Casino Royale
One Word Review: Bondy
I had completely lost interest in the Bond films. They seemed more like 2 hour long ads for BMW and Omega. Too many gadgets, special effects and over the top bad guys. When I heard they were making another Bond film, but a grittier, old school film, I was intrigued, but not dying to see it. However when it came out it was really well reviewed. Friends recommended it.
Now I've seen it. It was fun. A necessary reboot of the series, but I did not really think it was great. Daniel Craig, the new Bond, is good, although a different kind of Bond. Dirtier, thuggier, less suave. However, this is supposed to be the start of James, so perhaps he will develop into the Tuxedo more in the later films.
The film was light on special effects, not too much stuff blowing up, and it was light on the gadgets, with only the cellphone blood analyzer being a bit out there. Relying on these crutches was a serious problem of the recent Bond films.
In the end, Casino Royale is just a fun action movie, with a few extra touches that make it a Bond film.