Even if you’ve never seen a James Bond movie, it’s likely you have something from the 007 franchise, a pop culture powerhouse, stuck …
Even if you’ve never seen a James Bond movie, it’s likely you have something from the 007 franchise, a pop culture powerhouse, stuck in your trivia brain. A man in a tuxedo holding a pistol. Sean Connery’s accent. Daniel Craig’s abs. The GoldenEye video game. That catchphrase: vodka martini — shaken, not stirred. And you’re thinking, it’s time to go on a Bond binge, or maybe even watch your very first one. To help you get started, this is your beginner’s guide to James Bond, who’s long defined a certain type of style and swagger. Or if you’re already a confirmed 007 fan, it’s a chance to weigh in on Connery’s quips, Roger Moore’s merits, Pierce Brosnan’s best or the one-hit wonder that was George Lazenby. Movie fans have strong feelings about who played Bond best (and worst). The big-screen Bond franchise certainly has staying power. Over the years, six actors have stepped into the role. The movie series got going way back in 1962 with Dr. No, starring the late Sean Connery, who’s indelibly associated with Bond. That’s well before the Star Wars saga (1977) and even the launch of the Star Trek ecosystem (1966). Bond-themed video games got a later start, and now there’s a new one in the works, IO Interactive’s “Project 007.” There’s also a new James Bond film on the way: No Time to Die, due to arrive in theaters in April 2021. (Looks likely we won’t see it land on a streaming service.) For those of you keeping count, it’s Bond 25 in the canon. It’s also expected to be the fifth and final Bond film for Daniel Craig, the latest embodiment of secret agent 007. That means we’re in for renewed debate about who should be the next James Bond. Idris Elba? Lashana Lynch? If you watch even just a few of the Bond movies from the last six decades, you’ll be in good shape to weigh in on that moviemaking moment. Here are two places for you to get started with the iconic spy from MI6. Take your pick: the modern Bond or the original. Read more: The 32 best movies to watch on Netflix Daniel Craig’s first outing as James Bond is a terrific spy/action movie, period. It’s that heart-poundingly good. But Casino Royale (2006) also did what no previous Bond movie could do: It completely rebooted the franchise, blowing up a formula that many saw as played out, with far-fetched gimmicks and belabored puns, even as it remained a steady box office draw. It’s based on Ian Fleming’s very first Bond novel and gives us Bond very much as he was introduced to the world. It stays true to that original story in many essential ways (not a hallmark of Bond movies in general) while at the same time updating it for modern audiences. Craig himself delivers all the muscle and menace the character deserves, in keeping with Fleming’s depictions and as measured against Connery, still the standard by which all other Bonds are invariably judged. There’s nothing glib about this Bond, and if he does look good in a tuxedo, you always know there’s a brute inside ready to battle the baddies. You learn right off the bat how he earned his double-0 (license to kill) rating, then it’s off to a spectacular chase and gunfight. That’s just in the first 18 minutes. High points, too, for a nasty villain in Mads Mikkelsen’s Le Chiffre, Judi Dench as Bond’s no-nonsense boss M and Eva Green as Bond’s female foil. Casino Royale also opens the door to the strong series of movies that follow — Quantum of Solace (2008), Skyfall (2012) and Spectre (2015), with No Time to Die waiting in the wings. There’s more than just action here: There’s an arc that leads us deeper into Bond’s past and how it drives him in the here and now. This whole franchise got going with Connery, so you can’t go wrong starting there.
