I liked The Dark Knight and James Bond's latest flick wasn't half-bad. I love the re-imagined "Battlestar Galactica." I've got nothing against change. Some updating here, some polishing there--it's nice to see classic franchises rejuvenated with bigger budgets, bolder choices, and deeper characters. But, I have to ask: Where has all the fun gone?

There were certain things you could count on in a James Bond film--and no, I'm not talking about counting how many women he beds before the credits roll. Remember the over-the-top villains? The extravagant underwater lairs or futuristic space stations? The campy sidekicks like Jaws or Oddjob. And Q! The best part of any Bond flick was always Q and his gadgets.

All of the fun, all of the charm--even Bond's own suave charm--are absent in his latest outing. Instead, we get brooding. Anger. A "hero" driven by revenge. No, this is not refreshing to see in a Bond film, where plots long ago became an afterthought. The bland revenge-tale told here is just as recycled and familiar--but Bond now wears it like a badly-tailored suit.

Honestly, I don't mind taking these old franchises in new directions. Compared to the original show, the new "Battlestar Galactica" is a revelation. It's fantastic storytelling that brings new life to an interesting original premise. Sometimes, this added depth is an improvement.

But please don't lose the fun. And for the love of all that is good in the world--please don't lose the heroes. Based on the success of The Dark Knight, Warner Brothers is considering taking their next Superman film in a "darker direction." Batman was born for the night. Must we re-imagine big blue and make him as impotent a hero as Bond has become?

Franchises that have existed for decades prove most interesting in retrospect--they're like time capsules that reveal a wealth of information about who we were as a people at any given time. I think the latest re-births of our steadfast heroes will say far more about us in the long-term, than it will about the fictional characters that are bearing the weight of our current dark and tragic mood-swing.

I just hope that we don't lose the souls of these characters. If Bond dies from his current depression, it will not be a great loss. But if we kill Superman, because we need him to take on some dark weight also--well, that would truly be a tragedy. Some heroes exist to show us who we are. Others point us towards who we should be. I hope we don't confuse the two.