Bond is Back.

Rating: 8/10 (21 November 2006)

Gone are the glossy gizmondos and poorly written Madonna songs, Bond is back! For real this time! Daniel Craig as Bond was iffy for everyone. Everyone was already accustomed to the now aging Pierce Brosnan, who fit the role perfectly since actor Sean Conery introduced the much loved British superstar in stunning fashion. On opening day, the audience and I sat back and realized this role was near perfectly fit for Craig to helm on for the new generation. Half of me thinks Brosnan would've been great if this would've been his final hurrah, instead of it ending with the abysmal Die Another Day. But the other half, with a stronger opposition, agrees that this role was made for Craig.
Martin Campbell, the man who introduced us Brosnan and the (then) incredibly new and awesome Bond series for the '90s returned to give us another incredible start for the Millennium Generation to enjoy. Gone are the glossy gadgets, poorly written dialouge, and Campy B-plot that plagued Die Another Day. Campbell and crew instead gave us well-crafted (for the most part) explosions and action, exciting casino games, incredibly well-written dialouge, and (finally) real character development.
It was everything Bond should be, and now is. Coupled with incredible new Bond girl Eva Green (who was proved to have superb chemistry with Craig) and a new proper theme song written by Soundgarden/Audioslave Chris Cornell and film composer David Arnold, and you got too much to ask for. Unfortunately, the film does fall flat on its face a few times. The new villain is not as strong as he should've been, and the featured sub-villains were even weaker. You have a great Bond, an awesome Bond girl, a great director, and awesome music...but virtually no real noteworthy villains. Goldfinger, Alec "006" Trevelyan, and Blofeld are a few of the more superior villains in the series to date. If we would've had one on equal caliber, this Bond film would've been even closer to perfection.
Also, typical for a Bond film, the plot is pretty predictable. While it outshines the likes of MI:III, it really doesn't pair up to the 1995 M:I's superior plot line. It makes up for everything else already mentioned, but a clever storyline and a few more good twists would've put Bond on the map (especially since other espionage/spy films this day and age are already on the ball with that stuff).
But minor complaints aside, this really is one Bond worth watching. I will be buying the DVD when it comes out, it'll be worth every penny. Do yourself a favor and see the new Bond, it really attempts to kick out the campiness that plagued the series for some years and really succeeds on many levels. I'll be looking forward to the new Bond movies from here on out and pray that the generation doesn't end poorly, as the Brosnan era proved with the spectacular Goldeneye down to the ill-received popfest that was Die Another Day.