BondJamesBond – Casino Royale With NO Cheese
Well, I saw the new James Bond on the day it came out and let me tell you…it was good.
Better than good. Not just a good Bond movie (if you prefer the Seannery kind to the Moore kind anyway, not that the Moore ones don’t have their own charm, of course), but an actually good movie. Yes, that’s right…a good movie all by itself even without being a Bond film. Not even a mindless-but-good action movie, a GOOD action movie.
Now I admit I am a Daniel Craig fan, but damn…his Bond doesn’t care whether his martini is shaken or stirred, as long as it comes with a side of whupass. He’s what Ian Fleming wrote Bond as, he’s mean and complicated and gets the job done.
You may wonder: are there stunts? Why yes, Virginia, there are indeed stunts, some truly impressive ones with dudes running up I-beams like geckos and jumping around like frogs on a griddle (this is apparently called “free running” and it’s insanely cool). Are there kabooms? Oh yes…things asplode…all kinds of things…
You may also wonder: are there cars? Why yes…not just one Aston Martin, but, in fact, two…and one is a 1965 as a wee tribute to the good old Seannery days, while the other is a DB-S that’s just….damn…
Is there an evil genius? Yes! Played by Mads “Cinnamon Danish” Mikkelsen, who is wonderful, and he isn’t trying to take over the world either, PLUS he has a pretty compelling reason for ending up where he does with Bond so he’s not cardboard or even unsympathetic (although he’s not very nice to Mr Bond…very much not very nice).
Is there a chick? Yes, Eva Green! And she is good! She is not just there for decoration, either!
Are there gadgets? Not really! Is there Q? No! Do we care? NO!
Highly, HIGHLY recommended, even if you don’t like Bond as a general rule. It’s sassy.