AJames Bond's first 007 mission takes him to Madagascar, where he is to spy on a terrorist Mollaka. Not everything goes as planned and Bond decides to investigate, independently of the MI6 agency, in order to track down the rest of the terrorist cell. Following a lead to the Bahamas, he encounters Dimitrios and his girlfriend, Solange. He learns that Dimitrios is involved with Le Chiffre, banker to the world's terrorist organizations. Secret Service intelligence reveals that Le Chiffre is planning to raise money in a high-stakes poker game in Montenegro at Le Casino Royale. MI6 assigns 007 to play against him, knowing that if Le Chiffre loses, it will destroy his organization. 'M' places Bond under the watchful eye of the beguiling Vesper Lynd. At first skeptical of what value Vesper can provide, Bond's interest in her deepens as they brave danger together--and even torture at the hands of Le Chiffre. In Montenegro, Bond allies himself with Matthis, MI6's local field agent, and Felix Leiter, who is representing the interests of the CIA. The marathon game proceeds with dirty tricks and violence, raising the stakes beyond blood money and reaching a terrifying climax.

Reviewing a Bond film at times can be tricky because there are a lot of elements that go into the film that can make it great or just plain mediocre. You may have one or two of the elements but if you are missing a couple of the other important factors to making the movie great you will fail and only end up with an Ok action movie and not a great James Bond film. The first and most important element is Bond himself and this time around Daniel Craig tries to fill those enormous shoes. There is almost always a moment if that actor is going to be successful as Bond that you finally and truly accept him as 007. For Brosnan it was the moment he adjusted his tie during a car chase involving a tank in Goldeneye and for Connery it was when he uttered those famous words Bond, James Bond. I think in the end Craig does grow into Bond and you can accept him as Bond but the problem is that this moment happens at the very end of the film when he utters those famous words Bond, James Bond. It takes too long for that moment to happen in my opinion, he is too much of just a common thug and not the ultra cool and suave Bond until that very moment and it hurts the mystique of the film.

But with more thought I think this moment might have been held off on purpose because smartly enough they have decided to restart the entire franchise and begin afresh after more than 40 years and over 20 films. Unlike when Connery who when he first uttered those now famous words Craig has to become Bond, its his expierences, his battles, his love that eventually turns him into the most famous spy ever. When we catch our first glimpse of Connery as Bond he has already had those moments he has already grown into the super spy we all have grown to love. So the idea to hold off that moment that one defying scene where Craig becomes Bond may be fitting because we get to see his evolution into 007 and the sequels with Craig as Bond should be more fantastic for it. Casino Royale loses a little of its Bond mystique by holding off that defining moment but in the end it probably jump starts the entire franchise once more just like Roger Moore did with Live and Let Die.

The second most important element of any good Bond film is the story. We need to see 007 fight the ultimate villains who have the most lavish plots and to see him triumpth in the end. I think this is where Die Another Day lost its way, it was more interested in fantastic sci-fi like sub plots and villains who were so over the top and outrageous that it forgot to tell a story. Casino Royale benefits from the fact that there story to tell is the evolution of James Bond and how he became to be. The film also gets a boost by the fact that the movie is based on the very first James Bond book by Ian Flemming rather than some screenwriters idea of what a Bond film should be. Because this is Ian Flemming’s story and he told it the best and so the ability to return to the core of who 007 is helps the film. The problem I had was they didn’t know when to stop, they had wrapped up most of the loose strings yet they went on for another 20 minutes leaving me to wonder where they were going with the whole movie. Granted those last five to ten minutes might have been some of the best moments in the entire film but that moment where the leave you hanging not sure what is going to happen next is an unsettling feeling in an otherwise subperb and highly enjoyable film.

The one important element I think they dropped the ball on as far as a Bond film goes was the Bond girls. I mean there was plenty of great sexual banter between Craig and Eva Green so much so that many audiences members felt the need to cry out crude dialogue for the two. But Green as well as all the other Bond girls in the film were missing the same mystique that Craig was missing for most of the movie. They never came close to the sexy yet unattainable coolness of previous Bond girls like Jane Seymour or Ursla Andress. Green always just felt a little out of place, a little of kilter and never really made you believe her as a girl 007 would go to all the effort to seduce. And in my opinion Caterina Murino the first bond girl in the film wasn’t hot at all, I didn’t find her in the least bit attractive even though they tried to pass her off as much. But Green does end up having a pivotal moment that shapes James and for that I am glad they included her in the movie.

And finally where were the gadgets and Q. I mean we get some glimpses of them and even in the end we get to see the hyped up Aston Martin but Craig barely gets to play with any of the fun toys that make James Bond, James Bond. I think that might be in part to how over the top some of the gadgets have become in some of the later films as you have to get more over the top to impress a very tech savy world unlike that of the 60’s and 70’s where computers were a thing of myth. But at least give us the cool watch and not just a variety of guns that Bond ends up using. Does the movie work and is it enjoyable, yes. Is it a James Bond film worthy of to be called a James Bond film, sadly not until the last five minutes of the movie.

Grade: B+