Shaken and Stirred

Whenever one goes to see a new Bond film, it is always inevitably followed by the age old question that has bugged film critics both of the professional and the pub variety since the dawn of cinema; Who is the best Bond?

Having attended a delightful screening of Daniel Craig’s latest 007 outing this evening at the wonderful Tyneside Cinema (one of the few proper old-school independent cinemas still in existence), said question has very much been the topic of today’s conversation.

Admittedly, up until this point, I had not been impressed by Mr. Craig… For me, having grown up watching Connery and Moore on Sunday afternoons with my father, he simply was not Bond for me. Far too high octane explosiveness and not enough espionage-y silliness. That said, Skyfall left me rather awestruck. I shan’t give too much away, as the plot does twist and turn more than Blackpool Pleasure Beach’s Big One, but safe to say it’s a highly impressive addition to the Bond legacy.

But back to our question; the greatest Bond.

A theory that strikes me is that, much like with Doctor Who, an opinion is drawn most strongly from the actor with whom we have grown up. My brother, for example, sees Daniel Craig as the best, whilst many of my erstwhile classmates rate the (in my opinion at least) ruddy awful Pierce Brosnan. It all seems to depend entirely on the Bond to whom we were first introduced.

And so perhaps that is why I have such a soft spot for the oft forgotten entry in the Bond canon, James Bond Jr. Starring in his own animated series throughout the early nineties, ”Junior” allegedly “learned the game from his uncle James”, thwarting the evil plans of the villainous S.C.U.M., whose roster consisted of numerous classic Bond villains, such as Jaws, Oddjob and Dr. No, as well as, for some reason, a pirate with a grappling hook hand… Amongst young James’ cohorts are younger versions of his uncle’s colleagues, such as whizz-kid inventor IQ, and American chum Gordo (son/nephew/somethingorother of Felix) Leiter.

All in all, it was a jolly good romp with a cracking theme tune and a wicked collection of action figures – I recently investigated and discovered that I actually had all of them save for Oddjob, and that included the submarine bike AND the convertible with headlight missiles!

So, after careful consideration, I submit that James Bond Junior be my favourite Bond. Even if he did look a bit like Philip Schofield…