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Casino Royale Earns Early Rave Reviews

[sub]Majority of critics praise the newest 007 film[/sub]

From the user 'Bondsum' on the Mi6 forum:



Looks like this CNB rumour was just that - a rumour!

And the film seems to be great!

This post has been edited by Qwerty: 6 November 2006 - 06:10

Not really an official review per se, but the guy sounds pretty genuine. From Outpost Gallifrey:

From IMDb

Just got home from the UK press screening of Casino Royale... Odeon Leiciester Square, Nov 3rd, 7.00pm.

(Pause for a moment while I gloat... Only kidding!)

Okay: there's gonna be no spoilers here. I promise.

General impression: VERY hard-edged. The violence is more brutal than I was expecting (it's a Cert: 12 in the UK apparently - the equivalent of a PG13 in the US – but I would say the censors have been quite lenient; if this wasn't a Bond movie, it would have been a Cert:15 for sure over here, if only for a really vicious rope torture sequence). No camp humour (if anything, the first half of the movie seems almost TOO humourless; but it works, because when they do slip a few sly jokes in later they feel natural and not forced). No Q. No nekkid girls cavorting in silhouette in the credits sequence (it's a CGI animated scene with the four card suits – clubs, diamonds, hearts, spades - being used as lethal weapons). Only a couple of gadgets, all well within the realms of possibility rather than missile-firing cigarettes and laser-shooting fountain pens.

But! The Aston Martin DB7 is back! Woo hoo! Coolest Bondmobile ever!

The producers have stayed true to their promise and given the series and character a makeover a la Batman Begins. The pre-credits sequence shows how Bond got his 007 rating. And, despite rumours to the contrary, they haven't dropped the traditional roving gunsight and dripping blood: it just doesn't occur where you think it should. The revamp does slightly screw up the story chronology, as Judi Dench is back as M and this doesn't work since, strictly speaking, the film should pre-date Dr No; but I'm not such a purist as to let that bug me too much. Think of it more as a fresh start.

As for Daniel Craig... Hands down the best Bond since Connery. He feels dangerous. He's impetuous, has a temper and a sarcastic sense of humour. He also makes mistakes and sometimes seems unsure of himself. And he doesn't just bounce back from a brutal pummelling with a stupid quip (this may be the first Bond movie to show him in hospital recovering from his injuries). None of which really reduces his mythic status as the world's greatest spy, but does give him a more human dimension. There's a scene near the beginning where he's about to perform an absurd stunt on a construction site and you see him actually think twice about whether or not he can do it. He's aware of the possibility of failure. It's refreshing. It's clever.

The film isn't as action packed as the trailer might suggest. As mentioned above, there is an incredible and lengthy chase through a construction site at the start of the movie (with a guy called Sebastian Foucan who seemingly has the ability to defy gravity - he even gets a special credit at the start of the movie for his Free Running Stunts). There's also a terrific chase scene onto the runways at Miami Airport. Then the film quietens down and essentially follows the book by making the main thrust of the action a high stakes tournament at the Casino Royale in Montenegro (actually Karlovy Vary in the Czech Rep), only with the game of choice being poker rather than baccarat. The action picks up again for the final act with a jaw-dropping climax (I told you: no spoilers!) in Venice.

This isn't a Bond movie for people who love the gadgets and the girls and the supervillains and the nuclear warheads and the killer satellites and the silly jokes. It's more a movie for people who like the books and who think From Russia With Love was probably the pinnacle of the movie series.

I personally hope the series continues in this vein for the forseeable future

Things have really turned around haven't they? I'm hearing almost nothing but positive buzz now. Very, very exciting

It seems there was a press screening tonight; another fella I know to be a journo on those forums (he was always getting press copies of the Dr Who episodes ahead of broadcast!) has responded with:



http://www.gallifreyone.com/forum/showthre...470#post3136470

I'm thinking this is gonna be big....

This is all so bloody exciting!

Wow, that's two I've read (richyawyingtmv posted one in the "Boycotters" thread), and unless JC's (which I won't read for fear of spoilers) is the same as either, that makes three in the last few minutes alone. And all highly positive, it seems. Good news, and I hope it all holds true for me.

It's a different one

Good review - very positive, nothing much new though.

I guess I want the reviews to really start delving into things. Hey! Maybe that'll come later!

Thanks for finding JC!

Cool. Are the spoilers anything I should worry about? I've read the novel, and have a strong feeling the ending has been spoiled for me by the score's track listings (although I can't be sure), but I'm still curious to read as many reviews as I can without knowing too many more details.

Good news

Good little review!

Looking forward to things getting a bit more detailed!

Thanks for finding Mark!

Nothing i've seen thats not in the novel/trailer.