Movie Review: Casino Royale

I suppose I'm far from being the ideal reviewer of this movie--I have purposefully steered clear of Bond movies in the past, so I'm unable to compare.

The reason why I became excited about this one, though, was Daniel Craig and the reputation of the movie for being grittier. I thought Daniel Craig was perfect, but I still fail to see how this role allowed him to reveal much of his acting chops. I can see how he would be far superior to, say, Pierce Brosnan, but like I said, I haven't seen any Bond movies besides this one.

I thoroughly enjoyed the first chase sequence, where Bond's style and personality are contrasted with the smooth-running bombmaker. Bond, though in amazing physical shape, has to rely on his brains also to catch up to an even more amazing target. I remember discussing with Johanna how much we liked the fact that Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Ziyi really displayed their characters' different personalities in their Couching Tiger duel, and for the same reason I like Bond's fighting style here. I like the fact that Bond seems to have to work hard for what he has; heck, I know he has had to work out a ton to get a body like that.

I expected some corniness, but the overall experience was enjoyable enough to forgive those moments: a Bond girl striding into the scene on a white horse...on a beach(!!); poker hands revealed, each hand topping the previous. But counterpoint: some things I expect from a spy film, such as the vixen tendering some betrayal, was dealt with a twist here.

If they keep making Bond movies like this, they can count me in.