People are raving about this because they're so relieved it doesn't stink

Rating: Null/10 (21 November 2006)

Craig is outstanding and the film is worth seeing for him alone. M plays Bond brilliantly and as a friend of mine said, Dench is actually playing M for the first time. Green is passable, Mikkelson is good and justifies his retirement from Formula 1 a few years back (F1 in joke).
The movie has a fair stab at staying faithful to the novel and I hope the franchise stays in this direction. In the case of Casino Royale, it means the pacing is weird, but. To say more would constitute a spoiler. However, I am sure that even as I type, The Simpsons script writing team are working on an episode showing how many entertaining interruptions you can put in a card game to make it interesting. Incidentally the film (unlike Fleming) assumes we know the rules of the game. Very lazy. Cowardly and forgivable, but lazy nonetheless.
However.
Most of the action is Bond by numbers, uninspiring and at times, largely during the climax, the storytelling of the action seems poorly thought out and tricky to follow. No, not because it's fast or because of the editing - just because it's unclear in depicting what's happening.
Worse.
It's dull. Spectacular but lacking in the visceral gutsy feeling of films by newbies, such as Crank.
The franchise needs new blood at the helm, or at least a fundamental rethink of how to make Bond style action sequences relevant and exciting.
Craig carries the movie, convinces and makes you (well me,anyway,) care.
And why, why,why does Arnold blow his Bond song writing debut with the dullest most forgettable Bond song ever? Truly bizarre.
Robert Altman R.I.P. And thanks for the memories.