I saw Casino Royale at a midnight showing on premiere night. I had work the next day at seven in the morning, so I was hesitant to attend. I thought to myself - “the film will still be in theaters Friday or Saturday night, just go then.” After a few more seconds of debate, I decided to go to the midnight showing. I mean, come on. It's Bond. And I'll have to admit, the film was worth the $10 ticket, the $20 popcorn, candy and soda and the headache I experienced during eight hours of work Friday. Yes, the movie was THAT good - this Bond movie was excellent.

There are so many ways I want to approach my review of this movie – all of which could end in a different light with different parts of the film analyzed and different conclusions. Since I am writing this as I go, I feel the best way to review the longest Bond movie in history is to start from the beginning. I am also going to try and make this a spoiler-free review, so bear with me as I analyze the film as close as possible without giving anything away (I will also try to be as brief as possible).

The Pre-Title Sequence

The first quarter of the movie seemed like a tribute to previous Casino Royales – the opening scene in black and white (even the MGM Lion was black and white – THAT'S never happened in a Bond movie before), giving a nod to 1954's TV Casino Royale starring Barry Nelson as James Bond, and the title theme sequence whose color scheme was all to close to the artwork and visual elements of 1967's Casino Royale starring David Niven and Woody Allen. The flashback sequence in this part of the movie was last seen in 2002's Die Another Day which paled in comparison to Royale's seamless transition between time periods. Royale's flashback sequence developed the storyline by revealing tidbits of background information. And what an innovative gun barrel sequence!

The Plot, The Characters

I thought the plot of the film was consistent – as Bond and Vesper's love affair bloomed, for instance, emphasis was still on Le Chiffre and the mission. Breaking the previous record of On Her Majesty's Secret Service for length of a Bond movie, producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli used the perfect amount of time for the film – enough for two story lines: the poker game against Le Chiffre and Bond's relationship with Vesper. Really, the film had to be this long to incorporate all parts of the novel (which I read prior to viewing) and make the film as true of an adaptation as possible. Halfway through the movie, I reminded myself of this fact - that the novel was the focus of the movie. Never before had the franchise tried so diligently to recreate Ian Fleming's novel – a daunting task considering what they had going against them: a nervous fan-base with a new (blond!) Bond and box office numbers and studio heads who did not want change in the direction of the franchise. The dialog in this film is some of the best of the franchise, and writers Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and Paul Haggis deserve all of the credit – kudos to them.

The Ending, Conclusion

The ending of Casino Royale is a perfect segue into Daniel Craig's second Bond film, scheduled for a 2008 release. Too bad they couldn't have told us the name of the next film a la 1960's Bond movies, where it was common for Bond movies to end with a “James Bond will return in...” Anyways, some final thoughts: Although the torture scene was graphic as hell and true to the novel, it was a odd to be laughing at Bond's smart ass remarks to Le Chiffre with the majority of audience members – I still question whether or not this sequence was done correctly. Also, I am glad that Craig's Bond can be claimed as the first to actually swear (bitch) in a Bond movie – way to not wuss out producers and stay true to the novel. Also, in my humble opinion, Casino Royale's ending has to be the best for any Bond movie. What a perfect way to end a Bond's first movie by reciting the most famous line of the series. After the line was uttered, it was as if Daniel Craig had come out of his shell and was 'established' as James Bond. How the HELL am I going to wait until 2008 for the next one?!

BondMovies.com Review

10/10, Five stars, 100%, Shocking...Positively Shocking!

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