Casino Royale - Best 007 movie in years [some spoilers]

[Arnwyn]

I don't think 'realism' was the goal, more like removing the 'silliness' that was often inherent in the gadgetry.

Whew! Well, that's a fair goal, then.

 

[Cthulhudrew]

As I understand it (and I must admit I haven't actually read any of the novels), Smersh was the organisation from all the novels, and was just soviet intelligence. SPECTRE was created for the films to replace Smersh, for whatever reason.

Both organizations were mentioned in the books, but SMERSH was used more often than SPECTRE, actually. SMERSH (as Nuclear Platypus mentions) was based on the real SMERSH organization, while SPECTRE was a wholly unique creation (although there were some controversies over who created it, part of what led to the whole Thunderball rights dispute).

SPECTRE was Blofeld's organization, and only appeared in a couple of novels- Dr. No and Thunderball were the only ones, I believe. SMERSH, on the other hand, appeared in several- Casino Royale, From Russia With Love, and... well, I can't remember what other ones, but a few more.

In the movies, they did switch from SMERSH to SPECTRE- I'm not sure of the rationale behind it, I seem to vaguely recall that it had something to do with the use of a "real" organization's name, but I'm not sure. There are still a few references to SMERSH in a couple of early Bond flicks, all the same (the one I remember offhand is in From Russia With Love, when Bond at first thinks the villain might be with SMERSH, but he turns out to be with SPECTRE).

 

[Cthulhudrew]

Virtually all of Bond's villains were from SPECTRE (up to Timothy Dalton era), headed by Ernst Stavro Blofeld (aka Dr Evil's real dad).

I thought SPECTRE was cut out right before Roger Moore took over.

That's about the size of it. SPECTRE never officially appears in any of the Moore films, due to a film rights dispute between Ian Fleming and the guy who directed Thunderball (can't think of his name). The guy ended up getting the rights to Thunderball and the organization SPECTRE, and so that was the last time they appeared in the movies (not the novels, though, as those rights were different as I understand things).

The last time we see anything having to do with SPECTRE is in For Your Eyes Only, in the teaser sequence, when James Bond drops an unnamed but obviously meant to be Blofeld (bald and with a cat) down a smokestack. Otherwise, nothing SPECTRE-related showed up at all during Moore's run, or subsequently in the Bond films.

 

[Gunslinger]

I thought it was great, a much needed change from the silliness of the older movies. Bond is a secret agent not a superhero, he shouldn't be saving the entire world from complete destruction in every movie. I turned "Die Another Day" off when they were having that car chase on top of the glacier while the superlaser threatened to destroy the world; it was just way too cheesy.

 

[Vigilance]

Not only a good BOND movie, but just a damn good movie.

Chuck

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Absolutely loved this.

Craig is a GREAT Bond.

...and I, too, loved the music. Not only the soundtrack through the movie, but the theme was great. Loved the opening sequence...and its been a while since I've liked those.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

After watching the movie, I'd say I very much liked it.

Comparing Craig and Brosnan I'd say Brosnan does the charming better (though Craig got the better lines in this movie), but Craig definitely looks more dangerous and ruthless and seems to fit the job description a bit better. (But in the end, they were both fine)

I liked that the action had consequences - wounds didn't disappear miraculously, and Bond got pretty banged up, which I think makes it a bit more believable (though not realistic - when he "outran" machine pistol fire, it was a very typical action scene element)

Added bonus: It removed the silliness of a invisible car and so things, though I must admit I liked Q in the previous movies, and he might have been nice in this one, as long as he doesn't provide to many ridiculous gimmicks.

 

[Nifft]

Excellent film, great genesis of Bond, good music, pretty girl(s), destruction of several sets in interesting ways -- it's a good Bond film even without all the little toys.

I did think that the "Bond In Love" sequence stretched a minute or so longer than it needed to, but that's about it.

One thing about the film really sticks with me though...

[sblock]Eva's death scene is terribly haunting. *shudder!*[/sblock]

Cheers, -- N

 

[Piratecat]

Added bonus: It removed the silliness of a invisible car and so things, though I must admit I liked Q in the previous movies, and he might have been nice in this one, as long as he doesn't provide to many ridiculous gimmicks.

It's worth noting that Desmond Llewellyn (the actor who played Q for so many years) passed away last year. Adding a new Q might have seemed odd.

I saw it today, and loved it. I agree that the love sequence went on a bit longer than I would have chosen, but I'm extremely pleased by how the movie came off. Thumbs up from me.

[sblock]Interesting to note that the syndicate still had Vesper's boyfriend captured, yet she killed herself anyways - thus probably assuring his death too. Was she in love with Bond (probable) and wracked by guilt? I'd guess so. But it's still a shame.[/sblock]

 

[Villano]

It's worth noting that Desmond Llewellyn (the actor who played Q for so many years) passed away last year. Adding a new Q might have seemed odd.

Well, they did have John Cleese as the new Q in the last 2 Bonds. I'm glad they didn't include him in this movie. I thought he was too silly (my general complaint about the last couple of Brosnan films was that they were becoming too Moore-like and goofy). Personally, I wish they would have brought in a new M for a totally fresh start.