A graphic, mean-spirited vastly overrated movie.

Rating: 4/10 (1 December 2016)

How do you rate a move like this? Casino Royale is, by far, the most graphic, violent, and mean-spirited James Bond movie that up until now I have ever seen. Some of the stunts and action sequences were among the most amazing that I have ever seen in a James Bond film. Daniel Craig has some great physical skills that seem to surpass those of all previous James Bonds. He does seem to have a decent amount of presence and personality and in these aspects makes for an adequate James Bond. And yet he is easily the most unlikeable and mean-spirited of all the James Bond actors that I have become familiar with. He isn't nearly as likable...or as good-natured as say, Roger Moore...or even Pierce Brosnan (perhaps the most 'accurate' incarnation of any of the Bonds boys).
The movie -as nearly all movies do- was clearly a microcosm of the era it was released in 2000s. I was a little annoyed at seeing Judi Dench using the vile and immature language of today with phrases that included "a**" and "prick." It also cheapened the movie to see Daniel Craig say "...scratch my 'effin' balls..." Can you imagine phraseology like this being used by previous Bond actors?
At 2 1/2 hours long I felt that the movie was very clearly 'overtly' long...and though the pacing was fine I felt that the action sequences were somewhat too far in between. Most of the way through the movie, I was 'waiting' for the movie to end and kept on 'pausing' the movie to find out how much time there was left. The cinematography and FX were very good......and yet all things considered I really didn't enjoy this movie at all.
How do you rate a movie like this?
YOU don't; I do: 4 1/2 stars.