Wednesday 19 December 2012

Battle of the Bonds


Ever since Bond first swaggered onto our screens in 1962 he has been a beloved British icon. Over the past fifty years six different Bonds have attempted to claim a place in our hearts, sparking the age old debate, who is the best? Ladies and gentleman, it is my pleasure to bring to you now the definitive ranking for 007.




1) Sean Connery
Did you expect anyone else? The original Bond. Connery's breakthrough role came in the form of secret agent James Bond, and I think it's fair to say he set the bar rather high. Good looking, charming, tough, and always ready with an inappropriately cheesy one liner, Connery epitomises everything that we love about 007. You try finding a man who says "Moneypenny" better.

2) Daniel Craig
The worlds first blonde Bond had a lot of critics to impress when he slipped into his tux and ordered himself a Martini shaken not stirred, and did so admirably. Casino Royale (2006) was a resounding success, with Craig bringing back a brute toughness that the role had been crying out for. Quantum Of Solace (2008) is a pretty big blemish on his CV, but has been all but forgotten as a result of the spectacular Skyfall (2012). Brilliant Bond and star of two quite brilliant films.

3) Roger Moore
Say what you want about Roger Moore but the man made the role his own. Taking the cheesy one liners of the Connery era and making them the forefront of James Bond was a risky move, but somehow Roger Moore manages to make it work. His hilariously bad jokes, coupled with his incredible poshness gave a unique twist on the classic character and made sure that our longest serving 007 would always be remembered fondly.

4) Timothy Dalton
Admittedly not everyone's cup of tea, but in my eyes Dalton gave a pretty good effort as Bond. His dark and serious portrayal of Fleming's famous character never really sat right with fans, as shown by the fact he only managed two outings as 007. Personally I quite like my Bond with a bit of edge and as a result the Welshman will always get a thumbs up from me, albeit a significantly smaller thumb than that I give to Connery, Craig, and Moore.

5) Pierce Brosnan
Mr Brosnan has always been a hard one to judge as he was undoubtedly a victim of some truly awful cock ups in the writing department, an invisible car being the cherry on top of the giant failure that was Brosnan's Bond. However, no matter who wrote the script I just don't think that the man was right for the role. Bar being a pretty good looking guy, and sounding frightfully British, he lacked any of the elements we crave our Bond to posses. His charm was laced with smarm, his whit was non existent, and at the end of the day he was just a massive sap. Bad move for all involved.

6) George Lazenby
Whenever I get deep into a Bond debate, this name isn't even mentioned. The horribly forgettable Lazenby only managed one appearance as the nations favourite spy, and even that came as a result of a fall out between Connery and the makers of the franchise. More known as a model than an actor, the Australian delivered a dull performance that lacked any sort of conviction of charisma. Many Bond fans aren't even aware he played the role, and I'm afraid it's probably best they keep it that way.



Written By Ash Davies

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