Casino Royale

Review by Jason Gaston

Call me crazy, but I liked the last James Bond movie, Die Another Day. Sure, looking back it was hokey and a little cheesy with its overuse of gadgets and injokes to the other movies, but I did find it appealing on an entertainment level even if a lot of other people didn't.

Hey, at least it beat out all of the other recent Bond movies back to Goldeneye.

Still, if there was a lesson to be learned from the last movie it's that James was getting too overburdened with continuity and 40 years of previous films. The weight was making the character sluggish and old.

Something would have to be done.

And so, enter the "P" word. The prequel. I know nowadays it's called "reimagining," but let's not kid ourselves as to what it is. It's a do-over. A reboot. It's Casino Royale and, after 40 years we're finally going to see just how Bond became Bond. Goodbye Pierce, hello Daniel Craig.

Based on Ian Fleming's very first Bond novel, Casino Royale finds a newly promoted James Bond becoming a 007 and getting assigned his first case. Now, when they say this is a reimagining, they're not kidding. This movie has a grittier and more real-world feel to it. If I had anything to compare it to, I would compare it to Batman Begins, and like the Dark Knight's reintroduction dropped all of the hammy overacting, bad puns, and outlandish costumes, the new James Bond ditches the gizmos and gadgets and goes for more intrigue, more action, and more character development.

While I still don't understand the logic of dumping Pierce Brosnan for someone who's face looks like it was hit with a bag of thumbtacks, Daniel Craig was a good fit for this film none the less. Craig is a more dangerous and down to Earth Bond. Unlike Brosnan or Sean Connery, Craig is rough around the edges and a more believable character. Now, whether or not he has the gumpton to actually be Bond or the next George Lazenby will be up to how the next movie turns out, but if I had to guess I'd say he's got it.

And, wow, let's just talk about Judi Dench's M. I like Judi and all, but she's been wasted ever since she took the role in Goldeneye. In Casino Royale, they finally give this woman some balls and make her a character that can truly be called James Bond's boss. Good for them!

As for the movie itself, it's a very fine entry into the Bond franchise, better than the majority of them at least. The biggest problem I had with it was the bad pacing and, let's face it, when you wonder for thirty minutes why a movie hasn't ended yet, that's the biggest kind of pacing problem. Still, even though this movie doesn't know how to end (or at least it takes too much joy making you think it's going to end), the plot turns, character development, and action more than make up for it. There is a chase at the very beginning of this movie that it so awesome it more than justifies the ticket price.

The final verdict? I give this reboot of all things Bond thumbs up. I'm not totally satisfied with the result and, despite this movie's best efforts, there are still some parts that are overblown. Still, it's a highly entertaining movie and a welcome relief in the vien of Batman Begins that a tired and mishandled franchise can become something great again.

On that note, let me just say something to JJ Abrams: There is now officially no excuse to mess up Star Trek. Don't you DARE!