Sci-Fi Bulletin: Exploring the Universes of SF, Fantasy, Horror and Spy-fi!

Our feature series on the James Bond movies is back after a short hiatus – with a 35th anniversary lookback at Timothy Dalton’s debut

Dalton brings the role into the modern era with much apparent relish, ironically by focusing on the origins of the character. Having read the novels, Dalton sought to bring their tone to the screen. ‘I definitely wanted to recapture the essence and flavour of the books, and play it less flippantly’, he was heard to say, reiterating that Bond’s lifestyle of chain-smoking, hard drinking and womanising all related to the stress and danger of a job in which he could be killed at any moment. Dalton’s Bond is a harder feeling character than Moore’s, not lacking for charm (or heart) but able to switch off and do what is necessary as and when required.

Click here to read Greg D. Smith’s analysis, and for the previous features, click here