...Ever since I was young, I've been a fan of the Bond films. Not so much of the actors that portrayed him, but the character of Bond himself. He was an enigma of sorts, a dashing spy, accomplished killer, and not one to be easily ruffled. The sort of guy that young romantic dreams are made of.

Totally unsuitable for reality, mind you, but the makings of some really great fantasies.

Of course one realizes that James Bond (the character) is not a romantic at heart but instead more of a cynic with a shot of misogyny thrown in. Yet, he's still viewed romantically by women around the world. What is it about the dashing spy with all the emotional armor? Is it that the women think they'll be the first to break through it and win his heart forever. Must be something like that. That theme is repeated through fiction and real life constantly.

No, I never entertained the idea of breaking through the armor of an emotionally distant individual. I just liked James Bond. Pretty to look at (with the exception of Roger Moore - ew) and probably worth a random tumble in bed. But never more so than Daniel Craig. He makes Bond... radioactive hot.

Where Sean Connery was an action man but ever so suave, and Brosnan had all the cute quips with that all-knowing smile of his, Craig is rough and not really all that pretty looking with his pouty mouth. He doesn't play with gadgets and he doesn't do a lot of sneaky tricky stuff. He doesn't pull a sucker punch - he delivers it straight through with a lot of power.

Yes, I've seen "Casino Royale" and I've seen what a Bond film should be like. Dark, good writing, lots of action, solid story. I know they've deviated from the original works like there's no tomorrow. And the producers aren't going to be working from any of the stories anymore because they've run out of them - everything at this point is going to be complete fabrication (not like it hasn't been mostly that already, but still). But they've found the formula that works in my opinion. And the actor to pull it off for quite a few years to come.

There were a lot of detractors when Craig was announced as Bond. Having seen Craig in a couple of notable roles over the years, I was slightly skeptical myself. After all, this is a rough looking blond actor. Skeptical, but not completely disbelieving because I knew what Craig was capable of. Not many others thought he could do it. And boy, did he prove them wrong. He is, by far, the best Bond ever.

Yes, I know Sean Connery *was* James Bond. He never really did anything for me in that role. Sure, he was good-looking, he was suave... he's Scottish and you can *TELL* and that detracted from it for me. But Daniel Craig has taken Bond back to the rough spots, showed that he can be a thug and still classically fill out a tuxedo. He can be an everyman's Bond (and every woman's for that matter). It's just a shame that I know there are others who still want to skewer him for not being as perfect as they think Bond should be...

....One sympathizes *snickers and knows anyone who saw the movie understands that line*