Dragging... but worth the watch

Rating: 8/10 (19 November 2006)

There is a lot to say about the new Bond movie. This is more personal than you'd think due to the fact I am NOT a Bond fan but my brother is so he demanded I take him to the midnight show to see this film. I was thoroughly expecting a huge let down considering Daniel Craig is blonde, and I could only see him as the no-name character of Layer Cake, very far from any James Bond. Then I read an article in my FHM interviewing one of Bond's lady interests in this movie and became more annoyed that I agreed to take my brother to see this film. The joke was on me because I actually did enjoy the film.
Daniel Craig is very much different from Peirce Brosnan (who I HATED as Bond) and does especially well in the hand-to-hand combat scenes. His Bond is just a beginner so he is not as smooth and doesn't have the gadgets that always bugged me of Bond, making me think more of MacGyver. Every Bond fan of Connery's has been impressed with the sarcastic wit and the great action sequences that Craig performs.
Now I don't want to spoil the film for anyone who hasn't read the book or seen the original, but there are parts of the movie where it does seem to drag on. There are many points where the story goes into so much love story that it feels hokey. To try to make up for these drags, it seems they added points of unnecessary jokes that still are enough to make most laugh. It's obvious these lady characters were far from needed.
Judi Dench was great as M. That is all I can really say about that. The manner in which she speaks to Bond is fantastic. The opening song to Casino Royale was not the best Bond song yet, but Chris Cornell did not do a horrible job either. It works really well with the cinematics of the opening credits.
I recommend this film for all action fans. There is even a Seagall moment in one scene and Bond fans should not mind the new Bond after the opening twenty minutes. It may be a bit risqué for the little ones however so I'd leave the small ones at home. You don't see much nudity but you will see naked limbs and majority of a male body, as well as Craig in very short swim trunks that don't leave much to the imagination. The violence is also a bit much for the children, but overall, it's very family friendly with very little swearing.