David Pierdomenico
For more than 50 years and 24 films, James Bond has graced the screen and enjoyed the status as cinema’s most famous spy. No other character since Sherlock Holmes has had such longevity. But there comes a time when even the most popular characters run their course. Some would say that for James Bond, that time has already passed.
Product of His Time
Going all the way back Bond’s first appearance in 1962’s Dr. No, gadgets and over the top villains were established as staples of what would become the long lasting franchise. For decades it was popular with hits like From Russia With Love, Goldfinger, and On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. But soon it gave way to cheesiness like Moonraker, The Spy Who Loved Me, Octopussy, and pretty much all of Pierce Brosnan’s tenure (with the exception of Goldeneye).
The issue is that the franchise became too formulaic and gimmicky too quickly. The villains and gadgets worked well in the 60’s and early 70’s, but by the time the 90’s had come around, they didn’t quite hold up anymore. This is overtly demonstrated by the success of the Austin Powers trilogy, whose whole basis was to parody the James Bond style. Between Dr. Evil demanding that he have sharks with fricken’ laser beams attached to their fricken’ heads, and Austin’s self-proclaimed sex symbol status, these films allowed audiences to look at Bond with a sense of humor, and to see many of the really tacky clichés those films had.
Daniel Craig himself admitted in an interview, that because of Austin Powers it was difficult for audiences to take Bond seriously, suggesting that the franchise itself was partially ruined by the Mike Myers comedies. This is mostly why when Craig debuted in 2006’s Casino Royale, the tone was quite different. It didn’t feel like a Bond film as much as it felt like the Bourne series, which had seen success in 2002, 2004, and 2007. Like Bourne, Casino Royale was dark, gritty and much more focused on brutal close-up action, rather than sophisticated espionage. The studio knew that they couldn’t make a Bond film like the ones of the past because everyone would just compare it to Austin Powers.
The Current State of the Franchise
Daniel Craig’s time in the role managed to cause something of a resurgence. As previously mentioned, his films drew inspiration from the gritty Jason Bourne series and have thus produced two of the most popular films in the entire franchise: Casino Royale and Skyfall. They were tense action thrillers that helped bring Bond into the modern world, with issues like the surveillance state and terrorism at the forefront. Skyfall also produced the most memorable Bond theme song in modern times. It was brilliantly performed by Adele at the Academy Awards and even won Best Original Song.
Quantum of Solace was just okay, but the franchise didn’t appear to be in trouble until 2015’s Spectre. Initially Daniel Craig wanted out of after the third film, but MGM held him to his contract of five, which resulted in him halfheartedly phoning in his performance for the duration of the film. In addition, Spectre seemed to try and hearken back to the Bond days of old, by including gadgets, an over the top torture machine, and rebooting the infamous villain Blofeld. In an attempt to not be seen as cheesy, the film took itself incredibly seriously, but in doing so, came off as rather dull and boring. Casino Royale and Skyfall worked because they were serious and gritty, but were also fast paced action films. Spectre tried to take that and make it work with Bond’s old school style and it failed miserably. It only reinforces that there’s less of a place for James Bond today.
The Turmoil Behind Bond 25
The current status of the upcoming untitled Bond 25 is inspiring even less confidence. Craig didn’t want to do the last one and phoned it in, so that’s probably only going to get worse in this one. He has since claimed that he’s not under contract and is doing this one willingly. But even if they are pressuring him to, he’s not going to publicly bash MGM. The main chance the film had was that it was going to be directed by Danny Boyle. His brilliance and reputation precede him, with such films as 28 Days Later, Slumdog Millionaire, Sunshine, Trainspotting, and 127 Hours. Little is known about the upcoming film, but most fans agreed that with Boyle as director, it had enormous potential.
However, Boyle left the project for “creative differences”. Reportedly, he wanted to kill off James Bond and have someone else take up the mantle, which isn’t inherently a bad idea. There have been fan theories that James Bond is merely a code name passed down from agent to agent. But the series insists that’s not the case, which screws with the continuity quite a bit. But Boyle’s idea would have allowed the character to always stay fresh and evolve with the times. But apparently, that’s not what the studio wants. And because of that, their films will continue to suffer as Spectre did.
Bond 25 is still slated for release next year, though very little is known, even by those making it. It’s not to suggest that Bond hasn’t been an important cultural icon. But at a certain point, the character and stories run their course, especially if that character isn’t allowed to be a code name, as Boyle wanted. So the future of the franchise is uncertain. But would it not be better to simply retire the character, and enjoy the classics we still have?
