Sometimes it's a good thing to reinvent the wheel.

Rating: 7/10 (11 December 2006)

And this was fun, fun all the way. Daniel Craig is the sexiest Bond ever, a crystal-clear-blue-eyed, outwardly machismo guy, with an inward vulnerability and abs to die for.
Standard Ian Fleming plot updated for 2006 with (surprise!) less of the gizmos and gear than prior Bonders,and more character development of the female lead, Vesper Lynd, played by Eva Green.
Everything was just about predictable from the get-go, some incredible stunt work on cranes and speedy switching of locations which makes seeing it in a wide screen theatre the best choice. The denouement in Venice is stunning, the collapse of an old building riveting.
Craig brings an authenticity to the character not seen before on film, and I have seen quite a few of the prior Bond films albeit as a reluctant partner.
The torture scenes are brutal, they would make even the most virile of male viewers whimper, the poker scenes were ho-hum, the baccarat called for in the original books disappears, the villain, played incredibly well by Mads Mikkelsen, is underwritten, not enough back-story to engage the viewer.
I'm sure it is the beginning of a long and beautiful series, I'm glad it's attracting the full female audience quotient, I accompanied a 90 year old female who thoroughly enjoyed the afore-mentioned eyeful of Daniel Craig and the spectacular locations shots (Lake Como has never looked more lovely). 7 out of 10.