Shocking! Positively Shocking!

Rating: 10/10 (9 December 2006)

Four years ago I walked out the theater thinking that Die Another Day did not feel like the Bond movies I had come to love and praise, it was a "weird movie": Bond surfing a giant wave, running away from a giant ray from a deadly satellite, driving an invisible car, and turning on a helicopter moments before crashing was just too much. I liked the film (it had some spectacular sequences) but somehow it just didn't feel right. I just felt it... though I don't know how to explain it. Then one year ago, Daniel Craig was announced as James Bond. To be honest I was not very happy about the casting (Pierce Brosnan was my favorite Bond, perhaps because he was the first one I saw); however I never bashed him or anything, I wanted to wait till the movie hit theaters. The two trailers came out and I started to get really excited. Let me confess that I was a bit nervous about this "reboot". Bond being a rookie, no Q nor Moneypenny, less action, no Bond theme, etc. Yesterday I went to the premiere of the film. In Sean Connery's words: "Shocking. Positively Shocking!". Casino Royale was the best Bond film ever. It had all the elements that I love from the Bond films, but lets go step by step. The cast is superb. DANIEL CRAIG IS JAMES BOND. He handles the character better than Connery and Brosnan. Despite being closer to the character Fleming envisioned, he manages to remain charming and likable. His "one liners" are nothing compared to Moore's or Brosnans ("That's a name to die for...." - shudders); this guy is actually funny (one thing that surprised me), but not in a campy way. The lines that he delivers when he first meets Vesper ("You are not my type of woman"- Bond. "Smart?" - Vesper "No, married") and those during the torture scenes are perfect. Hope he will stay for a long time. Best Bond ever!
Eva Green, who in the trailers seemed to be a wrong choice, proved to be perfect. Her character might not me as tough as Wai Lin, but she is really smart and resourceful (not like Stacy from A View to a Kill- the worst Bond girl). Vesper is not a Bond girl, she is a Bond lady, mysterious until the end. Great choice. Though her character dies in the end, I sure hope the rumor of a future appearance in a recorded message in Bond 22 is fulfilled. Mads Mikkilsen is another great casting choice.Le Chiffre is wonderfully portrayed. He is sadistic yet likable (I almost felt sorry for him at the end). The torture sequence is beautifully executed by both him and Craig. His line about God is perfect and the confrontation in the poker tables is even greater. Judy Dench is even better than in Brosnan era. Jesper Christensen is quite good as mysterious Mr. White. My only complain is Jeffrey Wright; I would have loved to see more of Felix and Bond's friendship (will have to wait for the next one). The action, unlike what I thought before seeing the film, is the best we've seen in the Bond series. The Madagascar chase is out of this world (yet believable). Sebastian Fourcan takes a lot of credit. The Miami International sequence is breathtaking; unlike previous films I started to believe that Bond was not going to be able to stop the tanker from blowing up the plane. The ending for this sequence is really funny, but is also shows how Bond feels about killing someone. The stairwell fight is pretty intense (one of the greatest hand combat sequences in film history). But the torture scene totally rocked. The finale in Venice is quite fast, but still really enjoyable. No car chase for this one - I hope the producers will gradually add them to the future films. As for Q and Moneypenny, there is no problem. In fact they shouldn't be reintroduced, it was perfect this way. EON should introduce Loelia instead. The music is really good, I didn't even notice the absence of the Bond theme (up until the last sequence). Though it doesn't appear fully until the end, we do hear hints of the theme as the movie progresses (and as Bond starts to evolve). The song is not that good though, it is just not special.
The humor is perfect! My only complaint is the gun barrel intro. I think it is a great idea to have Daniel Craig shoot the sniper just before the titles roll (it makes it more realistic); however the effect of the blood (too much CGI and badly done) and the new gunbarrel were really bad. Bring back the old effect, the way it looked with Pierce Bronan was fine! Now I am really looking forward to Bond 22 (as never before). I just hope that they will keep the style they used for Casino Royale, no gadgets, no over-the-top villains and no stupid Bond girls (Jinx). Congratulations to Barbara Brocolli, Michael Wilson (who by the way has a great cameo), Martin Campbell and especially to Daniel Craig.
I give these film 10 out of 10. You should go see Casino Royale. You will not regret it!