James Bond is dead.

Rating: 5/10 (17 December 2006)

Halfway watching this movie, I noticed something strange going on. Just like in 'Batman Begins', the superhero has become more 'human' than in previous films, and the action scenes are more credible. Bond gets really hurt, he bleeds, he even gets his shirts dirty. Remember Roger Moore? He did not get stains on his jacket even after falling into a wedding cake.
The film got high ratings, because people judge it like an action movie. It IS a good action movie. It just isn't a good Bond movie. Daniel Craig is a fine actor, and a good 007. But somehow, this Bond movie is not a Bond movie anymore:
Moneypenny, Q, and - what is much worse - James Bond's typical dry English humour, so excellently displayed by Pierce Brosnan: they are all absent. According to me, you can not make a Bond movie without these ingredients. I miss the jokes, I miss the over-the-top action scenes...
This 'Casino Royale' version heavily depends on mobile phones, we see close ups of them at least a dozen times - so often, it annoys. The title song is probably the worst since 'The Man with the Golden Gun'. A mediocre tune, easily forgotten. But it fits this film: a technically well made, but apart from that average action movie, easily forgotten. I hope James Bond will return. In a real Bond movie, with a real Bond tune.