Saw it with the gf. Unbelievable. The initial chase scene is amazing.
I was happy that product placement wasn’t as apparent, and loved the teasing with the cars. btw, Sony had plenty of screen time with the Sony-Ericsson phones (Oddly, my gf noticed before I did, even though I used to work at Ericsson hahaha)
We had a very chatty audience when we saw it. The lady next to me came in late, but was talking to herself/Bond whenever he was in trouble. “Don’t trust him!” etc. The killer was when James in keeling over in his car and she screamed out some herbal remedy to his condition ahaha. There was also a couple behind us, and everytime a word would appear on the screen, one of them would read it outloud. Finally, after a while, the guy’s wife sneared “Everyone in the theatre can READ the screen!” and he shut it (for a while).
Tom, I’m a huge Bond fan, and plan to view this Friday, when the Wifey and I can ditch the kids for a few hours. Bond rules, so does the post. Anyone who has read Fleming’s books, knows that Bond was a ruthless killer and not so debonair (sp?), apparently, more like the Craig Bond, less liek the Brosnan. Thanks.
LOL, that is too funny about Mr. Obvious Guy in the theatre.
I was dragged to this movie this weekend fully expecting to spend the entire 2.5 hours stifling yawns while checking my slowly moving watch. Ended up really enjoying it and am super impressed with this grittier and edgier version of Bond, as opposed to the ones of past with trillions of gadgets and dare I say excessive campiness. Loved it overall even though it lagged at times, especially the whole love story part. Daniel Craig is so much more appealing than that pretty boy Pierce Bronson and God bless him for illustrating so beautifully the finer points of a well-tailored suit.
I finally saw it last night when I returned from a weekend away and I really liked it, Craig did himself and the role justice…2 points though…
I think he said “Maam” (sp?) as in “Yes Maam / Yes Sir”??? not “mum”
Odd, word, cant spell it, but its how you’d refer to a senior female officer…Police use it as a matter of course here.
So, I hope that we dont have to worry about M turning out to be his mother.
I dont know if you get BBC America but if you do and have seen a program called Top Gear with a guy called Jeremy Clarkson, they drove a series of cars in to the wash of a 747 and the cars were literally blown away, across the runway, so whilst it looks hoaky, it would happen…
Anyway, I just saw the movie and thought it was great. I get annoyd with the Bond movie product placement, but you can get over that I guess. I liked the Bond girl better when she had less makeup on, but I almost laughed out loud when I saw that Peoples from Shaft was the new Felix Lighter. “You like Tiger Wooooods?” This is a step closer to the Bourne films which I think are the new gold standard for action spy movies.
Saw the movie for the first time this weekend and one of the things that struck me the most was how much he reminded me of McQueen. I’m in my 50’s so McQueen movies were part of my growing up. Eyes, hair, looks, lots of things. Also, and maybe its coincidence but a couple of scenes, the car chase with the car leaving the ground ala Bullet and he wins the card game with a straight flush. McQueen nailed his big win in Cincinati Kid with a Royal flush but close.
SPOILER - Do not read further if you have not watched the movie
I saw the movie over the weekend and I thought it was marginal.
First, it diverts from the Bond 007 standard formula in quite a few ways. I understand that they movie producers wanted to show a “different” side of Bond, but I guess I prefer the old Bond better.
Second, Bond spends almost the entire movie in love with one woman, which seems rather soft. I get how the twist at the end is supposed to harden him for good (the whole) trust thing, but all the little twists in their relationship were just fluff.
I loved the scenerey, but that is to be expected.
The gadgets were not that spectacular. The car chases were also mediocre. The bad buy was less than intriguing. There really weren’t that many stunts.
I’m glad I saw it, but it just wasn’t that amazing of a Bond 007 movie.
I thought it was marginal. … There really weren’t that many stunts.
Uh, you’re talking about Casino Royale, right, and not one of the crap Bond films that were on Spike over the weekend?
Yes, about Casino Royale. True, the older Bond films have even less stunts, but what was there really in CR - the beginning chase, the chase at the airport, the car chase, and Venice? I saw Mission Impossible III on DVD at home this weekend, and I thought that movie had more and better stunts. Heck, I thought that Tom Cruise looked even tougher than our new Bond guy.
Yeah, all the movie mags are now making the comparrison with Steve McQ. My favorite character of his has always been the cycle ridin fly boy Lt. from Great Escape. Did YaHey really say that Cruise looked tougher in MI than Craig in CR? Two different leagues altogether.
Craig doesn’t look that tough. Specially since he spends the whole movie being all lovie dovie with the accountant. He’s kinda of a pretty-boy Bond. So, yes, I think Cruise looked tougher in MI.
I’m gonna disagree witcha. The opening twenty minutes he was as “tough” as they get. Add the “it itches a little to the left” and “that last hand almost killed me” lines and you got yourself one tough hombre. I kept wondering if he was “truly” in love or just playing along with Vesper, and as I’ve mentioned earlier did not like that resolution at all. Being the first time I’ve seen Craig in a leading role (I’ve since ordered Layer Cake), I was very impressed with is ability to take a well known role in a different direction and carry it off. THAT’S tough!
Yes, but this Bond started before he was awarded double oo status, so it is he becoming Bond, James Bond, and perhaps the reason why he did so many things contrary to what we have come to expect. In the final scene when he answers Mr. White’s question, he has earned ‘name recognition’ and has morphed into 007 (all to the accompaniment of that annoyingly mundane theme song). It might (should) be the last time we see this Bond make those mistakes in love or war.
Brutal, yes. I watched “To End all Wars” on Saturday night and that had a few scenes I had to turn my head.
He’s kinda of a pretty-boy Bond.
Really? The people I watched it with decided that his face looked like a combo of Putin and a catcher’s mitt. I definitely don’t think he was a pretty-boy (Brosnan was), but I do think he is attractive in a strange way.
Well he definitely took some fastballs in the kisser, but a catchers mitt? I’m tellin ya, it’s in his eyes. I think we need the ladies of ST to settle this one. Ladies: Would YOU be a (new) Bond Girl?
I was on board and having fun until the melodramatic love story…I seriously thought he was dreaming and that at any moment everything would be straightened out ala Bobby Ewing dream season…that wrecked much of the climax and one of the 3 or 4 endings for me.
That was the whole point of this story … it could have been named “James Bond, The Beginning” This is the foundation for why he is such a bad-ass misogynistic stud. He loved once and was burned … he won’t love again. Same thing with HMSS, I think. This is the becoming Bond story. I thought it was great.
There is no doubt that the love sub story, the Venice scene and in particular the underwater elevator scene could have all been, shall we say, tightened up a bit. But (in defence of the director) it did create a emotional and narrative arc, and each had a payoff. LIke the poker game; too long:yes: dramatic:yes, did it set the stage for additional action: yes. I think it was great movie making. Wholly believable? NFW.
(Oddly, my gf noticed before I did, even though I used to work at Ericsson hahaha)