"James Bond May Make You Crave an Omega Watch."

I just saw a commercial for an Omega watch, as worn by Daniel Craig playing James Bond in the famous British spy's latest onscreen adventure "Quantum of Solace." This brought me back to my recent re-watch of Craig's first trek in the martini loving MI-6 agent's shoes, 2006's "Casino Royale," probably the best modern James Bond movie. The only argument present there would be between "Casino" and Pierce Brosnan's Bond debut, "Goldeneye." In the spectrum of old Bond films, "Goldeneye," stays within the realm of the other films and brings it to another level. "Casino Royale" took that old Bond mold, placed it on a cinder block, bashed it to smithereens with a pick ax, and burned the remains with a blowtorch. And I mean that in a good way.

In an age where conventional popcorn movies are transforming into gritty, more realistic affairs ("The Dark Knight," "Iron Man") "Casino Royale" was a well needed shot of new life into the series. This really didn't come as a surprise to some, as it was co-written by Paul Haggis who wrote and directed "Crash," as well as writing other Oscar winners "Million Dollar Baby," "Flags of Our Fathers" and "Letters From Iwo Jima." Craig was more Connery than Brosnan, more badass than Moore, and face it, Hugh Grant would be about as good as Dalton was, so that settles that argument. Craig's Bond brought back the freakish villain who weeped blood, right in line with the circus sidehows that were Jaws, Baron Samedi, and Oddjob, the quintessential Bond villain/henchman.

Given this newly anointed darker Bond series, it can be argued that Craig is the first actor to give the character an identity since the original, Sean Connery. Connery gave set the standard for all the actors following him that would never surpass his defining of Bond. Brosnan came the closest, but was still too GQ to capture the character's underlying ruggedness. Craig, on the other hand, was called upon to reinvent Bond; his Bond's story starts from the beginning just as he attains his double 0 agent status. This give the realism explanation, and allows Craig to bring something fresh to a character that's been played by half a dozen actors over nearly 50 years.

The early reviews say that "Quantum of Solace" isn't as good as "Casino Royale," but I wouldn't expect it to be as "Casino" was one of the best films of the past 2 years. So long as it keeps pace with the gritty realism and ruggedness the 21st century Bond is bringing to the table, the film should deliver like UPS. Once I get to the theater, I'll be sure to report on it.

It's strange what kind of random thoughts a watch commercial can conjure up...