James Bond Reboot Needs To Stop Being Serious
When the James Bond reboot comes up, the conversation seems to center around who will play the next version of 007, but I don’t find that question particularly interesting. The more important question to me is, how silly will the next version of the character be? After the more serious, grounded, take on the character as played by Daniel Craig, my biggest hope is that the next version will be fantastical and goofy.
Serious Is Fine, But Campy Is Better
I grew up watching classic James Bond movies and particularly loved the campy Roger Moore era. With sci-fi-inspired doomsday weapons, cartoonishly evil villains, and lots of cheesy double entendre, I saw them as pure genre fun and Moore remains my favorite version to this day. In other words, the more serious, realistic, Daniel Craig reboot was the exact opposite of what I wanted from the franchise.
Most James Bond movies exist somewhere between serious drama and campy genre fun, but the Daniel Craig reboot pivoted hard away from the franchise’s campier elements. While Spectre brought in some of those neglected elements, it didn’t lean into them the way movies like The Spy Who Loved Me did. To recalibrate the franchise, the next iteration needs to recenter the campy elements and have fun again.
We Need More Villains Like Oddjob
One of the biggest advantages of a campy James Bond reboot is that it allows for more iconic villains. Aside from Christoph Waltz’s take on Blofeld in Spectre, 007’s villains in the Daniel Craig era were forgettable. Classic 007 villains like Oddjob and Jaws tend to come from sillier movies, where villains are free to have distinctive gimmicks and quirks.
A more silly James Bond reboot could also lean into a classic 007 staple that the Daniel Craig era reduced to an afterthought, gadgets. Classic 007 movies featured a wide range of gadgets from the iconic laser watch to cars that can turn into submarines. Bringing these devices back would help to set the new version apart from the Craig era, and other modern spy series like Jack Reacher.
We Don’t Need To Go Full-Blown Moonraker
A less serious James Bond reboot doesn’t necessarily mean it has to go into the full-on camp stylings of Moonraker or Octopussy but it should take its subject less seriously. There are plenty of directions for the series that could go with a lighter tone, from self-aware and intentionally comedic to high-octane action. Any tonal shift towards a more fun, lighthearted version of the franchise would stand out as fresh after the starkness of Craig’s films.
James Bond Worked Best Against Colorful Antagonists
A reboot with a lighter tone doesn’t necessarily have to make James Bond into a comedic character, either. As a character, 007 often works best as the straight man treating objectively silly problems as deadly serious. This could help transition audiences back into the wackier side of the franchise.
Less Tortured Soul, More Submarine Car
I recognize that many James Bond fans like more serious takes on the character and that the Daniel Craig reboot was well-received, but it’s time to resurrect the goofy side of the franchise. After five movies worth of serious 007 stories I’m ready for cars that turn into submarines, assassins with gimmicky weapons, and space lasers again.
I don’t care about the next 007’s race, gender, or even nationality, but I can’t handle another decade of a grim, tortured version of the character.
