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Casino Royale: Overrated or rightfully placed?


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Poll: Casino Royale: Overrated or rightfully placed?

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Casino Royale?

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#61 Single-O-Seven

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Posted 24 June 2012 - 01:33 AM

CR is not over-rated. It's the best film since TLD (unless you didn't like TLD, in which case I'll retract that and say it's the best since OHMSS (oh wait, some people still haven't revised their opinion of that one). Thunderball? Oh yeah, people who find the scuba scenes 'boring' say it was over-rated when it was new.

There's no pleasing everyone, but I'm happy with it. It's in my top ten, along with the ones I mentioned above.


We're thinking along the exact same lines. Very well said - you've saved me the trouble.

#62 The Shark

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Posted 24 June 2012 - 02:31 AM

GOLDENEYE utterly owns CASINO ROYALE.

#63 marktmurphy

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Posted 24 June 2012 - 12:36 PM

As I watch it now, I still wonder who goes to the Bahamas in July and packs a leather jacket for the trip? Only Bond. ;)


Who 'winterizes' an Aston Martin for a mission to Tangiers? :)

#64 Royal Dalton

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Posted 24 June 2012 - 01:38 PM

Well, he was travelling via Bratislava...

#65 AMC Hornet

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Posted 24 June 2012 - 02:58 PM

Bleak in Bratislava, winter in the pass, summer in Vienna.

It could happen - I was just camping in the Rockies this wknd and it was almost the same.

#66 marktmurphy

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Posted 24 June 2012 - 05:02 PM

Well, he was travelling via Bratislava...


No he wasn't: he changed the plan to go via Bratislava only after Q had done the changes.

#67 Royal Dalton

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Posted 24 June 2012 - 06:17 PM

He still went that way. Anyway, in his business you prepare for the unexpected. In this case; snow.

#68 AMC Hornet

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Posted 24 June 2012 - 08:27 PM

Bond wasn't expecting to drive to Tangiers. He asked Moneypenny to make travel arrangements to Tangiers "via Bratislava." Then he took the Aston - which had just been winterized - which would have been air-ferried, presumably to somewhere nearby (like Vienna). Now he was definitely prepared for anything (except a cello).

#69 marktmurphy

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Posted 25 June 2012 - 01:08 PM

He still went that way. Anyway, in his business you prepare for the unexpected. In this case; snow.


Yes, I know he ended up going that way (I have actually seen the movie); much like Bond ended up having use for his leather jacket even though he was going to the Bahamas.

The joke was that there was no need for his Aston to be winterized (as his orders were to go straight to Tangiers) before he decided to change his plans, which happened to involve going somewhere wintery. It's almost as if it's just a movie. Jeez.

#70 Messervy

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Posted 25 June 2012 - 03:10 PM

er... back to topic, I'd say CR is rightly placed as one of the best Bond movies. Great plot, great writing, great cast, great direction. Flawless. Nothing to do with comparing to Sean's or to TLD or whatever. It just is great as such.
All in all, it proudly stands within the top 5 (my top 5 being GF, OHMSS, TLD, TSWLM, CR).

#71 AndrewBond

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Posted 14 August 2012 - 07:05 AM

Yet I feel over-analysis can impair on the enjoyment of the whole affair. No film ever was shot to withstand the amount of critical eye we invest now on a regular basis. Take whatever example, even the best films can be shot into a pathetic shoestring affair, half-hearted and clumsy. All it takes is a miserable mood and a pointed pen.


This is exactly right. Actually, everything Dustin has said in this thread is exactly right. AMC Hornet is also right. My personal opinion is that I can't understand who would think the film is overrated. In terms of a movie, especially when compared to other Bond films, the film is miles ahead. Overrated compared to what? Citizen Kane? It's probably the best Bond film, although it's not my favorite (because my idea of Bond is supercool and the classic Bond elements, which Thunderball delivers).

I've never analyzed the film's pacing, but I think it's absolutely necessary to establish the new Bond. And as I'm a fan of Thunderball, you'll note that I don't give a damn about pacing via plot when it comes to Bond films. As long as I'm entertained with beauty, action, or fun, unlike in long stretches of The Living Daylights, I don't mind the length. Given that Bond films only come out once every few years, I enjoy as much time as I can spend in Bond's world. Like the many things Bond enjoys in his films, I consider them a luxury, and I'll luxuriate accordingly.

Eva Green's Vesper will probably never be my favorite Bond girl, but she is perfect for the part. Her un-Bond girl-ness is what does it. Some of you say you don't buy the love story - I don't either, but isn't that part of it? She doesn't love him, and he loves her because she represents everything he's about to give up by leading the life of a 00. She contrasts perfectly with Solange, who is exactly what you expect in a Bond girl. I see Bond's infatuation with her the same way I view a 14 year old's puppy love crush - more the product of idealizing all of one's romantic feelings into a person rather than true love. At the end of the movie, only as she commits suicide, can we say that Bond truly knows her, and thus, truly loves her.

#72 glidrose

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Posted 14 August 2012 - 04:36 PM

Overrated? NO!
Rightly placed? YES!

Is it perfect? Not by a longshot. I don't think the first 25 minutes are that good. That parkour/crane stuff I think is 2nd rate. Give me the fantastic Miami chase any day. The film looks dirty like somebody left the negative in the sun. Here's a film that needed glossy, attractive cinematography. Not this yellowish dirty look. Horrible Venetian sinking palazzo sequence; the editing wrecks it. Dench and Craig have no chemistry.

#73 plankattack

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Posted 15 August 2012 - 05:22 PM

In classic Plankattack fashion, I'm going to hedge. Is it overrated as a film - a little. The pacing is uneven, and while I like both big action set-pieces in the first half of the film, one of them easily could've got the chop. But considering that they're both where they are, they serve only to undermine the film's climax, which does feel "a bridge too far."

A lot of criticism at Eva Green in the thread - while she's far from my favourite Bond girl, I blame the script rather than her acting. I do feel that they're in love because that's what the story says, rather than in the interplay between the characters.

I do enjoy the first half of the film, though if you've read the book then yes, it's obvious that this is an adaptation with 45minutes added to the front end; that being said, how many ordinary punters have read the book?

Now the hedging - it may be overrated as a film, but as an entry in the series and all that it will mean to the series over time, it is terrific, at times inspired. It was successful in shaking off the shackles of the series, yet still remains very much of the series. And the bar was higher than just introducing a new actor in the lead. When you remember how much noise there was around the film - Craignotbond, Brozza not returning, reboot etc, the film did not disappoint (well, did not disappoint me).

I do think the Bonds have it harder than other films, and to an extent, a majority of other franchises. No other films are screened as often, as fans we've lost count of the number of times we've seen each one, so it does becomes easier, and sometimes fun, and maybe our right as fans, to find holes to pick at.

After numerous viewings, and reaching that stage when you can recite every line before it's uttered, then yes, the pacing of any entry can flag. GE is quite labored at times, yet 15 years ago I couldn't watch it enough. I find the action climax of TLD tedious now, and YOLT seems to have long stretches where absolutely nothing happens. That being said, it's interesting to me what films seem better than they were. I liked LTK and QoS when they came out, and still love them, but i do sense that some the criticism of those two has softened over the years. I while I've never been a fan of TND, I'll watch it now with a fairer view than I did when it came out.

So is CR overrated - yes, a little. Unlike GF, which I feel is overrated alot!

#74 bond 16.05.72

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Posted 15 August 2012 - 06:23 PM

Goldeneye is utter [censored]e!

#75 Dustin

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Posted 15 August 2012 - 06:27 PM

Goldeneye is utter [censored]e!


In which case EON has been lucky this escaped most audiences at the time...

#76 byline

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Posted 17 August 2012 - 03:00 PM

Eva Green's Vesper will probably never be my favorite Bond girl, but she is perfect for the part. Her un-Bond girl-ness is what does it. Some of you say you don't buy the love story - I don't either, but isn't that part of it? She doesn't love him, and he loves her because she represents everything he's about to give up by leading the life of a 00. She contrasts perfectly with Solange, who is exactly what you expect in a Bond girl. I see Bond's infatuation with her the same way I view a 14 year old's puppy love crush - more the product of idealizing all of one's romantic feelings into a person rather than true love. At the end of the movie, only as she commits suicide, can we say that Bond truly knows her, and thus, truly loves her.

I agree with most of what you wrote, except for the part where she doesn't love him. I think that near the end, she does fall in love with him ... despite her best efforts to loathe him. I've always believed that her suicide came about to protect him, and because she saw no end for herself but death, so she chose to control the way that she died. But I do believe that she loved him, in her own way.

#77 seawolfnyy

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Posted 17 August 2012 - 04:10 PM

Goldeneye is utter [censored]e!


SO TRUE. I [censored]ing hate the Brosnan era. As for CR, when it came out I thought it was the best thing since Raiders of the Lost Ark. 6 years later though, I feel that its rightly placed but also slightly overrated. It really feels like 2 movies in one as the first hour is so different in set pieces and pacing from the rest of the film. I also think that the first hour is one long chase and not quite as interesting as it should be. The film really picks up in Montenegro, but again slows down in the final act. It comes off as slightly disjointed, but I still love it. Overall I'd rank it in my top 5 as such: 1. TSWLM 2. OHMSS 3. Dr. No 4. CR 5. FRWL

#78 The Shark

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Posted 17 August 2012 - 05:39 PM

I see Bond's infatuation with her the same way I view a 14 year old's puppy love crush


I just can't buy Bond (or Craig for that matter) as a 38 year old man child. That's why the puppy love crap rings false.

#79 Dustin

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Posted 17 August 2012 - 06:11 PM

I see Bond's infatuation with her the same way I view a 14 year old's puppy love crush


I just can't buy Bond (or Craig for that matter) as a 38 year old man child. That's why the puppy love crap rings false.


Well, he's not supposed to be 38. At a guess I'd say 30. Or even late twenties. At that age the angle with her would have played perfectly fine, a young guy who's been around, thinks he's settled into his neglected-wife-routine and meets THE ONE. He didn't believe in it, doesn't want to admit it at first, but in the end can't help it. Have to say that part works better than the book, where Bond's sudden epiphany is far less believable. Only downside is Craig should have played it a few years earlier.

Edited by Dustin, 17 August 2012 - 06:41 PM.


#80 SecretAgentFan

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Posted 17 August 2012 - 06:38 PM

The "getting better"-sequence is handled extremely awkwardly IMO.

Apart from that I like CR just fine.

#81 Odd Jobbies

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Posted 18 August 2012 - 09:31 AM

True - but this is what (Bond) villains enjoy: titilating their victims.


Did you mean 'teasing' ?

Though i'd love to see Bond get titilated by a villain (sorry, i couldn't resist that and you're english is a million times better than my german ;) )

#82 SecretAgentFan

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Posted 18 August 2012 - 10:58 AM

Well, they are teasing AND titilating, aren't they? LeChiffre definitely is...

#83 Odd Jobbies

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Posted 18 August 2012 - 11:25 AM

Well, whatever turns you on ;)

#84 SecretAgentFan

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Posted 18 August 2012 - 01:32 PM

Why do I feel dirty now...

#85 Belmont

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Posted 18 August 2012 - 05:25 PM

I think Casino Royale is pretty fairly rated by the general public. I've had countless conversations with people who admit (apologetically) that while they haven't seen many Bond movies, Casino Royale is their favorite. And I usually tell them it's a good thing it's generally regarded as a top-tier Bond movie.

Personally, I love Casino Royale, and while it's tempting to say it's the best one since TLD (my all time favorite), Goldeneye still beats CR in many areas (music, villain, action, atmosphere) for me.

#86 Eric Stromberg

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Posted 18 August 2012 - 09:30 PM

GOLDENEYE utterly owns CASINO ROYALE.


What are you drinking on that end, Shark? I'll take a double...

#87 The Shark

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Posted 18 August 2012 - 09:47 PM


GOLDENEYE utterly owns CASINO ROYALE.


What are you drinking on that end, Shark? I'll take a double...


Vodka Martini. Straight up, with a twist.

#88 PPK_19

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Posted 18 August 2012 - 11:04 PM

The music in Goldeneye, thanks to Eric Serra's brooding score, far outstrips the music of any other Brosnan Bond film, and dare i say it, Craig Bond film.

As to which Bond is better, CR and GE are completely different. Same director yes but achieving different aims.

#89 Royal Dalton

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Posted 19 August 2012 - 02:54 AM

They're both crap.

#90 Dustin

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Posted 19 August 2012 - 05:44 AM

They're both crap.


Now that's a democratic verdict...