Casino Royale:
This films chronicles Bond's journey to becoming the Bond we know and love. The first scene chronicles his first two kills: one a messy, Bourne-style fight, the other: a cold, calculating kill we expect from Bond. We see his ID card printed up, and we see his jounrey to becoming Bond, his first martini, his first introduction ("Bond, James Bond"), his first real mission. This Bond abandoned the usual Bond formula after Die Another Day had proved such a failure eight years earlier. This was more inspired by the sleeper hit The Bourne Identity and it's sequels. The plot follows Bond's first mission: find the international criminal Le Chiffre, who is being hunted by African warlords due to complications with money. He plans to get it back by winning a criminally-run game of Texas Hold-'Em at the Casino Royale. Bond, and his contact, the mysterious Vesper Lynd, try to take out Le Chiffre, but conflict ensues, and things get more complicated than Bond had hoped... The cast are fantastic. Daniel Craig offers a darker, more serious, but altogether more human Bond than we've ever seen. He has a more brutal and fast-paced way of killing than previous Bonds, and doesn't drop as many one-liners, which is what makes him such a great Bond. He doesn't even have any fancy Q-branch gadgets to assist him, relying on pure skill. Eva Green gives agreat performance as Vesper She's not the typical Bond girl. She's smart, but isn't constantly shown as eye candy. She has very dark moments, especially in the scene where she and Bond are nearly murdered by African war criminals. Madds Mikkelsen plays Le Chiffre, a French villain who is a banker serving many international criminals, who is an expert mathematician and a genius chess player, and applies his skills to poker-playing. He isn't quite that big Bond-baddie like Dr. No, or Goldfinger, but is a worthy adversary for Bond's first mission. he has a creepy presence, due to his one scarred eye and deadly pale face, almost like a vampire. Judi Dench plays M, aka "Mother", the head of MI6. She is cold and somewhat remorseless in some situations, and has a bit of an odd relationship with Bond, that of well, a stern mother. She is a key character, but isn't a big part of the movie. She is more of a side character. Jeffrey Wright plays Felix Leiter, a CIA contact who works with Bond during the poker tournament. Isaac de Bankole plays Steven Obanno, an African warlord who was working with Le Chiffre through an outside contact, Mr. White. Jepser Christensen plays Mr. White, a contact for a criminal organization. The music is interesting. The theme song, "You Know My Name" by Chris Cornell of Soundgarden fame, serves as the main theme of the movie. They do not play the Bond theme until the end scene, for that's when Bond becomes the Bond we know. The main theme is pretty kick-ass, and is the first Bond theme not to share the same title as the film (Editorial note: sorry, no it's not.) . The action and stunts are spectacular, exciting, and are excellently paced. The opening chase on an African construction site is pretty exhilirating, and the stunt work is truly amazing. The final shoot-out in Venice is pretty damn intense and suspenseful, with some great tension built up. The direction by Martin Campbell (Green Lantern, GoldenEye, Mask of Zorro) is slick and inventive, just like Bond himself, and I believe this is because Campbell has directed a Bond film before, having experience with the franchise. This is truly one of the best Bond films ever made. It took a gamble by trying a completely new approach, and succeeded on all levels. Casino Royale is a heart-pounding action-thriller that will leave you on the edge of your seat until the credits roll, and this is a movie centering around a card game! 5/5 stars.
Quantum of Solace:
This was the first direct sequel in the entire franchise. After the death of his lover in the last film, James Bond seeks revenge on the people responsible. He is aided by Camille Montes, a beautiful but tough woman seeking revenge for the murder of her entire family. He is aided by a fellow MI6 agent, a CIA ally, and a contact from the last film in taking down Quantum, a criminal orgnaization which Mr. White worked for, led by the mysterious Mr. Greene. This film is not quite as good as Casino, mainly due to the fact it took many cues from the original films, and didn't follow the successful pattern that the previous film did. The direction by Marc Forster is slick and cool, but the plot isn't quite as complex or interesting as the previous installment. Daniel Craig returns as Bond, this time a little more cold and less complex than the Bond we saw in Casino, and he isn't quite as interesting either. Olga Kurylenko plays Camille, Bond's sexy and smart accomplice, who seeks revenge for her family's murder. She is pretty good Bond girl, but doesn't have that flare to her that Eva Green did in the previous film. She is a good actress, but the character isn't written as well. Mathieu Amalric plays Dominic Greene, the main villain, and leader of Quantum, who is posing as a businessman who is starting a reforestation program. He is a step above Le Chiffre, but not quite that ultimate Bond bad guy yet. He's a formidable opponent, representing hidden evils in people, but really isn't all that interesting. Unlike Le Chiffre, or any other Bond villains, he doesn't really have that presence around him, and is threatening, but isn't all that complex, like you'd want a Bond villain to be. Gemma Arterton plays Strawberry Fields, an MI6 agent who assists Bond in his investigation of Quantum. She constantly tries to be Bond's equal, to no avail. She is a strong woman, but also, not all that interesting. Giancarlo Giannini plays Rene Mathis, Bond's contact from Casino Royale, this time helping Bond investigate Quantum. Jeffrey Wright once again plays Felix Leiter, Bond's CIA contact who helps him take down Greene. The music is pretty good. The main theme: "Another Way to Die" by Jack White and Alicia Keys is pretty good, but, like many things in this film, is not as good as Casino. Marc Forster, director of such films as Stranger than Fiction, The Kite Runner, Monster's Ball and Finding Neverland presents a slick and cool film which is, at it's core, simply mediocre. The action scenes are pretty damn good, but aren't as good as some stuff in Casino. Overall, Quantum of Solace is an acceptable Bond film, but doesn't live up to the hype. 3/5 stars.
Skyfall:
This film is released on Mr. Bond's 50th birthday, and was announced November 3, 2011, 50 years to the exact date that Sean Connery was first announced to play Bond. This definitely lives up to the hype. This is a must-see for anyone, anywhere. When MI6 is attacked by a shadowy cyberterrorist, Bond is called back into action after being presumed dead for several months after an incident involving the cyberterrorist. After being so shaken, Bond is hardly ready to take on a new enemy, let alone a (gasp) real Bond villain. Enter Mr. Raoul Silva, the effemintent, theatrical, and truly terrifying cyber-criminal with a strange relationship with M. He is a ruthless, disturbed, ingenius, intelligent, and completely insane ex-MI6 agent who felt betrayed by M when he was captured on a mission and left for dead. Javier Bardem (who I feel is typecast as the villain) gives a subtly creepy and brilliant performance as Silva, who's only goal is to make sure M, Bond, and the entirety of MI6 is taken down and humiliated. Bardem plays it ever so effeminate, with the right tinge of theatricality, making the villain thousands of times more threatening than he already is. He even flirts with Bond. During this conflict, M and Bond's relationship is put to the test, Bond's psyche is pushed to the limit, and M is questioned on her ability to lead MI6. As usual, Daniel Craig gives a great performance as Bond. He is my favorite Bond so far, which will make me sad when he's inevitably replaced by someone else. I just hope he can get one or two more out before he gets too old for the part. It's gonna be hard to top this one, though. Judi Dench gives a more human and deep side to M that has been somewhat missing in the character. She is truly broken down as good agents die, and she is confronted by the insane Silva, who shocks and appauls her with his continued efforts to end her life, no matter what the cost. Ralph Fiennes (another actor often typecast as the villain) plays Mallory, chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee, and one of Bond and M's closest allies. He is a smart, tough, and very cool character, and gives Fienne a break from his usual evil deeds. Naomie Harris and Berenice Lim Marlohe play Bond girls Eve Moneypenny and Severine, one a bad-ass MI6 agent, the other an enigmatic and tough woman in the employ of Silva. Ben Whishaw plays Q, the new MI6 quatermaster, who does not equip Bond with nifty little gadgets that help Bond out of every situation, but instead a radio transmitter, and a gun that fires only in his hands. The writers do have a little joke about how the Q branch are basically equipping Bond with an arsenal of dues ex machinas. In fact, that's something I truly enjoyed. it had the realism of Casino, but some fun of the original Bond films, and some truly witty humor. Due to it being the 50th anniversary, they do make clever references to past Bond film (one is a title drop), but don't shove it in your face like Die Another Day did for the 40th anniversary. Albert Finney makes a cameo as Kincaid, the caretaker of Bond's old estate, a role that was originally offered to the original Bond, Sean Connery. Rory Kinnear plays Bill Tanner, the Chief of Staff at MI6. Ola Rapace plays a sadisitic, nearly mute French mercenary by the name of Patrice. The music is terrific. The main theme: "Skyfall" by Adele, is a terrific theme, and Adele surprised me, not needing autotune to make her voice beautiful. It really matches the tone of the film. This is as good a Bond theme as any, the best in yeats. The direction by Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Road to Perdition, Jarhead, Revolutionary Road) is slick, smart, and well-paced. The action is breathtaking, and really exhilirating and fun. Skyfall is the ultimate Bond film, the ultimate action-thriller, the ultimate spy film, combining the fun of last year's Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol and the darkness of this year's The Bourne Legacy, making it a balanced, thrilling, action-packed, spectacular thrill ride. This is truly worthy of being called the 50th anniversary celebration of Bond. This is a must-see for any moviegoer, and any Bond fan, or any average joe, the year's best blockbuster by far. 5/5 stars!!!! Happy 50th Mr. Bond, let's hope for another great 50 years!
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