I finally got around to seeing Casino Royale over the weekend. I’m not sure that it’s showing in cinemas any more but I caught at MIT’s LSC. I’m glad I did, as it’s definitely worth seeing on the big screen. Daniel Craig makes and excellent Bond, and the movie was everything you’d expect a Bond movie to be, although it was definitely on the long side. My one complaint: product placement. It would be nice if it were a little less obvious.

I’d lost interest in Bond a while ago: the way the most recent movies kept aping the old style made Bond look like a Cold War era character that was being shoehorned into modern times, and I chose to stick with the pre-Roger Moore era films and Fleming’s novels. This movie completely revived my appreciation for a modern interpretation of the character. It’s the closest in tone to the novels, and is updated without being ridiculous (although Bond playing high-stakes Texas Holdem instead of baccarat irked me). The action is amazing, although compared to Brosnan’s films, the action sequences are really toned down – which is a good thing. But Casino Royale is more than fights, chases, and explosions: it actually has character development and fairly good writing. Daniel Craig brings charisma and impact to the role, whether he’s in the middle of the action or simply playing off the other actors. His Bond isn’t the unflappable, invincible secret agent who never makes a mistake, and that makes him interesting as a character rather than a plot device. And the other actors are terrific: in particular Eva Green, as a Bond girl who’s much more than simple eye candy, and Judi Dench and Jeffrey Wright bring depth to their smaller roles. Casino Royale is a spy movie that has actual dramatic impact. As an action movie, it’s great, easily as good if not better than the Bourne films; as a Bond movie, it’s spectacular.

Since I am currently watching Season One of 24, I couldn’t help comparing James Bond to Jack Bauer.

James Bond is waaay more badass. That footchase scene near the beginning of the movie was awesome!

Yesterday I finally went to see the new James Bond Movie “Casino Royale”. I was pleasantly surprised! I really liked this take on James Bond, how he became a 00 agent and why and how he became the macho-ass as which he’s portrayed in the previous movies. And I must say I absolutely adored Daniel Craig in this role. Seriously. I wasn’t too impressed with him when I looked at the pictures… But when I saw him on the big screen – oh wow. Definitely wouldn’t kick him off my bed. ;-)

There was nice action going on and what I really liked was the emotional aspect between James Bond and Vesper. I thought Daniel Craig and Eva Green were really well together. Loved the romance, eventhough I’m usually not into romance at all.
The usual humour we’re used to from James Bond was missing, eventhough there were a few chuckles throughout the movie. Some scenes were a bit lenghthy, but that’s o.k.
All in all, very entertaining and enjoyable!

At first I was in Hawaii with a free night. so I saw it. Then I was back in Seattle two days later and my mother was visiting for thanksgiving and she wanted to see it. Then three days later a girl wanted to see it. So I saw it three times. And I have already ordered the DVD from Amazon. This is the best Bond ever and I can’t wait for the other two in his three picture deal

I’ve seen most, if not all, James Bond movies and I think this is my favorite.

In the past, a few scenes from James Bond movies were so sexist that I talked through out the film pointing them out. This was usually from the films during the 60’s- when Sean Connery was Bond. Through the years they’ve made James Bond more with the times and more human. No more slapping your bitch to then screw her after. No more forced attempts on women. Now James Bond is still a cool, off-putting, badass, but a cool, off-putting badass-with feelings. Though this new venture into emotions seems to leave the humor of the James Bonds in the past. Actors who portrayed Bonds in the past may have portrayed James Bond as an arrogant macho ass, but also were hilarious and made some really good funny innuendo lines that James Bond movies are famous for. Recent Bond movies still attempt to keep with tradition, but seem to lack a certain pizazz.

Casino Royale was the first James Bond book that Ian Fleming wrote. This movie is supposed to portray why James Bond is the way he is-the start of it all. This is why the new James Bond movie does not follow the usual formula at all. There’s no gadgets, no Q, no MoneyPenny, and no bad girl.

Daniel Craig as James Bond. Yeah, yeah..here’s the part where I’m gonna go: niiiiice ass. There’s some other good shots of Craig’s body too. Rowr.ooo. Anyway Craig’s face was a good fit for badass potential and he played the cool-ness well. Even though there’s some scenes that provoke a chuckle or two-nothing really funny. However there is an enjoyable scene of flirty banter between Vesper Lynd (Eva Green as the bond girl) and James Bond when they first meet.
Also in recent times they’ve made Bond Girls more feisty, witty and independent. A girl who isn’t going to put up with James’s seduction of her, at first anyway. They followed this as well, but not as much in the past few ones with Pierce Brosnan.

There’s still a romance and the usual chase scene/violence/blood, but this movie had a good plot twist and portrayed the characters in a different way than in any other Bond film.

I tagged this movie as wishy washy, well because I’m living in Russia and I saw it in Russian. I don’t speak fluently so I don’t know what was said. If when I see it in English, the dialog is good, then I might change my opinion. The first action chase was exciting, but it just didn’t seem like James Bond to me… Maybe I should have read the books?

This movie needed at least half an hour cut from the running time. Too much time at the casino with too many layers to the bad guys made it hard to keep the storyline straight.

I’m a lapsed James Bond fan who stopped watching the films after Timothy Dalton left, so I wasn’t really that interested in the latest 007 until I started reading some of the reviews and then I decided to see it after talking with a few people who saw it and loved it. Right from the opening sequence I loved it and the way it was faithful to Ian Fleming’s Bond while following and undermining the conventions of the films. It skillfully weaves through the plot with Daniel Craig as a fantastic Bond. In the opening credit sequence we only see men (with the one exception being the Queen on playing cards) and in an odd way Craig almost performs the function of the “Bond Girl” with the lovingly photographed shots of him in various states of undress.
It brings fun and danger back to Bond and somehow manages to capture the spirit and feeling of the early Connery Bond films while also being contemporary and bold.

Okay, this is Bond as I like it. Wait..let me correct that. As I’ve imagined him. Since I am one of those people who read all the books first and then watched the films, I had a picture of Bond that none of the other actors ever measured up to. They were all too perfect and invincible. But Craig has just the right dash of vulnerability and flawed-ness. Film? Hmmmm…not bad. Enjoyed the repartee. Fantastic, and fantastic as in pretty improbable, chase in the beginning, great torture scene – again not cinematically, but in keeping with Bond in my head. Good paisa vasool, definitely. Okay, will say it, loved Craig.
Ah, and a story about watching this film.
I got up for the national anthem, looked around a bit, and decided to sit down. D thinks gestures like these are puerile, and if I feel so strongly about it, I should write to a paper or something. But I told him that writing isn’t the only way to challenge what bothers you. What if someone who isn’t articulate enough to write to a paper feels that way? Maybe if enough people who feel the way I do did what I did, it would be ‘heard’ or debated. Basically there are ways and ways of registering protest, however trivial the issue might be.

I’m no Bond aficionado, but I’ve seen the recent ones at least and bits and pieces of the old ones. I thought this latest Bond flick was in the mold, but the violence was much more up close and personal. We’re talking torture and drowning instead of bloodless gun shots. Perhaps it’s the modern era. Despite this, it is a well done film and worth seeing if you like 007.

It’s a stripped down, ‘de-cheesed’ (at least for Bond) origin story—James Bond’s first mission. I really enjoyed the move away from the more cartoonish elements of the last three, and must, sadly, demote Pierce to ‘third best Bond’ as Daniel Craig really nails the right mix of dangerous and vulnerable (chaotic-good for the nerds), and he’s pretty funny as well. I’ve always thought it would be interesting to take Bond back to the sixties, because it is largely the style of that decade that makes the originals so great. It’s tough to out-dapper Sean Connery when people don’t even wear hats anymore. But Casino Royale does feature plenty of old school Bond moments, as well as fresh elements: expensive suit paired with submachine gun, the original Aston Martin, a chase sequence stylishly mixed with free running. There are, of course, the requisite and blatant product placements, and the pretending (pretend ending) is as overly long as it is overly obvious. But all in all, it’s easily the best Bond since Connery left the role. Go see it now while everyone else in Happy Feet (yikes).

Daniel Craig is James Bond in the way Pierce Brosnan could never hope to be.

Which is to say: the best (only) Bond film worth seeing in years.

I loved this film. Definitely the best Bond film in recent years. Although Daniel Craig pouted one too many times throughout it, and the end was fairly dragged out (and raised a few plot holes), it was really enjoyable and a good movie, not just a good Bond movie. I am looking forward to the next one!

I was expecting more character development. Daniel Craig’s facial expressions did not reveal much.

As an exploration into why James Bond is James Bond, I think we need to go even further back into his past. This movie does not fulfill this.

Judy Dench was superb.

There were at least 3 times when I thought the movie was going to be over.

Spoiler

Spent most of the movie at the poker table.

Did you see the Richard Branson cameo?

The homo erotic subtext of any action film has been made one of the themes of this Bond film. I knew as soon as I saw Daniel Craig wading out of the water in those short shorts. This movie did not disappoint. Hyper masculinity has been exposed.
The movie is fantastic. Daniel Craig is wonderful. He’s got such a charismatic face. I think he is one of the few actors that could have pulled this off. Because there are some scenes that are absolute absurd. i.e. the shower scene, and the ridiculously large wheelchair and so much more. Regardless the movie is fun and action packed and witty. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Better really then it had any right to be if still not a masterpiece. Still I found even as I walked out of the theater I already was forgetting what I enjoyed about it.

Judi Dench is the penultimate Bond girl