The Oscar Tribute to Bond Proves It Can Embrace Popular Movies

Remember the wild hullabaloo over the Academy Awards possibly adding a "popular movie" category? People were up in arms over it because it meant the Academy was bending its will to try to get other people interested in an awards show that has ceased to be relevant to anyone besides movie lovers. But what the Academy forgot was that there were plenty of good, popular movies they could embrace. 

Movies like the James Bond franchise, which are put together so tightly and contain so many of the fun set pieces and zingers we love, that seeing them accidentally embrace the story was almost maddening as an audience member during this year's Oscars. 

As someone who believes the awards need to do away with the pithy "we're too cool for this" jokes and actually embrace how special it is to make a movie, I was happy to see that for a few minutes, the Academy was able to show us why movies were special, using one of the most insanely popular characters ever created.  

Check out this video from James Bond 007, and let's talk after. 

The Academy Awards Tribute to Bond Proves It Can Embrace Popular Movies

This Bond tribute takes us back through all the actors who have played the titular character. Not only do we move through seven decades of storytelling, but you can see the grand transitions between special effects and CGI, the different fashion the series has embraced, and even an evolution of Bond girls along the way. 

Scattered through this video is a love and appreciation for making James Bond movies. The set pieces and villains called out are among the most famous in cinema history. Everyone remembers their first Bond movie. The way they felt when they met the character and, if they became a fan, the adventures they allowed themselves to go on through the years with the different iterations. 

For a few minutes, it was nice feeling like the Academy Awards understood the power of movies and of a great character. That's how these ceremonies should make you feel. It makes zero sense to bend the show into different "popular" categories. Somewhere, deep inside their brains, there's a way to embrace the good and the incredible stories we've seen produced over the last hundred years. But it requires them to stop with the jokes and to start being okay with the fact that movies matter. 

James Bond is a fictitious spy, but his effect on any cinema lover's life has an indelible mark. 

This year's tribute only emphasized that. 

Let me know your thoughts in the comments. 

Source: James Bond