The new Bond

Some folks don't like Daniel Craig in the role of James Bond because of his looks. And there's plenty of discussion about how Casino Royale is a Batman Begins-type "reboot" of the series. While I'm not sure a reboot is necessary to wash the bad taste of Die Another Day out of everybody's mouthes, I am interested to see Craig's performance. As a James Bond fan of over 20 years (somewhere in my records I wrote down that my first Bond experience, viewing Moonraker at a friend's birthday party, was Feb. 4, 1983), I can't say I was totally thrilled with Pierce Brosnan's portrayal of Bond. While he had range to go from humorous to dark material, too many times (especially in the Q scenes) Brosnan seems to be excited to be James Bond and the performance fails for me. I'd like it if Craig's Bond is closer to Timothy Dalton's portrayal, although that may not go over well with audiences. I think the steady stream of Bond movies on cable TV may have solidified a public perception that the movies will have to satisfy if they're going to continue.