The James Bond series is now in it's 36th year, an achievement unique in the movie industry.
Nothing even comes close despite an almost complete change of actors, directors, and producers.
Though five different people have played James Bond, public enthusiasm for the character continues undiminished. Whatever one thinks of these movies, and their quality is certainly not uniform, their phenomenal success deserves further analysis. If identification with a super hero is an important element in holding audience attention, then commander Bond, a mythic hero if ever there was one, is the prototype. He is omniscient. Skiing, swimming, sky diving, equestrian.