
There was a time when a Bond film followed a format (Ask Alan Partridge). It always started with a prologue; Bond killing some insignificant villains. Cut into title sequence with lots of silhouettes, usually of naked ladies with titles shooting phalically out of Bond’s pistol. Bond then meets M at MI6 and gets mission. Then he meets Q at Q-Branch and gets gadgets. He’ll fly to an expensive hotel in a Far Eastern location and get DJ’d up for something resembling the Ferrero Rocher Amabassadors Ball. Accompanied by a sexy female MI6 contact he meets the villian in formal surroundings and beats him at cards. Then he has sex with the villians girlfriend, much to the jealousy of his MI6 collegue. Then there will be lots of driving around mountains doing reconnaissance where he uses his gadgets on the villains henchmen (he got from Q earlier? pay attention 007) and the female MI6 colleague would get kidnapped. The finale would consist of Bond going to the villains super lair to rescue her. The lair would contain the villains secret weapon or super-computer designed to conquer mankind but ends up blowing up. With the villain dead he heads back to London, finally having sex with the MI6 colleague. The End.
Craig’s Bond has not only strayed from this format slightly but he has left his own mark on the character. We see a more vulnerable side, learn more about his past and what has made him who he is. Craig’s Bond is less sleazy and cocky. Capable of failing and letting people down, he has his fair share of loosing battles. Consequently we are rid of the predictability of the storyline, raising the stakes and risk for all concerned.

Every nation has their hero. America called their superman, rather unoriginally, Superman. The British, in our rare moments of non-sport related patriotism, call their superman Bond. James Bond.
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