Savage Popcorn

I’m just back from having seen Casino Royale and I have to say that it’s the best Bond film I’ve seen in a long time. The film goes back to Bond’s roots and reimagines him as a modern secret agent - darker, grittier and a lot less pleasant than Bonds of yore.

Daniel Craig is not just a good Bond - he’s a fantastic Bond. He’s the cold hearted thug originally envisioned by Ian Fleming and brought right into the modern world. All of the Bond elements are there, but thoroughly reworked to reflect more modern sensibilities. Q is no longer a person, but a division, M is Judi Dench and Miss Moneypenny…

The one bit where the film sags - rather badly in my opinion - is with the extended (I don’t know how long it took, but it certainly felt extended) romance sequence. But once the crosses were doubled, and the action got going again, the film really picked up and kept up with a superb pace right up to the excellent and - probably iconic - ending.

The question of who is the best Bond of all time is one that often arises. With the arrival of Daniel Craig, Sean Connery may finally have a challenger.

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