Casino Royale [Blu-ray]
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Movie Reviews of Casino Royale [Blu-ray]
Movie Review: New Era for James Bond
Summary: 5 Stars
I have enjoyed Bond movies, since my father and I used to watch them when I was a child. My first Bond was Roger Moore in "Live and Let Die". Roger used to be my favorite, until I was old enough to appreciate Sean Connery. I was not sure what to expect with this new version of Casino Royale, as the first one was my least favorite Bond movie, if you can even call it that. The first Casino Royale was a spoof of spy movies, along the same line as the Goldmember movies. I was very pleased with the new version of Casino Royale, and I especially like the "new" version of Bond.
This new era of Bond, takes us to the beginning of James Bond, as he makes his seemless transition from agent to special agent "007". Daniel Craig has such a presence on screen as the present day Bond. Strong, athletic, powerful, and ruthless. Craig has the charm and intelligence to match wits with the various Bond villains, women, and of course M, played by the always impressive Judi Dench. Some reviewers are critical of Craig's performance, but I found him believable and dangerous in taking on the challenges of Le Chiffre(Mads Mikkelsen), and the new mysterious organization that is funding terrorist groups around the World.
Bond's new romantic lead is British treasury official Vesper Lynd (Eva Green). Eva has the beauty and quick wit to keep up with Bond throughout the film. However, as the film plays, certain events transpire that may lead one to believe whose side Vesper is really on.
Casino Royale takes us all over the world to exotic locations, something we come to expect from Bond films. In Casino, we visit Uganda, Madagascar, the Bahamas, and Montenegro for a high stakes poker game, with a 10 million buy-in. The cinematography is excellent. And I especially enjoyed the scenes of the construction site brawl and the floating house on a canal. Watching this movie on Blu-ray was visually stunning, and the audio was outstanding.
Special Features on the DVD:
* "Becoming Bond" : Takes us from Ian Fleming's 1st spy novel, Casino
Royale, and the transition to film. Also, how Daniel Craig was
casted as the 6th Bond actor.
* "James Bond : For Real" : This segment showed how the various scenes
and their stunts were filmed. The stuntmen definitely earned their
keep on this film, especially the driver who flipped 7 times during
the Ashton crash scene.
* "Bond Girls Are Forever" : Ex-Bond girl Maryam D'Abo flies around the
World to interview some of the more popular Bond girls from Ursula
Andress to Halle Berry and in between.
* "Chris Cornell Video" : featuring a video of the song played in the
opening credits.
* "Previews" : Rocky Balboa, The Pursuit of Happiness, Stranger Than
Fiction.
Where is the trailer for the movie? I am disappointed it is not on the DVD.
Casino Royale is definitely a great film in the James Bond library. Great fights, great women, great locales, and a new, ruthless James Bond in Daniel Craig. This franchise is in good hands.
Movie Review: Daniel Craig IS James Bond
Summary: 5 Stars
Daniel Craig is James Bond in CASINO ROYALE. It may be hard to say for sure but this film looks like it is the closest to the literary James Bond that Ian Fleming created. I would also say that it is the closest adaptation of one of the Fleming Bond novels into a film along with ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE and FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE. Daniel Craig's James Bond is like a diamond in the rough. He has both the brains and brawn and we are not quite sure just how well versed he is in the finer aspects of the social graces. He seems to dismiss these petty frivolities in exchange for a more direct approach to getting his job done.
No doubt he will be compared to Sean Connery who seemed to possess all the tools and to Pierce Brosnan who was probably a close second to Connery, at least in the public's eye and is also Craig's immediate predecessor. Geoerge Lazenby in actuality was probably the best successor to Connery, but his public exposure leaves him virtually forgotten. Craig also seems to accomplish the feat of making Bond a flesh and blood hero and man, which was something Timothy Dalton tried to realize in his two Bond films. Physically Craig looks the part whether wearing a tuxedo or a polo shirt and kaki slacks but I think some of this can be attributed to his assuredness he seems to exude as Bond in compliment to his well toned physique. Perhaps that was George Lazenby's strong point being the singular Bond who could have continued being Bond.
Daniel Craig will certainly go on being Bond if the stars truly foretell. This film stands on its own and also stands apart from the 20 films that preceded it. Composer David Arnold makes a great statement on this point with his score by barely making any references to the James Bond Theme until a full brown rendition in the closing scene.
Continuity as well as the cinematic Bond formula is out as well. Even the villain is not an all powerful mega maniacal force. Mads Mikkelsen as Le Chiffre is evil to be sure but he is a bit of an enigma being essentially a weak man who rules his immediate world strengthened by that weakness. Eva Green as Vesper Lynd is both Bond's business at hand ally as well as a love interest. Yet she too has some flaws in her veneer making the principal characters true to life and true to the way Ian Fleming molded his literary characters. The film's plot is thoroughly engrossing being intelligently scripted yet mesmerizing and thoroughly entertaining as well. This is one of the best if not the best James Bond film.
Movie Review: Over a year later, and still feels great.
Summary: 5 Stars
If you watch Bond films for adolescent immaturity along the lines of such horrible films in the series as Moonraker, or for overly bosomed women playing horrid roles (a la Denise Richards in T.W.I.N.E) - then this is not the Bond for you. In his nearly 40 year history, he had become more of a cartoon than a man, and a lot of people loved him for it. That kind of escapism was done best by Bond - but for many (myself included) that diluted the character and the entire franchise into nothing but childish banter and one-dimensional plots.
Then came Casino Royale - a movie that has successfully breathed new life into James Bond. This film is not a continuation, part of the previous series of films, or an homage - this is a new Bond and a reboot back to the original Ian Fleming tales. Here we see him taking on the role for the first time (hence, why there is no Q, why he is not as brash with women, why he makes mistakes, and why (thank God!) we get to see him vulnerable as a human being), and Daniel Craig brings depth and persona back to the character that had been missing since Thunderball.
This is a movie for filmgoers who like their action with a dash of realism, and their characters to have three dimensions. This movie does not insult the intelligence of its audience and does not pull any punches. An intense thriller that will hopefully bring longevity back to the character in an age where Bourne rules.
Don't be misled into thinking there are no gadgets here - there are several and they play heavily into 007's survival. Don't think there is a lack of beautiful women (just no damsels in distress or unrealistic fawning), just don't be surprised to see James actually care - since he doesn't yet know that he must be guarded in order to survive. And there's definitely no lacking in other Bond staples (one-liners, brilliant foes, chases and action set pieces). A lot of people don't realize that there was intentionally no Q (although it's very likely we'll see that branch soon enough in Quantum or just after), because this Bond is feeling the ropes for the first time (and has gone rogue, so it wouldn't make sense for MI6 to give a rogue agent any of their expensive toys). No Moneypenny also makes sense - as we never see him at the office since is mission is clearly unofficial.
It's a brilliant stand-alone film and a welcome change of pace to a tired franchise. Welcome back, James.
Movie Review: The first Blu-ray I bought: splendidly crisp and crunchy (but don't forget the remote)
Summary: 5 Stars
In the cinema, it was thrilling to see the Bond franchise come back from its addled, paunchy blockbuster cycle with an actual story, characters that were as fun to watch as their stunt doubles, and set-pieces that came at you like a shock treatment cure for CGI. (I hope the cast and crew all held hands in a circle every night and thanked Paul Greengrass for scaring their producers straight - or almost straight.)
For me, it's the relative lack of CGI - and that 'processed food' feel of synthetic epics - that makes it such a great candidate for a Blu-ray to buy. Boy, do you see and hear and feel what you're getting. The extra clarity and and detail really did make me feel more of the crackle, mischief and grit, as well as the gut-punches and 'holy ... that really is for real!' moments.
Other little details make me happy, too. The bonus features don't send you back into little 4:3 blurry boxes that have you fiddling with aspect ratios - they look and sound like nice little films, for the most part. (One of them also reminds you that, yes, maybe the 20 minutes they should have cut out was the relapse into dumb-blockbuster-itis that had them building the Biggest Ever Sinking Venetian Building on Gimballs for no particular reason.)
And an annoying detail of watching movies on the PS3 is that you really do have to buy the bluetooth remote. No IR, or even RF, works. And the gamepad is a horribly frustrating way to navigate PS3's peculiar menu naviagation. You'll be happier if you get the extra remote, I'm afraid.Sony Playstation 3 Blu-Ray DVD Remote
PS: to make the interactive experience more complete, it's well worth following the advice of the UK film critic, Mark Kermode, and having the room yell, "Ker-ching!" at the excruciatingly ham-fisted product placement moment when Vesper says 'nice watch - Rolex?' 'Omega' replies Daniel Craig (because no, we have been yanked out of our suspension of disbelief by that little exercise in crassness and audience contempt, so he's not James Bond). Of course, it could explain why having his other bits of dignity swung at didn't faze him later.
Movie Review: A Converted Sceptic
Summary: 5 Stars
Let me start by saying Casino Royale was a really good movie. I enjoyed it, and I thought Daniel Craig was/will be a great James Bond. The problem was, there was very little in this motion picture that indicated it was a James Bond film. The really slick pre-title action sequence was missing. The Maurice Bender style credit sequence was missing. There was no gadgetry. No Q. No Moneypenny. There was very little humor (even Tim Dalton's Bond contained some humor). They could have called Craig's character Ethan Hunt and called this movie Mission:Impossible IV. In spite of the fact that Casino Royale was jam-packed with action, and and had a better plot than a few other Bond flicks, it didn't seem like I had just watched Bond 21. I don't know where Barbara and Michael will go from here. I assume Bond 22 will further the plot of Casino Royale, trying to get the arms merchants, but I can't even begin to think of where they will go there after. Other than being a great action adventure, there is nothing unique about this version of Bond that will sustain it for any period of time. Thus, I consider the end of the James Bond franchise to be Die Another Day. Again, I enjoyed Casino Royale, and Daniel Craig was a surprise in his portrayal of 007, but there was no feeling of having visited an old friend after viewing Casino Royale. As a stand-alone action adventure, I gave this a rating of 8, but in spite of beautiful photography and a great soundtrack (although I didn't care for Chris Cornell's title song) and Craig's great performance.... as a Bond film I can't give it more than a 5 or 6.
But now that I am watching it on my 10' screen in 1080P on the Blu Ray disc, this is easily the best HD transfer of any Blu Ray movie I have seen.
It is crisp, colors are great and it actually looks better than it did on the screen at the cinema last Thanksgiving.
It has become my "show-off" disc. When someone wants a quick glimpse of how good a Blu Ray disc can be, I throw Casino Royale into the PS3 and crank it up.
I still miss the humor, gadgets and one liners from the first 20 Biond films, but Casino Royale in Blu Ray is ear and eye candy.