Three Things That Will Make the Next Bond Film Great

James Bond’s latest outing, Spectre, was met with less than stellar reviews. What would make the next one better?

The newest from the James Bond franchise, Spectre, may be flashy and decadent, but it hasn’t been sitting very well with some critics. It certainly does not have the overwhelming positive acclaim that its predecessor, Skyfall, received.

We here at Eye on Bond ask, then: what would make the next James Bond film great?

1. A New Bond

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This isn’t a bash on Daniel Craig. Far from it. But there are multiple reasons why the Bond franchise needs to break ties with Craig.

First off, he has major reservations about coming back. After comments that he would rather slash his wrists than play Bond again, he has pulled back on a full-on refusal to come back as Bond, but he still isn’t saying anything to convince anyone that he is willing and able to reprise the role. If Craig isn’t 100% on board for a fifth film, then the film will only suffer as a result.

Secondly, Craig has been Bond for nine years. If he makes a fifth film, this will pass over the decade mark. As we have seen from past Bonds (*cough* Roger Moore  *cough*), age does not suit the spy.

A fresh face would remedy this in a jiffy (how about Taron Egerton, for an example). Story wise, Spectre is a good film for Craig to go out on, so let’s move on and start fresh.

2. A Singular Direction (And a New Director)

One of the major issues plaguing Spectre from achieving great Bond status is story. The film simply falls apart in the end, and it is all in an attempt to bring Daniel Craig’s Bond era closer in line with the classic Bond formula.

All the while, the film keeps Craig’s Bond the same character, still haunted and bitter about his past.

What this does is divide the audience in a way where nobody wins. People wanting to see a classic Bond still have Craig’s portrayal, and people wanting another Casino Royale or Skyfall are left with a jumbled mess that is trying to be You Only Live Twice mixed with On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.

What the next Bond film needs to do is pick a side. Will it be a gritty Craig Bond or a classic Connery Bond? Spectre proves that we can’t have the best of both worlds. If Craig is out of the picture (see Slide 1), then the options are left wide open for the next phase in the franchise.

This brings me to an additional side note. Imagine Craig is gone and a new actor is cast in the role for the next film. Who should be the director? Sam Mendes has made one hugely successful film and one less successful one. This can be read as: maybe he will do it well or maybe it will be Spectre 2.

My suggestion is to bring back Martin Campbell. His filmography as a director isn’t 100% good (*cough* Green Lantern *cough*). However, both of his attempts at Bond films have resulted in fan favorites GoldenEye and Casino Royale. What is significant about these two films? They are both the first outings of James Bond actors, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig respectively.

There’s your homework assignment, Eon. Go see if Martin Campbell isn’t too busy to do a third Bond film.

3. Villain Focus

If you’ve seen Spectre, you can probably name the name of Christoph Waltz’ villain. But, other than the name, why should you remember him? He appears in perhaps 20 minutes of the entire runtime of the film. Given the actor’s talent, this is disappointing, to say the least. I was so ready to see Waltz steal scenes and go toe-to-toe with Craig. Instead, well, just see the film and you’ll understand.

The solution here is simple: give the villain room to breathe.

Don’t simply introduce the villain in the shadows in act one and let him/her slink further into these shadows until the climax in act three. We need a villain that pursues into the second act. The villain doesn’t have to be omnipresent, that is what henchmen are for, but the baddie should at least exist in the middle of the film.

That’s it. Three simple fixes to make the next Bond film better than Spectre.

Next: Who Should Be the Next Bond: Michael Fassbender

As always, thanks for reading!

What do you think? What do you want to see in the next James Bond film? Let us know in the comments below!