Bond finally get's his depth back!

Rating: 9/10 (18 January 2008)

I've always been a fan of Bond movies, even the less than great ones are good for entertainment, yet they never seemed to try to present Bond as anything more than the character we've always known about, he never needed any introduction because he was simply cut out from the Bond image and pasted into each film. After so many films it became a little tiring (especially with some of the Moore films). Some actors, especially Connery and Dalton, brought the gritty yet suave, arrogant yet careful character of Bond to the screen with some credibility, and I was pleased to say that Craig brings back the depth that the character was lacking for so many films under Brosnan (although I loved Goldeneye, but that was the first Bond Film I saw, being fairly young).
Casino Royale certainly starts with a bang, the initial Noir opening feels a little arty, but it doesn't detract from ( and upon reflection it was probably meant to highlight) the cold character that appears on screen, Craig's Bond. We are treated to a manically shot fight scene in a public toilet, in which we see Bond's first grisly dispatch of the movie. The credits roll (awesome music from the ex Soundgarden singer) and I felt a certain chill, was this finally going to be the cheese free, human Bond? The film then proceeded to hurl masterfully choreographed fight scenes, ball achingly tense thriller scenes and some genuinely meaningful personal scenes with Bond and Vesper my way. Sure it was missing some of staples of Bond, M seemed to be more of a fan-service and the lack of Q was a little saddening, though I couldn't see them replacing Llewelyn and including Cleese would have removed the point of a reboot. All in all, the omission of some Bond staples was a breath of fresh air, many of them had grown tired and it's ironic that the first Bond story ever written should be the one that refreshes the audience. It's mostly down to the brilliant portrayal by Craig and the entirely new gritty feel that this movie shines. I'm aware many people hate it for not being Bond enough, but those people are basing that assumption purely on the bulk of the films and not the book. Craig is a competent and nigh on perfect bond, only bested by Connery in my opinion.