New Bond Movie

[fringey]

Has anyone seen Casino Royale yet? I have grave reservations about this new direction for the franchise: The loss of humor. No Q or gadgets, no Moneypenny. Over the top bad guys setting out to dominate the world through extragavant plans with fantastical weapons and henchmen. Those are things I think set the Bond movies apart from other spy movies. It may be a good movie, but will it be "BOND" anymore? The critics seem to like it. But, will the general public? Happy Feet beat it out this weekend, but is it because animated fare almost always tops the box office or because the public wants Bond as they have grown to love him?

It seems like sci fi fans generally enjoy Bond films, but will the loss of the sci fi element lose sci fi fans as well? These are all just questions I am pondering and wonder what other people think. The first James Bond movie, Dr. No, premiered the year I was born, so it feels almost proprietary to me. I have no problems with rebooting a franchise and taking it in a darker and grittier direction, if it works for the franchise. I am just curious if the majority of folks think this is the way to go with 007.

Patrick
a.k.a. Fringey, The Fringe Element
"A life lived without passion is a life not lived.