I grew up reading Ian Fleming's novels and watching all the James Bond movies, though I had the misfortune to come of age during the safari-suited Roger Moore era and subsequently didn't get the appeal of the Connery films until I'd grown up. After seeing Daniel Craig in Sword of Honour and Layer Cake, he almost seemed too cool and too good for Bond. However, I love what he's brought to the role ... something akin to what we thought Timothy Dalton was doing (but realize in hindsight he wasn't, because it just wasn't possible back then, not for Bond).
After seeing Casino Royale four or five times, I found Quantum of Solace a disappointment. It was fine for what it was, but felt a bit like a return to form. Now that the trailer for Skyfall is out, I'm curious to see which of the two earlier films it most resembles. We've waited long enough, so hopefully it's good.
My taste in spy thrillers tends to be more cerebral than action-oriented. Given my love of John le Carré and The Sandbaggers, a bunch of explosions and gadgets really aren't my thing. But James Bond gets grandfathered in on account of those afternoons when, as a twelve-year-old, I found my dad's old hardcover copy of The Man With The Golden Gun and was hooked.
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