Hopefully, this movie will
FINALLY get everyone off Daniel Craig’s case.
He was mocked for wearing a life vest while cruising
up the Thames for
the big announcement that he would be taking
the role of James Bond. Snickers
were
heard all over the internet when it was revealed that he chipped a
tooth during
a fight scene. Worst
of all, there were
the pictures of his manhood and the debate about whether it was manly
or school
boyish (007 or 002?). After
seeing the
movie, I am proud to say the haters can all stuff it.
Daniel Craig is the perfect new James Bond,
and may have rescued the franchise.
This is not your
Daddy’s
James Bond. Craig
is the new 007, who
just achieved that legendary status, but M (Judith Dench) is
not all that impressed. Bond
seems to be making rookie mistakes,
leaving too much damage in his wake, too quick to turn violent and on
the verge
of getting fired. However,
Bond has
found himself hot on the track of a terrorist funding and investing
cartel willing
to do some dirty work to prime the stock price of their investments. To catch them,
he’ll have to go undercover
and participate in a high stakes poker game at the Casino Royale to
bankrupt
the main man, Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelson).
Can this wet behind the ears
Bond crack the case and save the day?
Director Martin Campbell and
writers Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and Paul Haggis (based on the novel by
Ian
Fleming) have restarted the James Bond franchise with Casino Royale, but haven’t
done anything to
alienate long time fans along the way.
Instead of demolishing the house, they bought new
curtains, put in a pool
and added a cool new deck (the hot tub cost too much, but maybe for the
next
movie). Some may be
taken aback at the
lack of Q, Bond’s new rough edges, or a very funny line about
his martini, but
none of it is a punishable offense.
In
their places, Campbell and company have made Bond into a serious bad
ass.
Craig is fantastic as Bond,
remembering to make the guy smooth, but adding his own touch by making
sure the
rookie is not too smooth. He
makes our
hero a little more cocky, more dismissive of authority and, we can even
see him
sweat when things get dangerous. Plus,
he can kick booty. Right
from the first
big chase scene, Craig puts his own stamp on the legendary figure, and
wins
over an audience that was curious about his ability to fill the shoes. He has made Bond into a
tough as nails
bulldog, which is much more realistic for the 21st
century. Whether he
is suffering from the worst
torture ever, running after the bad guy, or sweet talking the ladies,
Craig
hits all the right notes.
Then, Campbell and company
bring back the fun to James Bond.
There
are plenty of one-liners, inside jokes and sight gags that will make
the hard
core fans chuckle, while the chemistry between Craig and co-star Eva
Green
(playing Vesper Lynd) is hot. She
has
created a Bond Girl who is a roaring Bond WOMAN with the ability to go
toe to
toe with the suave undercover agent and put him in his place.
Casino
Royale is not all
that closely focused on plot, as you feel the movie takes you from
required
chase scene to required moment when he wears the tux to the required
moment
when he makes a sarcastic remark, etc.
Plus, it goes on too long as the audience is
asked to slog through the last half hour.
Finally, the climax needs to
be bigger. I never
felt that awesomely
dramatic turning point full of peril and tension you look for in a
movie like
this. However,
I’ll take this Bond movie
over any of the last six, and I can’t wait to see what comes
next.
3
Waffles (Out
Of 4)
Daniel Craig as Bond gets 4
Waffles
Casino
Royale is rated PG-13 for intense violence,
torture, sexual content and nudity
Copyright
2006 - WaffleMovies.com
