Daniel Craig's stellar performance allows us to finally see Bond in a human light. However, as Casino Royale is an origin story, we finally get to see why Bond is the way he is, which makes a world of difference. Right from the get-go, he's clearly established as the reckless womanizer his character has always been. The biggest changes in the formula pertain to the character of Bond himself, unsurprisingly. And when he has to kill someone, their deaths have appropriate impact, instead of feeling comical. Bond uses his wit rather than his luck - shocking, I know. The film's tone matches its content, with humour peppered in as appropriate. The Bond girl isn't just eye candy, but an accomplice to Bond, with vital importance to the plot. The villains now have actual human motivations and act like the genius criminals they're supposed to be, rather than petty thugs and raving lunatics.

The silly gadgets are replaced by a practical utility kit in Bond's car. In doing so, they succeeded in creating what might be the best film franchise reboot of all time. Set the film in reality, not the ridiculous parallel universe that the Bond series has always existed in. Take the essence of James Bond and spy movies, and trim all the fat, keeping only what makes them fun, interesting, unique. The team behind Casino Royale were clearly aware of those issues, and they had a genius idea: strip it all away. They must all feature over the top gadgets, a fancy car, a dumb Bond girl, etc - a whole checklist of Bond tropes, which ultimately makes them feel tired and uninspired. Worse yet, the movies are all highly formulaic, adhering to rigid traditions like they're the ten commandments. The humour often conflicts with the movie's tone.

The villains are cartoonish and under-developed. His signature move is heading into the villain's lair with no plan whatsoever, relying solely on dumb luck and the sheer improbability that thousands of bullets will all miss him during the inevitable shoot-out.įans have labelled the films 'campy', but I'd call them 'unintentionally really stupid'. He's also a complete moron, unbefittingly so for a spy. He's a bit of an **** and a raging misogynist. But the films themselves never really delivered on that idea.įirst off, James Bond is not suave at all. Don't get me wrong, I like the idea of a Bond film: a spy thriller starring a suave agent, who uses wit to get out of difficult situations. This might sound controversial, but if you take your fan goggles off, Bond movies have always been either pretty bad or just alright.

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