Sunday, November 26, 2006

Casino Royale

We caught the new James Bond flick last night. It was good, though a bit slow at times. I'm not a die-hard Connery or Rogers fan; I thought Daniel Craig did an excellent job. He put a new face on Bond - a bit more callous, more brute, less debonair, less reliant on gadgets. I would definitely go and see him as another Bond.

The movie itself was good although there were a few car-size plot holes (why didn't Vesper allow him to re-buy in, especially in light of what was going to happen to the money?). There was also lots of missed opportunities for a more complete plot (blood tears, the Asian lady at the table). And who was that dame in green?

The low number of gadgets creates in me a dichotomy; I love the gadgets and their incredibleness, but plots have often relied on gadgets too much in the past. I do know that I want a laptop by the side of my bed though - especially one that just has the colour green.

After walking out of the theatre last night the comment was made that we have to go to our regular, boring lives now. I think that might be the real reason that James Bond has attracted such a following and for the success of many of the movies. The Bond world is a world of tuxedos and gowns, clever quips and clever gadgets; where women get saved, men battle and the winners are always the good guys. There is too a sort of gnosticism - where everybody in play is part of a secret knowledge, a secret plot. We are attracted to secrets, to life-styles that we could not afford and to characters that act and behave like we could never.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Can't let a Bond blog entry pass by. I'm a sucker for Bond as Rich well knows. Simply put, two thumbs up.

Sure there was a slow section, sure the plot holes and loose ends were there. But what Bond flick doesn't contain a few flaws along the way.

I liked that the gadgets weren't so explicit and plot driving this time. When he needed something it was there to use, no real explanation provided or needed.

I also liked the grittier Bond. He got beat up, he got bloody. Craig's Bond is a far cry from the super pristine agent Bond became in the more recent films. And this is just great.

I could go on for another several pages but will refrain from boring anyone who reads these.