Achimore discusses life-long passion for James Bond films

What’s your first James Bond-related memory?

I think I remember watching the Sean Connery films with my brother when I was in elementary school. I think at the moment we got a little obsessed with them and thought they were the most fascinating movies ever made. I distinctly remember watching the film “Thunder Ball.”

Why do you like James Bond movies so much?

That’s a good question. I guess I’ve always liked spy thrillers. That’s probably the first reason. But also I like the overall atmosphere and mood of the movies, how they’re always traveling to pretty exotic places. There’s usually some pretty good, classic traditions that are built in and that make Bond who he is, and that are entertaining to watch.

What’s your favorite James Bond movie and why?

Can it be a tie? […] I really liked the “Casino Royale” film when it came out. I like the James Bond films when they’re more realistic, when they make the James Bond character more of a spy. I think other films that have done [and] that are really amazing are “Her Majesty’s Secret Service” and “From Russia with Love.” So I’d say those are the three movies that have done it really well.

I think they also stay true to the original character that Ian Fleming created. In the novels, James Bond isn’t just this really classy flawless agent–he’s actually this very conflicted spy who doesn’t really enjoy killing people and going out there everyday and saving his country, or saving the world. He’s very human and a very realistic, relatable character. The movies that are able to capture that, and capture Ian Fleming’s original character, that’s when the movies are at their best.

That’s why I like Daniel Craig. I think Daniel Craig does a tremendous job doing that.

What did you think about “Skyfall”?

I personally loved it. I thought it was great. I actually saw it twice. At first, I thought “Skyfall” did a number of things right. I think Daniel Craig was really good in it, and did a good a job at portraying a realistic undercover agent.

I think “Skyfall” has a really good villain, it’s got an amazing plot, it’s got exotic locations. I also thought it was just beautifully directed. Every scene is very suspenseful, and you’re never bored while you’re watching it. It keeps moving the whole time. It does a good job at telling the whole story.

Are you going to be seeing it a third time?

I hope to. I actually liked it more the second time I saw it, because I was able to pick up on everything the film did right, from specific shots to the really good acting that takes place in the movie. I’ll definitely be buying it on DVD when it comes out. That’s a guarantee.

What did you like most about “Skyfall”?

I really like it when they focus the movie on James Bond, and what makes “Skyfall” so amazing is they actually go back to his childhood roots and you get to see the back-story, and what made James Bond what he is today. We actually care a lot more about the character. He’s not just some classy agent and ordering martinis. He’s an actual human being with a story to tell. That’s what makes “Skyfall” one of the top three Bond films ever made.

What allusions and references to earlier films should newer fans know?

They made a lot of allusions to past James Bond films. For example, they bring back his Aston Martin automobile, which has all the gadgets.

There are even parts of his conversation with Q [the agent in charge of providing Bond with secret gadgets] that mimic word for word his conversations back in “Goldfinger.”

By the very end of the movie, it kind of comes full circle, and you see how they bring back the character Moneypenny, and you learn how she gets into the spy business as well.

Anything else?

I’ll be waiting anxiously until the next James Bond film comes out!