Bond

Excellent synopsis of the various James Bonds, and the way the series has evolved, here.

Apparently the new Bond is more 24 than Get Smart. It seems they are going full grit, and high intensity. The past Bond movies didn't always take themselves too seriously, but from what I'm reading, Casino Royale does. Daniel Craig is exceeding expectations, and that's really great. I'm still convinced that Jason Statham would have been awesome, but Craig does "smolder" better, and has better acting skill.

I'm trying to think of another "terrorist" movie that has taken the subject seriously, instead of filling the movie with absurd clichés, and I'm drawing a blank.