Good to see you again, now who are you?

Rating: 10/10 (18 November 2006)

I have been a lifelong Bond follower, and as a kid growing up James Bond was always put into the category of Superhero, like Batman and Superman. He never got hurt, his hair always stayed fixed, he always did the right thing and ALWAYS got the girl. It's nice to see some things have changed and for the better. I went into 'Casino Royale' expecting to hate the film (I am an avid movie geek, following the progress of the film online and dissecting the trailer frame by frame) because lets face it, noting could be better than sitting in the theater watching 'Goldeneye' as Pierce Brosnan brought back the stale Bond Franchise back to life.
It was cool to like James Bond again. But sadly after 'Die Another Day' James Bond became the running joke of the movies themselves (A sexist, misogynist dinosaur. A relic of the Cold War) Plus, I grew up with Roger Moore and then being drawn back into the franchise with Brosnan. How could a blonde, blue eyed guy walk into the role and win me back? Impossible.
UNTIL; 'Casino Royale'. This movie does what Batman Begins did for the dark night; it shows that Bond is not some superhero (goodbye childhood dreams) but a man who is not perfect but is driven by the need to do what he feels is best.
THIS James Bond makes mistakes, he gets beat up, he falls off things, he gets caught by the cops, he get scared...in other words; he becomes a real person that we in today's world can relate to. He comes off this pedestal he has stayed on for years and shows us that he is indeed a man. We see Bond actually scared for his life in one scene, we see him screw up in the pursuit of justice in the beginning scene, we see his faults; but in turn are reminded why he was a 'superhero' to begin with.
It was a breath of fresh air to see the true to book Bond, and even better to see him on the screen where it belonged. But our old friend brought some old friends back with him; the new re-vamped gun barrel intro made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up (Good to see it again) and the beginning title sequence was very well done and made you remember that this was indeed a James Bond movie; even down to him uttering the famous line I was waiting the entire movie to hear.
Hell, even Felix Leiter was there (but I would have never picked him out of a line up) and the movie; even with the new updated feel, felt like putting on your favorite pair of shoes again.
There's nothing like seeing the words 'James Bond will return' at the end of the movie; yes its good to see you again old friend, feel free to stay as long as you want.