Movie Review: Casino Royale

Last weekend I sneaked out of the house one night to actually go see a movie. Lately a lack of time and trying to stick to a budget has seriously put a crimp in my trips to the local cineplex. I've always been a big fan of James Bond flicks though, so I managed to crack the wallet for the $8.25 it now costs to see a movie in the new theater near our house.

I have to admit, I originally cringed when I heard about the choice of Daniel Craig to be the new bond a while back. Honestly, I had no good reason to dislike him since I had never heard of him at the time, but I went along with the rest of the herd and mooed loudly while complaining that Bond couldn't have blond hair.

I heard some good initial reviews a while back though, so I decided to give it a try. The result was that it was the best Bond movie I've seen since the originals with Sean Connery. I'm pretty sure some of the biggest, geekiest Bond fans won't be happy with it, since it wasn't chocked full of gadgets and misogynistic lines. Q didn't even make an appearance in this one.

Regardless, it was very well done and makes for a fine restart of the series. Go see it whether you're a fan of James Bond films, or not. My only nitpick is that it got slightly slow at times near the end and the ending seemed like it drug on a little long. Oh, and I guess one other nitpick is that the big card game in the film was Texas Hold'em instead of the traditional Baccarat. I won't push this too far though, since I have no idea how to play Baccarat and I'm sure 95% of the movie going audience doesn't either, so it at least made it easier to follow what was going on.