Adam Wilcox; tea drinking Brit with fondness for the media and tech.
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Bond 23

After the thoroughly brilliant Casino Royale it was not without considerable disappointment that I had to review Quantum of Solace as simply “Lots of action, no plot. Major let down”. Despite this, I still maintain that Daniel Craig is the best Bond, and I have no doubt he will go on to make considerably better movies in the future. That said, since watching Quantum of Solace, I’ve been thinking about the Bond franchise and where it goes from here.

Over the last month, Sky Movies has been showing ten Bond movies in High Definition, and as such I’ve been able to revisit all six of Connery’s outings. I’ve come to the only sensible option for the future of James Bond; remake the original movies.

Many of the Bond movies have not dated well, the effects look naff, many of the props look liable to fall to pieces at any moment, and the less said about the frankly racist Live and Let Die, the better. Dr. No, Connery’s first time in the role was released in 1962, more than 40 years ago. The plot, in which Bond is sent to Jamaica on an investigation into the death of a fellow British agent is simple but enthralling, and like Casino Royale it is character-driven. Unlike the action-centric Quantum of Solace, an updated Dr. No could really turn out to be a great Bond movie. More to the point, a return to the mystery and suspense Bond reducing the need for explosions and CGI, would suite the current cash strapped film world. I would really like to see an updated version of From Russia with Love, (my favourite James Bond novel), given the recent resurgence and political posturing of Russia as a world superpower, could really benefit from the adaptations that turned Casino Royale (novel penned 1953) into the multi-award winning hit of 2006.

Bond 23 will apparently be released in 2011 and is to be based on the Flemming short story about Bond wandering around New York, recounting a recipe for scrambled eggs, and pointing out to an MI6 employee that she’s shacked up with a KGB agent. So, something to look forward too… I like scrambled eggs.