The Name's Craig, Daniel Craig.

Rating: 7/10 (17 November 2006)

Unlike many of the naysayers, I was happy with the announcement that Daniel Craig had been cast as James Bond. I had seen Craig in "Layer Cake" and loved his performance, thinking that the character of "Mr. XXX" would be a good template for him to base Bond. This having been said, Craig makes an excellent Bond, down to his haircut, overall demeanor and chemistry with Vesper Lynd.
"Casino Royale" is, thankfully, a very literal adaptation of the Ian Fleming novel, the first in the franchise to take so few liberties. Having read the book makes the film slightly monotonousreaders will know exactly how the plot turns outso seeing Craig in an original Bond storyline should be an excellent treat. Perhaps the films greatest, and thus far unspoken, performance belongs to Eva Green as Vesper. Green captures her character better than any male performer has captured Bondand that's saying something since Craig and Timothy Dalton were very close to the "literary Bond." As such, Green is very much Craig's equal, a powerful leading female better than all of Bond's "strong female characters" (read: Jinx) that have appeared in the past.
Overall, "Royale" marks an exciting new direction for the series. It's a long way off, but Bond 22 promises to be something special.