Daniel Craig's James Bond Is Here To Stay. Deal With It.

Rating: Null/10 (8 December 2014)

Truth be told, the only James Bond films that I've seen in full are the ones starring Daniel Craig in the iconic role. Confession be made, I have no interest at all in checking out the previous instalments of this franchise for whatever bits n pieces I've seen of earlier chapters never intrigued me enough to sit through all of it. And since this film takes the series back to its origin, I don't see any need to give those films another chance, at least for now.
Establishing a new timeline that has no relation whatsoever with any previous Bond movies, Casino Royale is a complete reboot of James Bond franchise that discards the CGI heavy plot & ridiculously over-the-top action of the previous entries to restart the series by reinventing the character of James Bond and, with its grounded portrayal of events set in 21st century & emphasis on realism during its action sequences, begins the new era of 007 on a rousing high.
Opening with an exquisitely crisp black-n-white prologue that shows Bond earning his license to kill, Casino Royale covers James Bond's first ever mission as Agent 007 that requires him to stop a terrorist financier named Le Chiffre from winning in a high-stakes poker game. Already berated by M for his inability to properly address the situation before acting on it, Bond enters the tournament he can't afford to lose for it would result in government to have directly financed terrorism.
Directed by Martin Campbell, the first in the new era of Bond films is a highly polished spy- thriller that delivers on all fronts to succeed as an intensely entertaining origin story that's neatly-crafted, action-packed & character-driven. Also, the screenplay packs in with a tightly structured plot plus the new take on the much less experienced & emotionally vulnerable character of Bond is as admirable as it is captivating.
The technical aspects show a massive improvement over the last few entries as each element is carefully handled & seamlessly integrated into the picture. Cinematography makes expert use of colour palettes & lighting to put on screen a rich texture that's incredibly well-detailed. Editing briskly paces the story in the first two acts but runs out of fuel in the third. And David Arnold's score provides a more modern feel to the picture without going out of the franchise's realms.
Everyone was sort of appalled when Daniel Craig was cast as the new Bond but the way he silenced all his critics is quite astonishing. Craig may not fit the version of Bond that had been put up on the silver screen since the beginning but for me, he's the perfect embodiment of this iconic character for he is everything James Bond is supposed to be; cold, ruthless, ironic & pretty much suave than any previous incarnations when blended with the range of emotions he has to offer.
The performances are a strong highlight here with Daniel Craig's charismatic performance taking away the biggest chunk of the cake, followed by impressive contributions from Eva Green as Vesper Lynd; Bond's lover, Judi Dench as M; head of MI6, & Mads Mikkelsen as Le Chiffre, the latter being instantly infectious in his given role. Also, with minimal use of CGI, less reliance on gadgets & old-school action, it keeps the drama all the more grounded & gripping throughout its runtime.
On an overall scale, Casino Royale is a fabulous start to the rebooted franchise that truly nails most of its aspect to deliver a cinema that's wild & exciting from start to finish while also putting to rest every doubt there ever was about Daniel Craig's ability to do justice to one of cinema's most memorable characters. I was never a fan of James Bond but after checking this feature, I don't think I can resist the temptation anymore. Very highly recommended.