I’m completely new to the world of ‘James
Bond’. All I previously new about this long running series has come from
pop-culture (or the three ‘Austin Powers' movies; very credible sources), and is
probably why I’ve regrettably stayed away from it. While I’m not interested so much in the older, supposedly ‘goofy’ James Bond films, this new batch
with Daniel Craig as a blue-eyed Bond has had so much attention that my
interest couldn’t help but be peeked. Some harmless peer pressure also assisted
in getting me on bored, which I’m thankful for in the end (despite my
initial reservations). Before I saw ‘Skyfall’, being as un-informed about these
movies as I am, I wanted to watch Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace to ensure
I was in a position to critique it accordingly. In conjunction, I carried out
some research and asked around for anything I should know before I watch
these that could increase my understanding. Turns out, Casino Royale is more of
a re-boot, and so only required some basic knowledge for me to enjoy it.
The film follows James Bond in his first
mission as a 00 ‘spy’ (for lack of a better word; he is more of a spy/agent).
His task, given to him by ‘M’ (Judi Dench), is to win a poker game against Le
Chiffre, our ‘bady’ complete with a compulsory facial deformity. Le Chiffre must win the
poker game in order to remain stable amongst the terrorist market, for which he
is the banker. Assisting Bond is Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), our ‘Bond girl’, who
poses as his wife during the poker game. But even if Bond wins the Poker game,
his and Vesper’s safety is still endangered as they underestimate the brutality
and power of our scar-faced villain.
I doubt anyone was paying attention to the watch product placement as much as this women's melon munchers. She reminds me of Ivana Humpalot from Austin Powers, mostly due to her wanting to hump James bond a lot.
Although I have not seen previous bond
movies in full, its not hard to see that ‘Casino Royale’ takes on a much more
serious tone. The gadgetry that other Bond films where filled with, and seemed
to get sillier as they went along, are expelled for the most part here. This
assists in this new Bond in being much more formidable; he doesn’t need these
things to get the job done, as we very clearly see. ‘Casino Royale’ opens with
a very distinct ‘film noir’ style, and certainly establishes Craig’s Bond as
brutal and cold. Ill have to admit it’s not what I was expecting, and so I was
pleasantly surprised. The sequences where the film becomes more
action oriented are quite long, but are filmed, edited and choreographed in
such a way that they never get boring and sustain a tense atmosphere. There are
explosions and destruction, but it never feels over-indulgent (something
Michael Bay certainly needs to work on). The prologue in particular had me on
the edge of my seat; especially as some of it was taking place at a far too
high an altitude for my comfort. Daniel Craig does a great job as the new and improved
James bond; who somehow manages to make this egotistical and confident Bond
likable. Another excellent performance is by Judi Dench, however limited her
screen time, and she manages to be stern and sarcastic simultaneously. Eva
Green does a good job as Vesper, but something about her didn’t quite sell me,
which I’m afraid I cant quite put my finger on.
James Bond looking not too phased after the intense prologue chase scene.
As I mentioned before, there are some dark
and gritty moments in ‘Casino Royale’. One of these was a torture scene that
would have any male cringing in agony, with this also having somewhat of a
‘film noir’ vibe; no doubt a throwback to the older Bond films, which would
have utilised this more heavily. That famous Bond theme is sprinkled
delightfully throughout the movie, which even dummies like me find familiar.
There are a few one-liners, but they are delivered in such a way that isn't forced or corny- including a great twist on ‘shaken, not stirred’ that I’m sure
had James Bond fans screaming with delight.
Bond: "let my body musculature comfort you, my love" Vesper: "Yeh, thats not really helping" Bond: "...well I'm just out of ideas!" *storms off*.
I only had small issues with this movie.
The first certainly comes more from my own lack of knowledge about these films
rather than the movie itself. I sometimes found myself a little lost with who
particular people where and what the storyline was precisely. Some quick Google
searches fixed that right up, but the filmmakers could have made some of these
things a bit more accessible to newcomers. But then again, I have trouble
following details in movies on the best of days. The main gripe I’ve got with
‘Casino Royale’ is of a particular personal annoyance: product placement, from
cars to watches, laptops to mobile phones. Luckily there isn’t as much as there
probably could have been- its certainly not bursting at the seems- but it
really gets to me when the camera deliberately focuses on a brand name instead
of a person. Again, it’s a fairly minor irritation. The run time of nearly two
and a half hours might feel a little stretched at times- during the poker game
for me, again because i have limited knowledge and interest in poker- but i was never disinterested for long.
Bond also kills a surprising amount of people without hesitation in Casino Royale; another thing i wasn't expecting which shows just how cold and ruthless this new James Bond is.
After this initiation in the world of ‘Bond’,
Casino Royale has proved me wrong on many assumptions I made about the series,
much to my satisfaction. I’m eager to watch Quantum of Solace and the new Skyfall,
and in the future might even check out the other films out of curiosity. If
you’re a newbie like me, and not one to watch spy-action movies when given a
choice, I'd certainly give Casino Royale a go. I’m definitely glad I did. Ill be
posting my review for Quantum of Solace soon, followed by Skyfall soon after, so stick around!
4/5
Recommended Classification: 12+ for moderate action violence, some torture and partial nudity
I’m completely new to the world of ‘James
Bond’. All I previously new about this long running series has come from
pop-culture (or the three ‘Austin Powers' movies; very credible sources), and is
probably why I’ve regrettably stayed away from it. While I’m not interested so much in the older, supposedly ‘goofy’ James Bond films, this new batch
with Daniel Craig as a blue-eyed Bond has had so much attention that my
interest couldn’t help but be peeked. Some harmless peer pressure also assisted
in getting me on bored, which I’m thankful for in the end (despite my
initial reservations). Before I saw ‘Skyfall’, being as un-informed about these
movies as I am, I wanted to watch Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace to ensure
I was in a position to critique it accordingly. In conjunction, I carried out
some research and asked around for anything I should know before I watch
these that could increase my understanding. Turns out, Casino Royale is more of
a re-boot, and so only required some basic knowledge for me to enjoy it.
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