Not Just A Good Bond Movie, But A Good Movie Period.

Rating: Null/10 (3 December 2006)

The Joe Cool Experience: Casino Royale(2006)
Starring: Daniel Craig as James Bond 007 Eva Green as Vesper Lynd Mads Mikkelsen as Le Chiffre Judi Dench as M
Plot: In his first major mission, James Bond is supposed to track down a terrorist and gain information on who he works for. When he fails, he has to find another way and becomes involved in a poker game at the Casino Royale with lots of money on the line. If he wins, he'll stand a good chance of capturing Le Chiffre, if he loses, the government will have directly financed terrorism. Can he succeed?
Openers: I'm a newer fan of the James Bond series. I haven't seen them all yet, and I just got into them recently. However I do enjoy the films I have seen and came into this with an open mind. I didn't care that Daniel Craig had blondish hair(really, that's a STUPID reason to not see this movie no matter how you look at it) and thought that as long as he was decent that's all we needed. Was Casino Royale up to par with the rest of the series? Read on...
The Good: I can't call him the best Bond ever(some already are) because he's only been in one movie and I still hold Sean Connery in high regard, but Daniel Craig puts in a fantastic performance as James Bond. He takes what in all rights should be a very easy clichéd role and does something with it. He gives the Bond character depth that I haven't seen before. I also felt he still had the charm that Bond normally has, only it's a bit more subtle this time around. I also liked the rest of the cast, which included Judi Dench as M and Eva Green as Vesper Lynd. Both do a credible job here. This movie also has a ton of action. The first fifteen to twenty minutes alone(which consists of a chase through a construction site and an attack on an embassy) were great but then the rest of the movie flows nicely after it. The finale also gave me my money's worth, as there's a gunfight within the confines of a building that is sinking into the water! Just great. I also liked the references to the other movies that came up here and there. I loved the opening credits and the song "You Know My Name" by Chris Cornell as well. Very nice.
The Bad: I hated the villain. And not in the, "he's a villain we're supposed to hate him" kind of way but I felt he was a very weak one and not a good foe for 007. I also didn't like the other random villains that suddenly appear in the last half hour. They weren't introduced at all and they are just there. The movie also runs on the long side, and some bits will feel a tad redundant at times. Yes Bond and his girl are in love, yes they have sex a lot, we GET it. Move the story along. I realize what they were trying to do and I appreciate it but we really don't need multiple love scenes to establish that point.
The Ugly: A guy cries blood. Yeah that's pretty dumb I felt. I also didn't understand why Felix Leiter was black all of a sudden. Unless this is a complete Bond relaunch and not just a prequel, how does that happen? If it is a relaunch good for them, but it just threw me off a bit.
Final Verdict: Casino Royale is not just a good Bond movie, it's a good movie period. It's a fine action movie, it does have a love story in it, and some tension involved with the gambling. Go see it if you haven't already.
Rating: **** of *****