I can remember watching my first bond film at the age of 13. I watched Sean Connery's Dr. No. I was simply mesmerized by 007. The charm, action, and witty dialogue captured my attention. I remember purchasing more Bond films and watching many of them. I could not get enough of them. I found it very interesting that there were so many bond films and actors. You can google "James Bond" and find every opinion on the best Bond actors or films. Sometime in that era in my life, I lost interest in the Bond films, as other priorities came to surface. However, my interest in the Bond franchise was renewed.
I was shopping and saw Casino Royale, the newest stab at a postmodern Bond flick. Daniel Craig replaced Pierce Brosnan as the new James Bond. This movie was different then all the previous Bonds. It was much darker and more edgier. The film seemed to be more realistic then the Brosnan films. I personally loved Daniel Craig's interpretation of Ian Flemming's' character. This film actually renewed a tired franchise. It also renewed my love for the Bond films for the first time since my teen years. I believe that the different interpretations of the character James Bond by the different actors who have portrayed him has allowed for this franchise to be one of the best.
We have seen the Cristian heritage catch up with the times through out history. At one time, it was thought to be heresy to believe that the earth was not the center of all things. I wonder as this world adapts to changes, if the Christian faith needs to evaluate our message in the context of our times. Now, I know that many say that it is the method that needs to keep up with the times, and not the message. I will argue that as we experience life in different stages, we will see new messages from the scriptures. Isn't this fact true with our experiences? Do we see aspects of life differently when are in a stage of depression in comparison to a joyous time?
This is why we should embrace the scriptures as a long journey. As we grow and change as a person through out the years, the message reveals more and more to us because of these changes. We certainly need to tweak our methods, but we also always need to evaluate our message as well. The Bond actors revealed a change in character as our our world has changed dramatically since the conception of the films.
Daniel Craig represents a bold new take on James Bond that has resonated with many new viewers of this franchise. (It is worth mentioning that there has been many traditional Bond fans that has resisted this new take. There can be a lot said on this as well, concerning how we do church, and how that effects those involved, but I will leave this alone for now.) May this new take on a traditional character symbolize the changes that we may need to embrace as the world around us has already changed dramatically within the last 40 years.
-dj
No comments:
Post a Comment