger” and Jaws in “Moonraker”?  Two of the most memorable characters in the entire series.  In “Spectre” the job of the henchman, Mr. Hinx, is very well played by Dave Bautista, otherwise of WWE fame.

I’d rank “Spectre” solidly in the middle of the pack when it comes to Bond films.  Rumors are already spreading about the next Bond film.  You can be sure that I will have my exploding watch and ejector seat ready to go.

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