I'm in love!

                                                          

                                                                               Daniel Craig link

                                        I am in love! Look at those blue eyes!

Steve took me to see "Casino Royale" this week, and I had no idea I would come away from a James Bond film in love, but I did.... I had seen the previews, so I knew the actor portraying JB looked strikingly different from all the previous Bonds. Still, I went in with an open mind. After all, I had seen most if not all of the James Bond movies (I've been watching James Bond films since the 60's), and none of them ever disappointed me.

Actually, I had come to recognize a certain science fiction quality to all the Bond stories. Though I had never read any of the books, I had come to enjoy the high technology, the elaborate chase scenes, the tension of espionage and romance, and of course, the entertaining dialogue. James Bond never disappointed me for entertainment value.

If you are a James Bond fan, of his movies ( I don't know as much about the books), then you probably enjoyed all of the above as well... not to mention the great theme songs that preceded every film, and the iconic James Bond targetsilhouettes that also precede the movies... these are just some of the things you look forward to when going to a James Bond movie.

And you know that our ever handsome 007 agent is going to have beautiful women to work with (and bed), evil enemies to fight, and the world to save. Always my favorite elements in the movies were the chase scenes, the gadgets Bond would be introduced to, and the car that would ultimately end up destroyed before too long in the course of the story. You could always count on that.

So, it was with this knowledge and anticipation that we went to the latest James Bond film, and let me tell you, this was, imo, the BEST of James Bond movies ever.

I would say that Daniel Craig did an outstanding performance as James Bond... early James Bond. The story opens with Bond getting his first assignment after having earned his double 0 status.... I found this part of the story quite interesting... I didn't realize how an agent earned those "00s" in his number. Never paid attention to that detail before.

I love Judi Dench. She's been in James Bond films ever since "GoldenEye" (1995). She plays "M," Bond's advisor. She gives him his assignments, and she defends him whenever he screws up. But she has an affection for him, a soft place in her heart for him. Kind of like me, actually.

What I found most interesting in this latest James Bond drama was the almost-absence of high technology... there was some, but not as futuristic as previous stories. Most if not all of the technology used in the story, I believe, is actually used today in one form or another. Even the car wasn't filled with fancy gadgets, unless you count the portable defibrillator in the glove box, which came in handy for one incident (don't want to spoil the scene for you!).

In other words, this James Bond story is probably the most realistic of all the stories, and with Daniel Craig in the role of Bond, he brings to the character more than charm and a deadly aim.

Craig's Bond is athletic... forget the car, he can run, jump, roll, leap, and slide after his target. He cuts and bleeds in a fight, and he is vulnerable in love as well. He is sensitive to his partner when she is traumatized by the violence she has witnessed. He makes mistakes, admits his flaws openly, and seeks forgiveness. His sense of humor doesn't wane, even while being tortured (oooh! that hurt to watch!). He is arrogant, yes, but also considerate. This Bond is a double agent ... a real human being.

But mostly, Craig's Bond is the cutest! I love those blue eyes, and that wonderful, "well-kept body" of his (in reference to a line in the movie).  If there is any way for you to see this on the big screen, I'd say go. Watching it on a small screen just doesn't do Bond action justice... not to mention the cool sound effects that emphasize fast cars, fights in stairwells, exploding buildings, and background music.

If you are just a so-so Bond fan, don't miss this one. If you are a die-hard Sean Connery and only Sean Connery Bond fan, get over it! Mr. Connery, darling accent that he has, got us hooked into Bond, but even he can't be Bond forever. Unless you never watch another Bond film, then I suppose he could be Bond forever in one's mind.

Give the new guy a chance... I can't wait until his next Bond film is released. Surely he will star in another....

 

 

 

Tags: Daniel Craig, James Bond