I liked this movie a lot better then I wanted to!!!

Rating: 9/10 (7 October 2010)

First off, let me explain a few things about me and the James Bond "universe": The very first Bond movie that I saw way For Your Eyes Only when I was 12 yrs old...I grew up w/ Roger Moore and only after did I get to fully appreciate Sean Connery as James Bond. I have all the movies on VHS, DVD and now Blu-ray (at least the ones that are out!!)...I've seen ever movie at least a dozen times and can honestly say that Bond is my favorite movie character. My favorite Bonds are: Connery, Craig, Bronsan, Moore, Dalton and then the other guy :) Okay, now for the review...I really didn't want to like this movie! Let me explain. I liked Pierce Bronsnan and thought that Die Another Day (which had its moments, but was overshadowed by some God-awful moments) was not a very good send off for him. He has gone on record saying that he did not like D.A.D. either and wished he had another chance to make a more realistic Bond movie...so, I was very upset when I heard that they were replacing him (and it didn't help that I read that Daniel Craig refused to dye his hair brown and would play Bond as a blond!!). I truly felt that the producers owed it to Bronsan to give him a proper send off (ever one of his Bond movies made more $$ then the last!!!). So, I felt that them firing him was a betrayal of sorts. As a result, I refused to see Casino Royale in the theaters and only saw it later on DVD. Boy was I SURPRISED!! I absolutely loved this movie. As a Bond purist, I thought that Craig and the director really nailed it. I thought everything worked in this movie. And, though I still think that they could've given Brosnan one last outing, I really loved this movie. The villain was great, the Bond girl was excellent, the plot was pure Bond and everything seemed to click. Though, I do have a few beefs: 1- I hope that they include more of what makes Bond, Bond in future installments (for example: Moneypenny and Q...though I do understand why, being that this is his first case, they weren't included). And. 2- they really need to play the James Bond theme music more...if you listen closely, you can hear it in certain scenes, but in my opinion, it wasn't used enough (and especially not in it's last-luster...Jason Bourne wanna-be...sequel that truly did disappoint!). But, over all, this movie was a great experience and a must see for and James Bond fanatic like me. 10 out of 10!!!!!