Apparently, in a recent issue of the Hollwood Reporter, Paul Haggis, the screenwriter who is redrafting the script for Casino Royale, the next film in the Bond franchise, stated that he is reinventing Bond as a younger man, in his late twenties (28) and that there will be no Q and no gadgets.
Now, before the Bond fans all start shouting, I think this is mixed news, not all good, certainly, but not all doom and gloom either. I’m a Bond fan, I grew up watching the films on Bank Holidays and over Christmas, I know them all backwards, forwards and sideways. It should come of something of a shock when I say they haven’t made a good Bond film since Roger Moore. I like Brosnan, don’t get me wrong, I think he’s fantastic in the role, I just think the stories he’s been given have been awful. Tomorrow Never Dies was the bottom of the pit for me, Die Another Day was actually a step up (well, overall, there were certain scenes which are in the running for worst ever).
I’ve seen some of the early films lately because one of the TV stations in the UK had a ‘Bond Season.’ Go back and watch some of the classics and you get to see how sub-par the latest stuff is. It’s like the scriptwriters and producers have got a checklist they must include:
Okay, so that worked for the originals, but that’s what everyone is doing these days and, frankly, the core audience is getting tired of it.
At the moment the Bond films look and feel just like all the other action films being released, only their characters have superpowers or effects enhanced action sequences, it makes Bond look a little old and tired, like some puffed out old grandad. The likes of the Bourne films have shown that you don’t need OTT effects to make a good action film, but Bond films don’t even manage that. And what happened to the badguys? They used to be hardcore criminals with thoughts of world domination, now they’re just greedy businessmen after more money. And what happened to the armies of henceman, the giant fortresses, the heavily defended control centres? Then there’s the gadgets, Bond does need them, but they seem to have become the star, as have the cars. It’s a little worrying when people are more interested in the car he drives rather than the story.
So, do I think the franchise needs a revamp? Yes. Do I think they’re going the right way? No. Bond should not be 28, mid-thirties is the ideal age I would have said. I’ve said that they need to keep the gadgets, but I agree with toning down their importance, and Q’s role. He’s more of a running in-joke these days and a figure for light relief.
They need to up the edge too, make it darker. Bond has always been a tough character, one willing to do anything to get the job done. Look back at the original films and you’ll see he kills people, slaps women and dishes out violence without any second thought or remorse. Not to mention the daft stuff they have him do now. I couldn’t believe my ears when they have him say ‘filthy habit’ after hitting a guy smoking in GoldenEye. I don’t smoke, I don’t condone smoking, but JB is not the person to run a campaign on celluloid. Next thing he’ll be on a mission to save some whales, or trying to overt a major ecological disaster, or perhaps he’ll renounce violence and speak out against the NRA. If he becomes a vegetarian you know it’s all over.
The glossy locations I can live with, but the old films always seem to be at the lovely locations to find the dark, criminal underbelly. Now the films look like a combined holiday destination and car advert, or a reason for the producers to get yet another free holiday.
So, strip off all the extra pounds that have been added, put back some of the things which have been removed to meet with more PC views and give it a voice (they’re trying to make them into Hershey bars: they taste of nothing so no one is offended and you have a wider potential market) and Bond will be back on track. I’m not sure Casino Royale will be the movie that does it though, and, assuming they do pick a new actor for JB, this is the perfect time to make changes.
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