There's a bit of a James Bond theme in this week's issue of Student Weekly. Biographic (page 14) is all about the best and craziest Bond villains, while the movie preview on page 15 is about Spectre, the latest film in the ever-popular James Bond film franchise.
There have been 24 official Bond films released since the first one — Dr. No, way back in 1962 — and every one of them has been an international smash hit. The films' plots are usually preposterous, the sets and action sequences outrageous, and the evil villains so diabolical and illogical that they more often than not cross the line into camp comedy. There are always beautiful women, exotic locations, impossibly high-tech gadgets and wondrous weapons of mass destruction. In other words, the films are great fun to watch.
Admittedly, the Bond films I like most are the ones from the "classic era" of the 1960s, when agent 007 was played by the great Scottish actor Sean Connery (with the exception of the 1968 film On Her Majesty's Secret Service, when Bond was played by Australian action man George Lazenby). As well as being action-packed, these early Bond films always had groovy swinging '60s sets, cool mod fashions, psychedelic title sequences and fantastic soundtrack music written by renowned film composer John Barry. The films' plots were also slightly more believable than they later became, partly because they were more closely based on the original James Bond books by British spy author Ian Fleming.
Since the 1960s, 007 has been played by various actors in different ways. Roger Moore played up the humorous aspects of the character, while Timothy Dalton brought out seriousness and intensity. Pierce Brosnan was somewhere between those extremes, while the latest Bond, Daniel Craig, has breathed new life into the series by playing 007 as a tough, believable character who, while not always likeable, can deliver humorous one-liners with grace and charm.
Amazingly, after 24 films over a more than 50-year period, James Bond remains more popular than ever. Having just watched the trailer of the latest offering, Spectre, it looks as if the series is still offering up plenty of the over-the-top everything that keeps the fans coming back for more.
Ben Edwards
Editor
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