There is a new Bond film. There is new Bond swag. There is a new Bond song.
It was on this day in 1962 that the first Bond film hit the theaters. When the latest movie arrives in theaters on November 5, it will be the 24th in the series to be served up on the big screen.
There is a reason Bond has never gone direct to video. Actually, there are five reasons.
#5. The Great Bond Films. Ignore all other opinions. There are three truly great Bond films. They are Dr. No (1962), Goldfinger (1964) and Thunderball (1965). Three were enough to set the formula that has proved enduring for half a century.
#4. The Great Entertainment. There are better movies about real spying, but no movie spy has ever entertained us more. Even the worst Bond movie ever, Casino Royale (1967), at least had a great soundtrack.
#3. The Spy We Love. Bond was far from the most over-the-top spy to ever to hit the silver screen, but even in From Russia with Love (1963) when Bond was at his most serious, and most boring, Bond was better than the rest.
#2. The Reminder. With all the hoopla from no WMD to Edward Snowden, sometimes it seems that it’s our spies that must be the bad guys. Bond is only a movie character, but he was drawn from the real-life experiences of author and spy Ian Fleming. Yes, there are people out there trying to protect the good guys from the bad ones. We need to do a better job remembering who the heroes are (Edward Snowden is not one of them).
#1. The Spies Are Here to Stay. Spy movies are bigger than ever. Live with it.
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