Shaken, and stirred.

Rating: 9/10 (17 November 2006)

I'm not a huge Bond fan, that I will admit right from the start. I was dragged to see many of the Bronson films in the mid-90's to satisfy my Mum's admiration of said actor rather than to enjoy it.
I managed to secure a preview of "Casino Royale" thanks to my housemate; I'd seen a few trailers thanks to the Ford and Sony adverts and thought I'd go along for the hell of it.
When Daniel Craig was announced as the new James Bond, I was indifferent - Personally I was bored of Pierce Bronson's character - by all intents and purposes he resembled a "good" Bond but like many have said before me, towards the end the gadget reliance and cheesy lines had become tiresome. So I was looking forward to an entirely different incarnation of the Bond we know and love.
I was mocked as a woman going into the film under the impression that I was watching the title for the pure anaesthical reason of Craig, which I will not deny was easy on the eye. But the film is so much more than that.
Gone is the sequences that relied heavily on the gadgets provided in the preceeding Bond's - this was a gritty, high impact film that focused very much on an attitude and ego to overcome the odds. Craig fits the Bond status perfectly. He took the script and ran with it - the fight sequences are fantastically shot and dealt with without the need for invisible cars and the other guff Bronson's character had issued.
The relationship Bond had with M really complimented the film - Her reluctance to let him continue in the role after the Embassy cock-up was followed throughout the film; at the start M wanted his head on a plate, and by the end she was ready to place him in the next mission.
The scenes with Vespa (played brilliantly by Eva Green) were entirely believable. I was mildly concerned to see a Bond become so attached but it was for the right reasons. Although Bond is the sort of character that is a "shag em and ditch em" guy, the relationship with Vespa, although predictable was scripted and acted fantastically. For those saying Eva Green made a "poor" Bond woman because she wasn't the "atypical" type, that's just crap. Vespa was beautiful in a very unassuming way, which was wildly different from the likes of Denise Richards and Halle Berry.
The arrogance and egotistical attitude of Bond, played perfectly by Craig made the film. Suave and sophisticated, but gritty and rough was a good combination and something I felt the preceeding Bond's never properly grasped. Casting Craig as Bond was the best thing the franchise could do to perk the interest once more.
I give the film a healthy 9 out of 10 - a point knocked off simply because my arse was aching by the end - at 144 minutes although I wasn't bored, expect numb buttocks and for the love of God, get a seat with leg room to enjoy the film at it's maximum potential.