Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Casino Royale’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

We've seen some interesting things happen to iconic franchises over the last few years. In that, some of these universes and tales and characters have become simply too big for their own britches if you will. Which has resulted in characters that are over the top, stories that are wild and silly and the ideas that come with them are too grand for an audience to deal with.

Less is better for some of these franchises and James Bond is no exception to that. Die Another Day was received as a bloated and goofy entry in the series and the over-the-top elements vastly overshadowed a solid plot and well... that meant it was time to go back to the drawing board for this iconic franchise. Because a character like James Bond deserves only the finest stories and in 2006 the franchise was blessed with Daniel Craig and a complete reboot in Casino Royale. 

Now I've seen every single Bond movie that I can in theaters opening weekend religiously, because I love this series and let me get the fanboy moment out of the way by saying that this reboot was absolutely freaking fantastic. Everything about this film works on so many levels and quite frankly, it's obvious that the folks behind the scenes asked themselves what the best parts of the franchise are, so they could figure out to squeeze all of that into one movie.

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The good news is, they pulled that challenge off without a hitch. For one staple of the franchise is incredible action sequences that take your breath away, and you'll find that here. Plus, one of the things we have always loved about this series, is the web of intrigue and deception that comes with the spy lifestyle, and you'll find that too with the strange set of circumstances that James is thrown into this go round. But two key things allow this film to truly stand out. One of them is the return of weird and mysterious villains that have their grand and evil plan, and while Le Chiffre may not be as creepy as say Blofeld, he is genuinely mysterious through and through and that makes for some fun scenes during poker.

But the man of the hour, the highlight of the entire motion picture, just so happens to be Daniel Craig. Because Craig's Bond is at last the perfect blend of all that came before him and it is a wonderful homage to the character that was created in print so long ago. For the Bond in the books is a cold-hearted killer, without remorse or care, just a duty to Queen and Country and the mission. You'll find that darkness in Daniel Craig's performance, but you'll also find a man in there as well. This Bond exhibits fear and love and an actual range of emotion but can switch all of that off for the mission on a moment's notice. 

While this film may feature perhaps one of the simplest Bond plots in years and the least amount of danger for the world, it's still incredibly effective and incredibly entertaining. You'll be hard pressed to find flaws in this one because each scene moves seamlessly from the other and the intrigue and tension builds minute by minute. Did Bond truly need a reboot? Probably not. But am I glad they, did it? Absolutely. Taking this risk and reinventing the franchise from the get-go was nothing short of a stroke of genius and this gem would serve as the gateway to some of the finest Bond films to ever grace the screen.

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