Bond as he was meant to be

Rating: 10/10 (20 December 2006)

At last, a James Bond movie that's as gritty and action-packed as you would hope. Gone are the silly villains, the CGI special effects (think Brosnan surfing down the face of a calving glacier and try not to let your eyes roll out of your head). There aren't inane female villains with names like "Zenya Onnatop" and Bond delivering silly one-liners. The last few Bond movies have been almost Austin Powers-esquire. But not anymore.
Daniel Craig does a wonderful interpretation of Bond. Since it's a prequel he is a little rough around the edges and the movie does a great job of showing where Bond got some of his quirks and mannerisms (his famous drink for example). The dialog is smooth and believable, sharp and witty. I like how there was genuine fighting and fear, instead of the super-power Bond just smoothly shooting a room full of people and walking away sipping his drink. And this Bond is TOUGH. The action sequences are edge-of-your-seat exciting, the stunts are amazing but realistic and the plot has real tension to it.
From the intense sky-high chase to the very end of the movie, Casino Royale made me want to cheer.