I was a little surprised that Casino Royale was able to rack up a 94% fresh rating according to rottentomatoes.com. The reason I was a little surprised is because I've never seen the appeal of James Bond. The 007 Franchise is one that I've never been able to get behind. To be fair, I've never really given the movies much of a chance. Casino Royale is only the second Bond flick I've ever watched (the other one being GoldenEye). I've always pictured Bond as a stuffed shirt, pretty boy with some really cool toys. The older movies either seemed too silly and unbelievable, so I never paid them too much attention.
Casino Royale changes all of that. This Bond movie is grittier, darker, and more realistic. Daniel Craig works because he does not look like your cookie-cutter Bond, and this is not your cookie-cutter Bond movie. Craig is still charming, but his Bond has depth, baggage, and a mean streak. He's pretty much a badass.
This flick also works because it focuses more on story and character development and less on cool gadgets and blowing stuff up. I liked the reboot approach that was taken with Casino Royale because it makes Bond human. We get a little glimpse at what makes Bond click. We get to see a little bit of his back-story. We get to see the man before he puts on the tux. This is similar to the approach that we saw with Batman Begins. We get to see James Bond become 007 just like we saw Bruce Wayne become Batman.
The lack of toys and ludicrous action sequences does not mean that this movie is boring. There are some great fight scenes (the chase through a construction site was worth the ticket alone), some good chuckles, and a love story to boot.
There are some flaws with this installment. The movie went a little too long and had a Return of the King feel because it could have ended two or three times before the actual credits rolled. The opening credits seemed a little too campy. I also did not like Texas Hold'em being substituted for baccarat. Sure, poker's more popular but there's something iconic about seeing Bond play baccarat.
Overall, I enjoyed Casino Royale. It didn't make me want to go out and watch the previous 20 flicks, but I will be watching Bond 22 when it comes out.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now, on to QoS. This was a nice follow-up to Casino Royale, but it did not reach the high bar that was set by its predecessor. Sure, this installment has some great action sequences, fights, and amazingly hot women, but it really didn't add much to this new Bond.
The story was a little weak, and the villain was not as menacing as other baddies that have been introduced to cinema, but they serve their purposes. It's been said that QoS is the second part of a Bond trilogy, and that's what it feels like. You get some closure, but ultimately it's a bridge to the next chapter, which should be on par with Casino Royale.
Solace's strength relies again on Daniel Craig's portrayal of Bond. He's still brooding, vengeful, and dark but still a badass. He's also able to toss in some well-timed dark humor, which is never a bad thing. I know that I'm totally biased and uninformed, but Craig's Bond is by far the best in my book (NOTE: I've never seen a Connery Bond film, so let's not even debate). This is not your father's Bond, but that's a good thing because the character has new life. I love how people are bitching about the new Bond is more like Jason Bourne than the Bond of old, but wasn't that the point of the reboot? I have three words for them: get over it. It's kind of like people saying they prefer George Clooney's Batman over Christian Bale's.
Overall, Quantum of Solace is no where close to being as good as Casino Royale, but I was still entertained, and I'm looking forward to Bond 23, and isn't that the point of a good franchise.
No comments:
Post a Comment