Ok, this is a bit more organized and a bit more in depth. Pardon me if I misquoted some of the lines.
My family was smart enough to buy ickets at the theatre on Thursday. We chose wisely. The theatre was a zoo. We had to wait in line just to get into the screening room itself. Grabbed good seats in the center with no people in seats behind us with "Happy Feet" (had to get that in somewhere!)kicking the back of our chairs. A significant number of classmates. Also a significant number of single women. Craig can't attract the ladies, eh? CnB myth: Debunked. Eventually the entire theatre was packed except the crappy bottom rows. Ladies, gentlemen, children of all ages. One lady was appalled that "7 year olds shouldn't be watching a Bond!" My sister and I just laughed. What a goon.
Way too many trailers, but I suppose I was a bit impatient. The trailer for "Rocky Balboa" got a good cheer from his hometown crowd. Spider-Man looked "meh". I don't remember any of the others. They were that memorable.
Then the lights darken, and I was about ready to jump out of my seat and cheer. Leo roars, the Columbia lady stands proudly. Enter the eerie black and white pre-titles. In walks Draydon, greeted by a hidden and well armed James Bond. The flashbacks of the bathroom brawl were fairly intense (enter all of the potty jokes from the first teaser trailer). *Wham* Draydon's gone. Was it a memorable pre-titles? Yes, considerably.
Spiffy new gunbarrel and so begins the titles. I really like the 1950's retro look and 3-D. Driving home from school I realized that some man would undoubtedly take a "diamond" to the heart. Vesper's face on the Queen was clever and appropriate. Loved the title song blaring in surround sound. James Bond has returned.
The African chase was exhilirating. Bond charging through the wall was classic Bond. All of it was shot well enough to give me vertigo. Not quite sure what Mollaka hoped to accomplish by climbing the crane, but it was cool enough to be dismissed.
Finally they give Judi Dench some good material to work with. The defection line was classic (this will become a common theme in this movie).
The Bahamas never looked better. The valet bit was again, classic. "Yes sir!" This Bond is not resourceful? Distracts the guards by crashing the Land Rover (everyone loved the subsequent cheekiness). Almost a Roger Moore-esque moment when he runs into the bewildered Rover owner later in the casino. Good ending to the card game with Dimitrios "Oh, and I'll need the valet key!" The subsequent banter with Solange and circling the driveway is hysterical.
CnB Myth- Daniel Craig's humor is wooden and stale. Myth debunked.
Caterina Murino is beautiful but unfortunately short lived. Ruthless bastard Bond at his best getting Solange to cough up the info and then ditching her.
The Miami is a bit long. Still, it is a visual stunner with good directing and editing. Stuart Baird may not be much of a director, but he sure as hell can edit. Again on the edge of my seat. The crowd loved it and got a good laugh out of Bond's reaction to Dimitrios exploding.
Here, unfortunately, is where the movie actually follows to book rather faithfully. It's not that the book is bad, but now I essentially know what happens from here on in. Still, the questions of "Why?" and "How?" make up for "What is next?"
The train ride is witty and "smart". It becomes clear where Haggis's rewrites come in. I can't see P&W writing this (but I do believe the little finger joke was definitely theirs). "'Vesper'? I do hope you gave your parents hell for that!" Enter the stunning Eva Green as the treacherous "bitch" Vesper. To quote Christopher Walken: Wowiw wow wow wow! She plays the essentially bipolar Vesper perfectly. Had the natural non-plastic beauty and the acting chops to do a good job of it.
I admit to feeling ridiculous to being the only person in the theatre that laughed when MGW was arrested.
The card games are disjointed and hard to follow from scene to scene. I don't follow Hold 'Em and I don't understand most of the rules. Still, they give appropriate commentary without being patronising the ignorants.
The raid on Le Chiffre's caught me a bit off guard. Brutal and chilling. Something about African terrorists with machetes scares me. I can't quite put my finger on it. The stairwell fight is the most brutally violent scene in all of Bond.
The shower scene is genuinely touching. I can't see 50 year old Brosnan pulling this one off. He doesn't do "I'm real emotional" well.
The drug sequence works well. Sneaky little Valenka. Even my mother said "Oh, no" when he drank it. Craig's stumbling and bumbling is believable. The defibriallator sequence works. I find it a bit odd that MI6 has doctors on call to help 00's in faraway lands. Still, I could feel crowd saying "Work dammit! Why isn't the damn button working?!" Then relief as Vesper saves the day. "Are you all right?"
James Bond wins and loses. Unfortunately Jeffrey Wright is around for much, but he gets great stuff. "I'll have what he's having, minus the fruit." "Does it look like we need the money?"
Might as well get to Mathis. Giannini aptly brings Mathis to the big screen. "Just because they are dead does not mean they are not helpful!" I'm not fond of ambiguously turning him into a villain. One of those things we can debate to death until 2008.
Skip to the torture. Definitely the highlight of the film for its innately terror and great humor. The room itself was creepy enough. Every male in that theatre squirmed. I'm pretty sure at least four people said "Ow!" after the first shot to Craig's balls. "The world will know you died scratching my balls!" and "OHHHHHHHHHHH! NO! TO THE RIGHT!" brought the house down. Enter Mr. White and exit Monsieur LeChiffre. A pity LeChiffre doesn't hang around long. Suitably creepy with weeping blood and inhaling Benzedrine. Definitely a Bond villain to remember.
The convalescing bits seemed out of place after all of the action, but still work. Loved the banker.
"No! I'm afraid I did not! Haha!" The romance seemed a bit forced, but "Whatever I am..." came off without being cheesy.
Next comes some good old treachery. I do feel sorry for Vesper in the end. Her motives are somewhat just but the price is not. Still, she essentially sacrificed herself for him. The crew certainly handled her death delicately. It's sad.
The house collapse was also a bit disjointed. As has been said, "Royale" is in definite need of a Director's Cut. The battle was mildly reminiscent of the lighthouse in TWINE (to me at least). If there's anything to take away from this part, it's that this is where the 007 we know and love begins. He's a bulletproof buttkicker (hence the pounding Bond theme towards the end).
Lastly, we get revenge on Mr. White. The gunshot comes out of nowhere and scared the bejesus out of me (a pretty good jump). Enter a good rendition of the Bond theme. White crawls to escape only to be met by a well-tailored machine gun toting James Bond (not at all like the Bond we've known!). Fantastic delivery. End credits.
"JAMES BOND WILL RETURN"
I pump my fists and cheer, feel a bit silly, and leave.
Overall: Definitely one of the best 007 outings. It has the potential to become my overall favorite. It's the most visually pleasing Bond film we've seen in a long time. Everyone brought their best to this one. Cheers to Campbell for directing Bond's return to coolness (for lack of a better word) for a second time. Cheers to Meheux for the vibrant colors and atmosphere. Cheers to Baird for a more traditional style with no speed ramping. Cheers to everyone.
It didn't feel overlong to me, but I was pretty pumped for this one.
Problems: Few. The beginning can be difficult to follow. I don't like making Mathis a villain or at least appear villainous. A lot of the ending seemed a little awkward most likely because of cuts for running time.
Daniel Craig is vindicated. CnB looks completely foolish; their boycott a total failure. The four year wait definitely seems worth it.
James Bond will return, and I can't wait for it.
