Haven't seen Skyfall yet, so I can't say what I think about it other than it looks pretty damn awesome; and the theme by Adelle sounds great and very old-school Bond.
I like Daniel Craig as bond, I think he fills the role perfectly in both look and personality (despite being more blonde). Pierce Brosnan was all look but didn't have much substance in his later films (Die Another Day.... ugh.) Sean Connery is still one of my favorites too.
Craig's Bond is more fleshed out as a character; some would argue that the name James Bond is just a title given to a series of spies who reach 007 status, hence the many different adaptations of Bond of the decades - I think it was a cracked.com article that mentioned this. So yeah, Craig's version of bond isn't just a ass-kicking, sex-having machine, he's a newly promoted spy and his depictions in Casino Royale and Quantum are of his personal growth into this higher-level, more dangerous position.
Top movies... man I can't even remember them all. Gold Finger always sticks out in my mind; the new Casino Royale also. The one with OddJobb and Jaws (Moonraker?); Golden Eye and Tomorrow Never Dies... I'm sure there's more on my list but those stand out the most.
Changes in Bond? I think a darker, more anti-hero Bond would be interesting. One that must "complete the mission at all costs", where he becomes his own worst enemy and then must redeem himself. This might have already been explored though.
Female Bond wouldn't really work, since Bond is kinda a male symbol. A female agent as 00# with a major role could be possible though; and not just as a side-kick or secondary character. I think if they did a sort of yin-yang thing in the movie where the two characters play off each other would be cool to see, like a 2 person team.
I don't think that the majority of women want to see themselves as violent sluts, and I don't think that the majority of men want to see themselves as conquests who need to be rescued. The Bond girls have been getting stronger/tougher/more independent according to the times... but this is a franchise for which the appeal lies in the fact that it's letting normal guys experience a vicarious thrill by imagining themselves as the ultimate male.
I think that some women like the movies but I don't think that too many women are passionate about them... unless they're crushing hardcore on Bond, which is probably one of the reasons Casino Royale put him in a mankini-- I gotta admit, even I was like 'whoa' when he walked out of the water looking pretty much perfect.
Women tend to gravitate more towards films involving relationships/struggle/melodrama etc. Obviously there aren't any rules and people can like what they like, but the best female action hero of all time was probably Ellen Ripley from Aliens, mostly because she wasn't some perfect human who sleeps around and doesn't take shit from anyone, she was a mother protecting her child. That kind of thing just wouldn't work in the Bond franchise.
I don't know, haven't had a chance to see it yet, but I want to, Daniel Craig seems like an awesome Bond. I like most of the Bond movies, and regarding the last point, that would completely ruin it for me personally, so no, I would NOT be okay with them making James Bond a female. If people want a female spy they can just watch something else, maybe Tomb Raider or something.
