Improved by a Second Look

Rating: 10/10 (3 November 2008)

I saw this movie in the theater, when it was released, and I really didn't care for it. I knew that much of my reaction was because I was unhappy with how significantly they had changed the Bond mystic this time around. I was always a fan of James Bond films, from the first to the last one before this. Although the 007 persona changed from time to time over the years, partially to keep him up with the changing times, he was still the same basic recognizable character. But, in this movie, the only anchor to the past was Judi Dench playing the character M. There was not even a Q in this movie, and I was unhappy about that. I had looked forward to seeing John Cleese playing Q in more Bond films. Also, this film had too many twists to try to follow. And, like many Bond fans, I didn't know who Daniel Craig was and didn't care for his very different presentation of 007. Most confusing was the fact that the story was completely out of the time line for the series. In the movie, this is Bond's first assignment as a 00 agent, which would place it before Dr. No in story chronology. Yet, it was set in today's time. This was very disconcerting.
After watching the movie on DVD, almost two years later, I have a different feeling about it. I now accept the changes (especially after watching the special features DVD that was included in the movie set). I also paid close attention to Craig's acting and found that I do like his style. He was an excellent 007. Something I noticed this time is that Craig looks and acts very much like Steve McQueen, a favorite action film actor of mine from decades ago. Now, I place this Bond film as one of the better ones in the series. I will enjoy watching it often.