Excellent Beginning for a New Bond Era

Rating: 10/10 (19 March 2015)

Some people say: "Poker? Really? I don't want to see James Bond playing the quietest game ever!! I want to see him kill and shoot endless bullets!!" Okay, if you insist, you can always watch "Die Another Day" and cry your eyes out.
"Casino Royale" is a total reinvigoration of the "Bond" franchise. Thank you, producers and Martin Campbell for making a great casting choice: Daniel Craig is so "James Bond". I don't care if he doesn't have the dark hair and the tall waist... I don't care if he's not like Sean Connery and not like Ian Flemming's imagination of the character. I care for what "James Bond" stands for, and that's style and persona. Well, I'm here to tell you, Daniel Craig is the best at both. And I would like to take a moment here and congratulate him for proving anyone who questioned him wrong.
I never thought I would see this character developed so uniquely anytime in the future. Watching the previous ones, I expected that all followers would rehash and redo everything again and again. But no. The screenplay for "Casino Royale", deferring from all the previous movies (where whether it was bloated and loud or way too long and full of stupid gadgets), this time is focused and it takes its time. "M" is fully embraced as the MI6 leader (although Judi Dench's acting is the main reason why), the villain has a purpose and actually stands on his own, and of course James Bond is so decisive, pitiful where he has to, ruthless when he has to, steamy when he owes to and quiet when demanded.
This movie is also exploring several aspects of our protagonist that we never really got to see before. Specifically we get to see Bond's first mission and Bond actually bonding with someone and falling (trully) in love. Both are interpreted in such a great way, we finally get to sympathize with him on tough and mellow times in his life.
And speaking of mellow... Eva Green is lure, enticing and excellent chosen to play Vesper. If you wondered whether the great James could actually fall for someone, I can't see anyone else than her. I left her for the end because the movie left her for the end. Using her character as a way to emphasize and, in a way, question Bond's feelings, Martin Campbell makes time irrelevant for the last 20 minutes of the film to make us see something of the weaker and vulnerable side of the great Bond. He is supposed to not let feelings get in the way of his business. And yet, it all matters all of a sudden. Those last 20 minutes are actually what made the film successful. Smartly constructed, the film elevates Bond, not by taking him higher but by making him grounded to our surprise. By the end, Bond introduces himself like he does for 30-40 years now, but this is one of the times (like yesteryear) where the movie has ended and we have learned something.
That James Bond is just like us... except of course when he's the best killer in the world.