Movie Review: Casino Royale

Hey there. Back to doing something I used to do regularly here on the blog: movie reviews.

Now if you go by what I've done here in the blogs, the last review I did was for "X-Men: The Last Stand" back in May. But no, that wasn't the last movie I've seen since then. Since then, I've seen: Superman Returns, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Pulse, The Covenant, and now Casino Royale. I'll talk about Supes and Pirates later on this week as both films come out on DVD. But back to the matter at hand.

Now, I'm a huge fan of movie franchises such as Spider-Man, Batman, Superman, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, even some of the Star Treks. With James Bond though, it's been touch and go with me. Sure, I've seen the classics with Sean Connery and Roger Moore on TV, but I've never been one to actually go to a theater and see 007 on the big screen. In fact, as far as I can remember, I've only seen 2 other Bond films at the theater: "Moonraker" when I was a kid and only because my folks wanted to see it in the drive-in and "Die Another Day". And yeah, I liked Pierce Brosnan as Bond (goes back to my days of seeing him as Remington Steele on TV when I was younger) but with that film, it had gotten to a point that the Bond franchise was getting old and tired. This once cool secret agent had become smarmy, corny and cheesy. Definitely too cheesy for my tastes. It was like it was becoming a sad parody of itself. And to be honest, when I first heard they were bringing it back for a new film, I could care less.

Then word came out about who would be playing Bond. Brosnan was out this time and Daniel Craig was going to take over. Now, I never heard of the guy, but I understand he was in such films like "Layer Cake" and "Munich", but according to the fanboys, getting Craig was like the kiss of death. He's blond, they say. He's ugly, they cry out. He would be the death of the 007 franchise, they proclaim. In fact, my friend Rob posted in our blog back when the announcement was made this comment: "What about this new James Bond? Daniel Craig. He is the worst looking Bond ever! He is really ugly looking, I'd be a better Bond! I can think of a dozen others who would have been better. What is this world coming to?"

His words. Not mine.

Me, on the other hand, could care less. I didn't think Craig was so bad as the critics were saying. But I was at the point that it was no big deal. It didn't matter who he was, it was still going to be the same old franchise, where Bond's suit would be perfect, uttering tired corny one-liners while trotting out these incredible gadgets, while getting it on with some beautiful ladies. Not that there's anything wrong with that last part, but I digress.

So as Casino Royale came out, I still had no plans on even seeing it at the theater. I figured, if it was OK enough as compared to the others, then I'd rather wait until it comes out on DVD or cable, if that. But then, something unusual happened. Good reviews started to come in. I mean, really really good reviews about it. Calling it the best Bond flick ever and Craig the best 007. Big words there. So, I decided to give it a chance and went to see it. I came into this with an open mind, seeing if the film lived up to the hype.

Tell you what,"Casino Royale" lived up to it and then some.

This film went the same route with Batman Begins and went with a complete reboot of the series, showing Bond in his first major adventure as a "double-0" agent. And from the moment the film started, it blew me away.

First of all, they changed the traditional Bond opening which we've been so used to seeing in the movies. I won't give it away for those who haven't seen it, but they basically made it into an actual scene, which surprised me and made it actually work, putting a different spin on it.

Then, came the first true sequence after the film's theme (which I liked a lot, by the way). What could I say to that but wow. It was a free wheeling crazy sequence showing Bond chasing a informant. Again, I won't give it away, but that whole scene was absolutely incredible, filled with a lot of mad stunts and crazy fights. By the time that was done, roughly about 15 minutes of the film was underway. In those 15 minutes, it was clear that Craig had put his stamp on 007. He wasn't copying from the other actors before him, he was his own version of the character.

From there, the rest of the film just buzzed with a rhythm that was great. It had a mix of frenetic energy and good acting. The plot was your typical spy caper, but somehow it seemed different. This time, Bond was more gritty, raw, realistic. And it worked great.

The one liners this time weren't your usual cheese that made you groan the moment you heard them. The majority of them actually fit what the scene called for. There was one scene, where Bond was being tortured by the chief villain in the film, in what I could best describe as the most excruciating, painful, cringe inducing way imagineable (you have to see for yourself what I mean) and all the while you wanted to squirm in your seat, here was Bond delivering the most dead on wise cracks I have ever heard. It totally fit that moment and I can tell you those got the loudest and longest laughs out of me and the audience in the whole film.

Overall, I liked this film. Never thought I would, but I did. I was totally surprised by it. If ever there was a franchise that needed a reboot, it's this one. And it was a fresh, unique, more realistic take on 007. Even the gadgets that he used in the film were items that you could see being used in real life, which was a nice touch.

And what can I say about Daniel Craig? He absolutely hit it out of the park with his portrayal. He was funny, serious, tough and tender when the moment required it, and he did something I'd never thought I'd see in a Bond film: he made him human. It was good to see Bond getting physical, getting dirty, getting beat up (which happened to him a lot) and bloodied. It was also good to see him flawed and be imperfect as well. He didn't make him a cardboard stereotype which was what the character had been reduced to. He made him a flesh and blood character that put Bond back to what Ian Fleming (the guy who created the character) had originated. And that made him even more cool to my eyes.

Now, if there was one thing that turned things off for me with this film, was the length. I think it should've been trimmed just a bit shorter, especially towards the end to keep the pace going. But that doesn't take anything away from me enjoying the film. It was good to see it start with a clean slate and made it worth watching right up to the end, where you could see - and hear- the familiar parts that make a James Bond movie.

In my eyes, I still see Connery as the best to play 007, but if Craig continues to build on what he's done with "Casino Royale" (and that will be the big test, how they will build on this movie), then I can definitely see him moving up to the top of the list. He made James Bond cool again, and now, I can't wait to see what he will do next.