Back to basics

Rating: 10/10 (24 June 2007)

Casino Royale may have been the best Bond film since On Her Majesty's Secret Service. It was clear after Die Another Day that the franchise (while still raking in lots of dough) needed an overhaul, and they pretty much scrapped the concept of a Bond movie as it had become and started over. They took away all the futuristic gadgets, the corny puns he would use after he killed somebody, the fancy sports car with the ejector seat, and the megalomaniacal uber-villains trying to take over the world. The only weapons Bond has are his fists and his gun; he is also very handy with a computer. In short, they went back to Ian Fleming's books and made this quite possibly the most realistic Bond film ever. Daniel Craig is easily the best Bond since Sean Connery, and he will grow into the Bond film well. This movie has the best chase sequence of any Bond film, and it's not in fancy sports cars but on foot. Casino Royale has single-handedly resurrected the James Bond franchise, and for the first time in several decades I am eagerly awaiting the next Bond movie.