He’s Blonde, He’s Bond… Get Over It!

Earlier this morning, I read a really interesting article on CNN.com about the upcoming new bond film, Casino Royale. From what I have seen of the movie so far, it looks rather good. This film is at the top of my winter to see list for a reason, and I intend to be there opening night to give this film an honest chance. After the last few horrid Bond films, expectations are low, very low. As far as I can tell the only way to go is up. After two great films to start his career as 007, Pierce Brosnan’s tenure as Bond went sour with the last two being some of the worst in franchise history… and that’s saying somethiung when you have movies like ‘Moonraker’ and ‘Man with the Golden Gun’ down there in the cellar. I’m personally glad they’re starting from scratch and doing more esponage and less gadgets this time around. They’re concentrating on acting over action and that is not a bad idea. Toss in a new actor to don the Tux and drink Martini’s, and you might have another great comeback for Agent 007. I’m not expecting the best of all time, but if it’s any better than the last two horrid attempts, I’ll consider it a great success.

Now comes to the issue that everyone is whining about… that being the actor chosen to take over the lead role. Daniel Craig has been getting a lot of flack from the fanbase as they’ve all been screaming for all fans to boycott the film for making what they think is a bad choice. Notice how I said they think this, cause I’m not a part of that group. I’m quite comfortable with their selection of the new Bond and am curious to see how Craig does. The reason why I not only didn’t get upset and was quite happy with the choice is cause I’ve seen some of Craig’s previous works, and I’m talking about beyond his work with Angelina in Tomb Raider too. Last year, I reviewed a killer film titled Layer Cake, and this movie is the reason why I didn’t cringe like everyone else when Craig was named the new Bond. This fillm was off the charts killer, and not only did I listed this fillm in my top ten films for 2005, but I also listed Daniel Craig’s peformance as one of the year’s best as well.

I saw that movie a good while before Craig was even considered to take over as 007. When they made the announcement, based on how much I enjoyed watching him in Layer Cake, I understood what kind of actor they were looking for to be their next lead. I mean he’s a bold choice, but the guy can act so I think he’ll bring a lot of depth to the character. He might bring back a little grit to the character, something that was lacking in Brosnan but was very present in Dalton, whose Bond I actually thought was more loyal to Fleming’s books. I like the idea that they’re giving this Bond film a fresh start kind of like what they did last year with Batman Begins. I mean we’ve seen worse, but it would make sense to start over with a new actor and begin a new story rather than just cutting and pasting old and new together. I’ve seen some clips of the film so far, and I’m intreiged from what I’ve seen. I like the bloke they’ve chosen to direct the film as well as Martin Campbell was behind the helm for a few movies I’ve really enjoyed over the last few years (Mask Of Zorro, No Escape) and the last time he directed a Bond film, it was one of the best in recent decaded (GoldenEye). That alone gave me reason to look forwared to watch this movie before Craig was cast…

Personally, I’m at least going to give the studio one chance before passing judgement on how Campbell, Craig and crew did with this new Bond movie. That’s all I ask of my fellow bond fans, give the movie one chance to see how good/bad it turns out to be. Find out what you’re bitching about before you start to gripe about something. Check it out first and then if you don’t like it… you won’t look like a fool whining about something they haven’t seen. I for one will give it one chance. If it blows… I will not heistate to bash it right, left and center. If it’s good and/or exceeds expectations, I’ll let you know that as well. But I’m at least going to see the movie first because I like the people making it and I’ve enjoyed the works of the guy they cast to lead the way. That’s enough for me, as I’ve seen movies for less reasons than that. Haven’t you? With that said, you’ll know where I’ll be on November 17th…

Peter