Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Bond. James Bond.

How weird is it that I'm totally jazzed about seeing the latest Bond movie, Casino Royale?

I'm not a Bond fan. I mean, I've seen one or two Bond movies, and I enjoy the premise of a super-agent against all odds. He's the uber hero, with his un-ruffle-able demeanor and ability to get out of any jam conceived by human and non-human. How can you not think James is the thing?

But the Bond movies always seem a little too heavy on the action and a little too light on the substance for me to really enjoy. They are the quintessential guy film. Usually I'm a fan of action-heavy guy films. But Bond is the one subgenre that contains a testosterone level too high for me to compute.

However, I'm really intrigued by Casino Royale. Perhaps it's the new Bond, actor Daniel Craig (who, gads, I see is almost a year younger than I am!). I don't know why, but I find this guy incredibly appealing. Maybe it's the ice-blue eyes of his. Or the fact that he appears pretty darn un-ruffle-able. I know a lot of Bond purists have had baby cows over Craig's casting, claiming that even if you could ignore the anti-Bond blond hair and blue eyes, he's not even tall enough to be a Double-O-7. My knee-jerk to those folks is give me a break, you are talking about a character who is virtually indestructable. Who cares what color his hair is? I'm good with this new Bond. In fact, I think I'll like him better than the Pierce Brosnan incarnation who was simply too smooth around the edges to seem like a living, breathing human.

What I think excites me most about Casino Royale, however, is the plot (warning - SPOILERS at that link if you scroll down!). Looks like in CR, we get to go back to the beginning, find out how Bond got his start and what makes him tick. Too, looks like there might be a love interest of sorts rather than another of the endless stream of Bond girls who become nameless, faceless bodies as soon as I walk out of the theater (save Pussy Galore, because, god, come on!). I am all over that if my uber-hero actually meets and develops some - gulp - feelings for an uber-heroine.

Maybe it's those marketing folks finally realizing that even really good sport females like me who don't mind an action-heavy guy flick have our limits. If they toss in a smidgen of romance, I'm sold.

3 comments:

Reel Fanatic said...

I"m not a huge Bond fan either, but I'm also thoroughly psyched about this one .. I think it's the cast ... Craig, Eva Green and Jeffrey Wright should all be great

Lynn M said...

Yeah, it just must be. Because from the trailers I've seen, it looks like fairly straight-forward Bond action as usual.

I'm actually considering forking over the babysitter cash so the hubby and I can go see it together, before it comes out on DVD. That says a lot!

Anonymous said...

I used to love watching the Bond movies in the 70's and 80's but haven't really watched one since Timothy Dalton took over the role. He's too un-sexy and Pierce Brosnan, attractive though he may be- his nose is just too small to be considered sexy. Yes, I'm suBut Craig...ooh man, from the preveiws I've seen, he just oozes s*x. Yes, I'm superfical, so sue me. heh.