 | James Bond: Part I
rating: 3
My interest in James Bond died the day I saw Pierce Brosnan shoot a machinegun. Gone were the careful headshots of a man who was an expert with his pistol. Replacing that deadly accuracy was frenetic scenes, random gunfire, and Bond bending the laws of reality. The Bond films had become a parody of themselves.
Enter Casino Royale, which makes up for the shambling travesty that was the Casino Royale Bond spoof. Daniel Craig takes on the role of Bond as a newbie, a newbie who is a ruthless killer. Gone are the delicate acrobatics that were the trademark of other Bonds. This Bond is a hulking brute, smashing through walls, ruthlessly shooting people, and otherwise achieving his missions through sheer brute force. It seems jarring at first, but this is the origin of Bond, from thug to international assassin.
The plot, bound by the rules of the original novel, doesn't entirely make sense. Why the entire world, including both the U.S. and British authorities, feel that beating a criminal at a card game is the best way to coerce him is beyond me. But if you're willing to buy into that fact (a requisite, really, for the spy genre where nothing is ever so simple and direct) then the film has a certain cadence to it that really enthralls.
Until the end. The part where, we are led to believe, Bond is going to settle down with Vesper Lynd, a treasury agent, in Venice. Yeah, right.
About ten minutes could have been cut from this scene alone. We get that Bond is enamored with Lynd, that he wants to give it all up for her, but after the torture, the shooting, the gambling, the chasing, the movie becomes something of a snore until it picks up again. And then we're off to the beginning of another movie, with no resolution whatsoever.
Casino Royale is a much improved film, but it's the foundation for the Bond mythology, and as such it breaks previous expectations and struggles to establish new ones. It's much better than the Bond films that went before it, but they set the bar pretty low. As a book-end to Quantum of Solace, Casino Royale can't be really appreciated without seeing the two movies back-to-back.
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Best Bond Ever...
rating: 5
Its got everthing: intrigue, suspense, great special effects, good acting, excellent cast, and proper character development for a 2 hour movie. Excellent!
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Bond Reborn Better Than Ever
rating: 5
For the original series of James Bond films, Sean Connery defined the part quite effectively. Since Connery other actors such as George Lazenby, Timothy Dalton, Roger Moore and Pierce Brosnan have attempted to portray this persona with the same elan with varying degrees of success. In my opinion none have measured up to Connery in the qualities of an international British agent with unsurpassed physical skills, sophistication and attraction for women. None until now. Daniel Craig makes one heck of a Bond! He fits this role equally well. Thus this movie is quite successful. The locations-Italy, Montenegro, the Bahamas- are fantastic with wonderful photography. Some exotic, mind-dizzying technology is used but not too much. There are some exciting action scenes such as in Miami and particularly around the casino at Montenegro. Eva Green plays Vesper and provides some excellent verbal jousting with Craig such as on a train in Europe. Vesper also becomes the name of a drink (6 parts Gordon's Gin, 2 of vodka, one of Kina Lilet all shaken until cool). Overall this is a wonderful movie.The Griffon Trilogy
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Double Dipping Bond
rating: 4
I've been a 007 fan ever since DR. NO premiered as the bottom half of a double drive-in bill in Kansas City. I loved Connery; thought Lazenby's OHMSSS the best of the Bond bunch; suffered through the Moore era; loathed
Dalton's petrified agent; tolerated Brosnan's glossy but empty 007 - and woke up during the last two minutes of CASINO ROYALE to hail Daniel Craig as THE new Bond on the block. Naturally I snatched up the original DVD
release.
So now here comes Sony with a new "collector's edition" (double-dipping, as they do so well). There actually are some snippets that make this one worth having, notably the "deleted" which actually do add a little more to the film. The extras are puff-pieces - but watchable.
Only for Bond die-hards, or folks who believe Blue Ray will replace regular DVD.
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James Bond, Completely Revitalized and Renewed - Perfect on BluRay!
rating: 5
This movie did for the James Bond franchise what Batman Begins [Blu-ray] did for the "caped crusader". Totally revitalized for modern times, with all of the old schtick thrown out. Dark, brooding, sexy, artistic and cool. What a great film. The film is absolutely perfect on BluRay as well. The HD mastering is perfect, the sound mastering is flawless, and the extras are totally worth the price of purchase. Amongst the best of the best of Bond flicks. An absolute must for any Bond aficionado and highly recommended even for the casual Bond fan.
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