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Chris Atkins · 11-17-2006, 11:33 PM

CASINO ROYALE:

9/10

No time to write a long review, but I did enjoy the film a great deal. Craig was very good as Bond and he certainly is one of the best actors to portray him. I doubt he'll ever be considered the best Bond, however, due to the fact that he just doesn't have as much charisma as some of the other guys.

Campbell did better with this material than with GoldenEye, but I still don't really find a lot of inspiration in his direction. He does a serviceable job here, nothing special.

Liked the music quite a bit, and thought it evolved very nicely over the course of the film.

LOVED the opening of the film and the lead-in to the credits.

Criticisms:

1. "Monkey man" in the chase in Madagascar. Just a bit ridiculous some of the feats he was pulling off...way too over the top even for a Bond film (especially with no background that the character had those kind of special abilities).

2. The decision to substitute Texas Hold Em for Baccarat (which was the game played in the book) ended up taking away from the film, for me. And they certainly didn't play up the fact that they were playing Texas Hold Em, so I'm a bit puzzled as to why they made the change. Baccarat would have worked in this film and would have fit better with the elegance of the Casino Royale itself.

That's it for criticisms, and the second one is a nit. I definitely recommend this film, and it is definitely a worthy entry in the series.

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11-17-2006, 11:33 PM	#5 of 18
Chris Atkins Member Join Date: May 2002 Local Time: 12:35 AM Local Date: 10-12-2008 Posts: 3,839	Re: * Official CASINO ROYALE Review Thread** CASINO ROYALE: 9/10 No time to write a long review, but I did enjoy the film a great deal. Craig was very good as Bond and he certainly is one of the best actors to portray him. I doubt he'll ever be considered the best Bond, however, due to the fact that he just doesn't have as much charisma as some of the other guys. Campbell did better with this material than with GoldenEye, but I still don't really find a lot of inspiration in his direction. He does a serviceable job here, nothing special. Liked the music quite a bit, and thought it evolved very nicely over the course of the film. LOVED the opening of the film and the lead-in to the credits. Criticisms: 1. "Monkey man" in the chase in Madagascar. Just a bit ridiculous some of the feats he was pulling off...way too over the top even for a Bond film (especially with no background that the character had those kind of special abilities). 2. The decision to substitute Texas Hold Em for Baccarat (which was the game played in the book) ended up taking away from the film, for me. And they certainly didn't play up the fact that they were playing Texas Hold Em, so I'm a bit puzzled as to why they made the change. Baccarat would have worked in this film and would have fit better with the elegance of the Casino Royale itself. That's it for criticisms, and the second one is a nit. I definitely recommend this film, and it is definitely a worthy entry in the series. My 2008 Film List My 2007 Film List My 2007 Top Ten My 2006 Film List My 2006 Top Ten My 2005 Top Ten Last edited by Chris Atkins : 11-17-2006 at 11:50 PM.