The Challenge of Modernising the James Bond Franchise
For years, Amazon MGM has struggled to figure out what to do with the James Bond franchise. Since the original film series seemingly ended with No Time to Die, questions about what a reboot would look like have been rife – how can you possibly modernise Bond? How can you tackle relevant real-world issues? Is Bond just a relic of a since-gone era? Now, here comes IO Interactive to eat Amazon MGM’s lunch. Its latest games title, 007 First Light, arrives as a gut-busting, pulse-pounding action thriller that seems to answer all of the age-old Bond questions with ease. This is a shiny and modern Bond adventure, prescient and bitingly-sharp in approach, with a strong new protagonist in Patrick Gibson’s James Bond.
Representing the Threat of AI
007 First Light begins its quest to tell new stories in the Bond franchise by shedding the weight of what’s come before. Like my personal favourite spin-off, SilverFin of Charlie Higson’s Young Bond series, this game begins with a young, stubborn and reckless Bond. Here, though, we pick up a bit later than SilverFin. Bond is a young, plucky naval soldier on a mission that eventually collides with the work of MI6. With a nod to the real-life parallel, this version of MI6 is in the process of rebooting the 00 program, recruiting ambitious spies to embark on world-changing missions.
Bond’s courage and recklessness leads him to join the program. With strong performances in capture-the-flag skirmishes and combat drills, it isn’t long before Bond graduates to become part of MI6’s stellar field of spies – even against a field of opposition. He’s doubted and cajoled at every turn, but his relative lack of experience pales in comparison to need, as MI6 has an ever-expanding challenge on its hands. 007 First Light sees the spy organisation at a crossroads when it comes to technology, with generative AI being a surprisingly prescient hot topic. Here, MI6 is contending with its perceived obsolesce as its all-powerful quantum computing system THEIA makes its own decisions about criminal intent, right and wrong, and global conspiracy.
A New Twist Around Every Corner
The nearest analogues to have taken on this prescient subject matter are Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning and Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning, the final pieces of the long-term Bond competitor franchise. But where these films sunk their exploration of AI into the world of fantasy and over-exaggeration, to the point where their believability was ruined, 007 First Light takes a more considered, grounded approach. The key is simplicity, along with layers of style and panache over the top. While riddled with twists, and with a ratcheting tension that keeps up a strong and heart-pounding pace, the core of 007 First Light is simple and relatable, and the game saves its kookier moments for its well-earned climax.
This is a tense thriller, with a neat balance between action and more dialogue-focused character development. What works best is that IO Interactive knows exactly when to tighten the screw, and when to ease off, delivering a well-paced and entirely cinematic adventure. It essentially functions as a 16+ hour Bond film or series, with each new location and chapter bringing new intrigue, new challenges and new and artful gameplay segments. There are brilliant ideas that standalone, along with major car chases through scenic locations and boss battles that require clever thinking and gadget manipulation. No two chapters are alike, demanding you keep your hands firmly on the wheel while trying to anticipate what comes next. Between sky-diving, stunt jumping and stealth puzzles, you’ll quickly find yourself swept along in a tide of action.
Patrick Gibson is a Sleek, Charming James Bond
And when you’re not getting your hands dirty in one mission or another, you’ll be able to spend time with your new James Bond, who has been significantly updated for a new era. Daniel Craig, the last modern Bond, has spent the last few years being quite vocal about his dislike for the character, criticising the portrayal of hyper-masculinity and the character’s history as a ‘sexist and misogynist’. These criticisms, while not universally held, have inspired a more nuanced take on Bond. Elements of the character are recognisable – he’s still very much into women, and there are multiple liaisons and implied liaisons in the story. But here, he’s not so much a caricature, a fact which is helped by the longer runtime of the game, naturally allowing for more development and character-led moments.
His persona has also been partially reimagined for the better. Here, he’s no longer a ‘dinosaur’ of a past era, but a product of a new generation. He has fun with his companions, deals with each challenge with a Millennial-coded gallows humour, and throws out frequent, arrogant quips and jokes. Important here is balance. There’s a tendency in modern media to throw away stakes by underscoring them with humour. 007 First Light is careful with its snippy, light-hearted dialogue, only layering it when it reveals more about character, motivation or circumstance. The stakes are high, and the game treats them as such. Patrick Gibson is equally careful with the game’s script, delivering comedic and more serious lines with a sense of timing and gravity where it’s necessary, ensuring that Bond is never a caricature or out of place in such a serious narrative. He’s light and carefree when he needs to be, but always sharp and at-attention when the going gets tough.
A Story of Many Moving Parts
This Bond story being so cohesive, as a whole, is a miracle, with many moving parts working together in tandem. The clever script paves the way for a beautiful, endearing and fast-paced action-adventure. Gibson’s casting means that Bond is a welcome presence to guide the action, as supported by strong gameplay mechanics that pair stealth, combat and puzzle-solving well. 007 First Light is a bold, cinematic adventure packed with dynamite – sometimes literally – that tells an explosive, always-gripping modern tale about spycraft and its place in the world. It effectively modernises and reboots the Bond franchise, with a clear care and understanding of why the 007 brand is so enduring. If the game does anything wrong, it’s that Amazon MGM will have a tough time matching the excellence of this adventure as it embarks on its own quest for cinema’s next big Bond entry. 007 First Light launches for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on 27 May. A 007 First Light code for PC was provided for the purposes of this review.
