The Character Study: James Bond

"Bond. James Bond. "

The iconic line of the world's quintessential spy. Bond has been played by many actors over his 59 years in film.

It started with 1962's Dr. No. The man who played Bond? Sir Sean Connery.

This film introduced the world to the dashing, charismatic image of 007. The man with a license to kill. He was funny, the ladies loved him, and he ordered drinks like suits. Tailored to his liking. "Shaken, Not Stirred."

Ian Fleming created the kind of character that could withstand almost any change in society. All men on some level aspired to be him and ladies desired to meet a man like him. Suave, handsome with a little bad mixed into him. He represented masculinity through and through.

After seven movies, Sir Sean Connery ended his time as Bond and the torch was passed to David Nevin who starred as James Bond in 1967's Casino Royale with legendary filmmaker Orson Welles as the villain, Le Chiffre. The film was a colossal flop, especially considering its all-star cast. The comedy approach was definitely not something people associated with the Bond franchise.

The franchise needed to regroup. They needed a fresh start and to return to the formula that had brought them so much success. Back to the original Bond. The real James Bond.

The result? Casting Australian actor George Lazenby in 1969's On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Revived the popularity of the franchise as a hard-hitting, explosive action film. Lazenby, however, exited the franchise after just one film.

Following the successful revival of the franchise and the premature exit of its lead star, of course, a reboot was in order. There was too much of Bond's story that'd been left untold, as well as let's be honest, too much money to be lost.

This next Bond is the one who I consider to not only be the worthy successor to Sir Sean Connery's legendary portrayal but also the man who truly redefined Bond into his own image. Sir Roger Moore. A multi-faceted actor in his own right, he was more than just Bond, which is what made him such a great one.

1977's film The Spy Who Loved Me was the start of the Roger Moore era of Bond. He didn't just have the suave and style of Bond down pat, he also was exceedingly more British than even Sir Sean Connery who he shared the title of most Bond films ever done with a tally of 7 films in total.

He in my opinion was the most romantically-entangled Bond of them all. He pushed the "playboy" aspect of Bond's character to the forefront and yet still retained an air of sensibility in his character that was so obviously turning into a sex symbol once again. Making it almost a requirement for the next actor who would inhabit the role after Moore's lengthy tenure.

Oh, how wrong they were. The next person on our list currently ranks, rather unfairly I might add, as "the worst bond" out of them all. How this nonsensical notion came about, I have no clue because Timothy Dalton brought a whole new Bond to cinema.

The Living Daylights (1987) brought the world a Bond that wasn't that funny. He had some clever quips but nothing compared to his predecessors. This Bond was a spy, yes. But he was also a cold-blooded killer that used his license to kill to save the day. This Bond wasn't going to get distracted by a woman for too long. He only sees his mission.

Dalton, unfortunately, was limited to only two Bond appearances as Eon Productions and MGM had a legal falling out and thus Dalton was forced to step out of the role for reasons beyond his control. However, Dalton's portrayal of Bond remained the foundation for his successors in the role till this day.

Dalton's unceremonious exit left a void in the franchise, as he had left before he could start production on the third film featuring his Bond. It instead went to his successor. The Irishman who had made his name on the hit tv show Remmington Steele. The film was Golden Eye (1995) and the Bond, Pierce Brosnan.

Brosnan carried on with the serious and suave nature left behind by Dalton's fairly violent Bond. All whilst inserting his own brand, which entailed a mixture of the serious and flirtatious Bond that sent women head-over-heels and men saluting the masculinity on screen. Leaving behind a legacy of explosions and hovercrafts as well as Asian men transforming themselves into white men. Hello, Die Another Day (2002).

4 years later, another Bond was inevitably cast. He was fairly unknown to worldwide audiences and it was clear that Bond would be the thing that launched his career. Immediately the loyal, (sometimes fanatical) Bond fan base started disliking his appearance as it differed from the "traditional" image of Bond. His blonde hair.

In 2006's Casino Royale, Daniel Craig brings to the table an intense, blue-eyed Bond that is by no means the finished product. Instead, the film shows us a rather reckless and borderline childish James Bond who not only revels in his newfound position as 007 but also demonstrates a pure lack of experience. He starts the film with explosive chase scenes befitting a Mission Impossible chase with high crane jumps and embassy explosions. Throughout the course of the film the various characters that Bond comes across mention one or more of his many flaws as a spy. He brushes them off with humorous or flirtatious quips that befit his childish nature, preferring to learn through trial-and-error. James Bond only truly becomes the 007 we know and love by the end of the film. Having learnt valuable lessons in what it means to be a spy and who to trust. No one.

The films that followed Quantum of Solace (2008), Skyfall (2012) and Spectre (2015) all served as milestones in James Bond's life as a spy when 2015's Spectre revealed that the previous films, Casino Royale (2006) included were all connected and orchestrated by a single organisation known as Spectre and they served the man at the table, Ernst Stavro Blofeld played by the magnificent Christoph Waltz.

The final installation in Craig's illustrious tenure of this timeless character is 2021's No Time To Die.

With Daniel Craig stepping down from the role, the question on everyone's lips is the one that pops up every time one Bond leaves the franchise.

Who's the next Bond?

The questions that I ask? What about this character do people like? What makes them want more? Why is James Bond so consistent in its demand?