Haven't seen it yet, but I had an interesting conversation about the Bond formula:

Lisa: There were only 3 women in the film
Chris: There are always only three women
Lisa: I thought there were usually more.
Chris: No, there's, 1) The good girl, 2) The bad girl, and 3) And the victim that gets killed off early on.
Lisa: Uh...yeah

George rocks, OHMSS is one of my favorites, up there with From Russia with Love. I love the early vunerable Bond, so I think I'm really going to like this one.

I think I would have this probably as my least favorite Bond flick ever (ok maybe moonraker was worse). And I really liked Pierce as Bond, but thought Die Another Day was rather stupid (though it was really cool to have the Jag and Aston from the movie in our office...driving up the 405 with the guns raised on the aston causes quite a stir).

Oh well, to each his own. I like Figment far more than I like Mickey and I think Toyota Camry's suck. I never claimed to have typical tastes. :)

Don't go dissing OHMSS around me. That is my absolute favorite of the films. Although, overall, Sean is THE Bond.

I'm really tempted to go buy the new DVD sets and park myself in front on the telly for the evening.

Figment is better than Mickey .... but you have zero good taste in Bond, sir.


(very good taste in cars, though .... so it's not a total loss).




.

Ok, just got back from it, initial thoughts:

1) Too long by about half an hour, with too many false conclusions.

2) iSm may be right that Bond movies are always predictable. But that doesn't make it any more pleasant.

3) The poker portrayed in the movie was horribly stupid. Those were top poker players like Barnie is a top international diplomat.

4) But at least it was poker and not baccarat which has always been one of the stupidest Bond affectations (there is zero skill in baccarat and therefore him being good at it is like saying he is incredibly good at slot machines)

5) The retreat from camp is very welcome and Mr. Craig shows a lot of promise.

6) The product placement wasn't terrible, in my opinon. Especially on the cars. I knew the Modeo is a Ford but there really wasn't any overt focusing on that. I'm not sure what the joke at Ford was that iSm has referenced.

7) Most brutal torture scene ever in Bond. I liked it.

8) A man brought his three year old son and parked him right next to me in a stroller in the aisle. The kid babbled regularly throughout the first four hours of the movie but fortunately as the film moved into the final third, the kid starting talking so much that dad finally left with him.

9) Up above, Eliza Hodgkins says these two sentences in the same post:

and

I don't see how those are compatible. The opening chase scene was fun, but was completely impossible and ridiculous. It was like a chase scene from a Terminator movie.

10) Steve thinks it was wall-to-wall action but I felt there were several slow parts that bogged the movie down quite a bit (particularly the poker scenes) and two out of three of the false endings.

11) Still, I enjoyed it more than any of the Brosnan titles. I've seen it, I'm not upset I've seen it, odds are I'll never see it again, and I'll be interested in seeing how they approach the next one. Still, have Bond fill a hit on Barbara Brocolli and replace her with someone interested in doing something really interesting.

Just to clarify, though, Poucous or whatever the frell that style of free-running is called, IS a real thing. Not that every burn-scarred African can ... but if Bond were to happen upon a practitioner of the craft ... that's what would ensue.

In fact, since it's obviously a good means of personal escape, it's not a bad art for criminal types to learn. I found other set pieces far less realistic, but perhaps that's cause I knew going in that Porcupine (or whatever) is a real thing.


I'll grant ... the movie's too long by about half an hour. I didn't get bored with it, but it seemed to drag in the third act ... and perhaps any Bond flick that's longer than 2 hours is by definition too long.

The poker scenes were sometimes a bit hokey (especially when the local contact felt he had to explain to the audience what was going on, which was already dummed-down obvious to begin with). But the high stakes card game is the centerpiece of Casino Royale, and you're not telling Casino Royale without it. I thought the episodes during the breaks in the game were involving though, and kept things moving along - actionwise.



And though I found it a great actioner, it was - believe it or not - as a character piece that I found the movie most rewarding. Lisa already put it best ...
In this regard, it was far better than Batman Begins ... I really felt as if this Bond was morphing into proto-Conneryness before my eyes.

I find this to be a very surious thing out of your list, considering that you basically thought is was just ok(?) on a whole.

I am trying to figure out my schedule this next week so I can go on a date with my DH and see the movie. I have not missed a new Bond flick yet!

Saw it. Loved it. I agree with ISM, gotta count it as one of the best.

I liked the homages - the '64 Astin Martin, "Moneypenny" worked into the dialogue - and the Vesper Martini (which I whispered in Lisa's ear when it was ordered). I also liked the poker playing in the casino, which in my mind is a necessary scene for any aspiring Bond. I hope future films continue in this vien.

I saw it for a second time with Chris and, I loved it even more! Daniel Craig is really a GREAT Bond as well as a good actor. I completely enjoyed watching his face and his Bond-appropriate subtle expression (that was never wooden a la Moore). He really is good!

Yes, it was too long. I was ready for it to wrap up right after the "gadget" scene and realized there was a good bit of twists yet to go. But, I never really got bored.

I was able to take in more of the story/plot since I wasn't distracted by the violence (I'm too sensitive with this stuff and it completely distracts me from the story.) I'd say, overaall, it i a pretty solid story for a Bond film.

When Bond first orders his first, yet-unnamed "Vesper", Chris leaned over and whispered "That's a Vesper!" He's geekier than I thought. ;)

I'm surprised at myself. I can't believe I loved the film even more after a second viewing. Such a rarity for me.