Director and new 007 brought an earthy tenacity to the increasingly showy and predictable franchise with , by taking the martini-slamming secret agent back to his roots, or more specifically, his very first mission. This afforded and the tunesmith the perfect opportunity to reinvent the dated music (sappy love themes, endless bursts accompanying a speeding boat or snowmobile, the inevitable three-note guitar motif that has become more effective in television commercials and parody films than in the real thing) that has long been associated with the character, an opportunity that now awaits the next composer in line. ~ James Christopher Monger