movie review: Casino Royale

" Picture note: This Casino Royale picture is googled, and was borrowed for illustration purpose in this entry. "



Casino Royale: the latest installment of Ian Fleming's creation - James Bond 007, is out on cinema worldwide now. I got a chance to catch the movie in the local cinema.

Prior to the screening, the movie created much hype and buzz throughout the world. Criticisms were raised more than praises. The selection for the new Bond probably topped the talking point itself. The selection of Daniel Craig raised eyebrows from the critics, when was controversially selected before the favorite Jason Statham, simply because he is blond. For that, he is the first blond Bond.

Let's not get too far off from the movie review here, I won't be doing much of the movie synopsis here. But if you prefer, click here to read it, it's written by people in the industry.

Casino Royale brings us back to the root of the British sexiest and most lethal secret agent - James Bond. It seems like movie makers are keen on such trend, bringing the story back to where it all began. Previously, we have seen Batman Begins, and... (Gee, I can't recall of the other movies now. Pardon me!).

Anyway, the movie is about Bond being just assigned to a double '0' status. He was just promoted. This is rather a different Bond we had seen on screen for years. This Bond, wasn't just charming, he also had big ego with him. For that many people hated him, in a way.

Then, we all remember 007's other identity other than a lethal assassin, he's also a one night lover. He never established a mushy long relationship with any girl. But in this movie, you will see a different Bond, and what made him staying away from a relationship.

In short, this movie shows us what made the Bond we all know today. I like the fact that the show ended by Bond saying THE famous line. "The name is Bond, James Bond.." That line simply sums everything.



" End Note: Casino Royale was criticized for being too violent, and indeed it was a little bit off scale, comparing to the previous installments. If you want a smooth flow throughout the whole 144 minutes (2 hours and 24 minutes) of show, get yourself a DVD instead. Malaysian censorship board fires an uzi to the obscene scenes. "


P/S: I am thinking of watching cute penguins in Happy Feet. Any willing movie date?