As long time readers know, my type
of movie has, in no particular order:
explosions, car chases, a little smut, some mystery/intrigue, humor, and
a hunky hero. So basically, you knew I
was going to be going to see Spectre,
the latest James Bond movie.
Technically, it came out Friday, but
Mom, Holly, and I went to go see it the night before. (I do so enjoy having an AMC Theater nearby.)
I was born in ’68, and while I’m
sure that I wasn’t taken to see Bond movies in the theater for several years, after
a certain point, I’m guessing around 1979 with the release of Moonraker since that’s the first one I remember seeing in a theater,
I’ve eagerly looked forward to each new Bond film and have gone to see them in
the theater, not waiting for release on video.
Of course, I’m pretty sure that I watched, with the family, any Bond
movies that aired on TV before that.
Growing up, to me, Roger Moore was
James Bond - his were the only movies to which I had access, this being back in
the days before VHS and DVD’s and Netflix.
That isn’t to say that I don’t adore the Sean Connery movies – so please
don’t send me hate posts about how Sean Connery is the ONLY James Bond!
All of these movies are basically
the same: handsome spy; sexy good girl
who (generally) holds out on him – for a little while, at least; sexy bad girl
who doesn’t; incredibly majestic scenery in (usually) three different locales;
lots of shooting, car chases, and explosions; and the good guys win in the
end. Again, my basic requirements for an
enjoyable movie. That being said, my
favorite 007 movies are, in chronological order:
On
Her Majesty’s Secret Service – The undying romantic in me loves this movie
because our hero truly falls in love.
Plus I always liked Diana Rigg as Emma Peel in the Avengers and one of
my all-time favorite movies, The
Assassination Bureau. Despite all
the trash talk about George Lazenby, I really liked him too. I think he just suffered from “rebound syndrome.” Face it, anyone who wasn’t Sean Connery was NOT
going be a success in the first non-Connery Bond movie. 
Of course, part of my reason for liking this movie may be because he wears a kilt to get married in (SPOILER ALERT!) and I do like men in kilts!
Live and Let
Die – I love this one because Roger Moore looks (relatively) young and
dashing, fresh off of the Saint TV series.
I also enjoyed the humor and camp that the Roger Moore era seemed to
bring to Bond. The boat chase through
the Louisiana bayou being one of my faves.
And the theme song is my favorite
For Your
Eyes Only – My favorite Bond movie, despite Roger Moore’s looking like a
dirty old man when compared to Lynn-Holly Johnson’s “teenage” ice skater with
the hots for James, … where was I? This
is my favorite. The title song, by
Sheena Easton is one of the more enjoyable for me; I adore Topol, who plays one
of the “bad” guys, from his role in Fiddler on the Roof; I just really like the
interweaving plot points.
Skyfall – This movie came out
for the 50th anniversary of James Bond, I think, and I really like this movie
for itself – although I find the bad guy to be rather creepy. But, I enjoy franchises that pay tribute, if
you will, to their history and Skyfall was full of Easter eggy things that did
just that – for example, it brought back the Aston Martin! And even though M dies (SPOILER ALERT!), I
like the new M and Ms. Moneypenny… and Q!
As for Spectre, I really enjoyed
it. Mostly for the same reasons as I
enjoyed Skyfall. I think as I become a
more mature viewer, I have grown to enjoy arcs, if you will. I can only compare it to Doctor Who where,
for example, over an entire season, things happen where you really don’t realize
they are at all related, but then in the final episode of the season, all of
the bits and pieces are tied up in a really neat bow! You enjoyed each episode for what it was, but
then after seasoning the entire forest, you can appreciate each individual tree
for the part it played. So that is what
Spectre is… it ties up nicely all of the previous Daniel Craig movies, in ways
that may or may not have been initially intended, but it worked well in my
opinion.
I really do like Daniel Craig as
James Bond. And his blue eyes are just
mesmerizing! I don’t know if he’ll be
back for another – scuttlebutt has it that he doesn’t want to, but supposedly
he’s contracted for at least one more – but if this is his last one, I think
Spectre is a good way to end his reign.
Now let the speculation begin as to who should be the next James Bond... thoughts?
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