Did you expect to like Casino Royale?

[Kristatos]

There seem to be two distinct groups of anti-Craigers on this forum. There are those who were against the casting of Craig from the outset, and then there were those like myself who took a "wait and see" attitude, or even expected to like the film, but came out disappointed. I just wanted to take a quick straw poll to see what the proportion of each group was. Come to think of it, it would be interesting to ask the mirror image of this question to the pro-Craigers - were you pleasantly surprised by CR or did you expect to like it even before you saw it?

[Skywalker]

I wasn't overly pleased with the choice of Craig as Bond, but was more than willing to give him a fair shot.

I actually thought CR was going to be excellent after all the rave reviews, but I left the cinema a tad bemused by what I had witnessed. A Bond film that wasn't a Bond film and a new James Bond that simply wasn't Bond.

[Kristatos]

I wasn't overly pleased with the choice of Craig as Bond, but was more than willing to give him a fair shot.

I actually thought CR was going to be excellent after all the rave reviews, but I left the cinema a tad bemused by what I had witnessed. A Bond film that wasn't a Bond film and a new James Bond that simply wasn't Bond.

My sentiments exactly

I guess great minds think alike.

[The Sweeney]

There seem to be two distinct groups of anti-Craigers on this forum. There are those who were against the casting of Craig from the outset, and then there were those like myself who took a "wait and see" attitude, or even expected to like the film, but came out disappointed. I just wanted to take a quick straw poll to see what the proportion of each group was. Come to think of it, it would be interesting to ask the mirror image of this question to the pro-Craigers - were you pleasantly surprised by CR or did you expect to like it even before you saw it?

To be honest, I too had my doubts. First of all the casting initially. I was quite shocked to find Craig in with a chance, as I thought it would be Clive Owen, without a shadow of doubt. I then watched LC, and could find certain attributes that may help him as Bond, but the blonde hair was a big no no! In the end I thought EON wouldn't go with him.

I still had my doubts at the press conference, especially when he said he wouldn't dye his hair, but slowly became warm to the idea after reading forum Bond fans opinions on Craig. They obviously saw something cool in him, so I set out trying to find what it was.

I guess I really started to become convinced when I saw him in Munich. I thought he was cool in that. And then when sneek photos started emerging in the press of him beefed up in trunks, coming out of the plane in shades, etc. I thought he looked good, but different, and was intruiged to see how he would be in the film.

I still had my doubts to the film itself. I had become disillusioned with the franchise ever since GE, and half expected CR to be along the same lines as crap like DAD.

I became more and more reassured as I read review after review praising him, and the film, and was encouraged by the comments claiming this Bond was different, more bloody, gritty, etc. (something I always wanted Bond films to be, but never got after LTK). So by the time I finally came to watch it, I did then expect the film to be good at least.

I didn't expect to be totally blown away by it though....something which came as a pleasant suprise!

[knoxville]

I expected DC to be Bond. I expected CR to be a Bond movie instead of a watered down Jean Claude van Damme rerun.
I never heard of DC before he was cast and could not care less. It is J. Bond not Shakespeare, the role does not ask much. Any adolescent will tell you exactly how to act like Bond. Why was it so hard to figure out this time? Couldn't tell ya.

I was actually impressed with CR'S beginning. I figured the first kill would be a one off because he was a noob. The chase in Madagascar is impressive , that is it was impressive before CR ran through a wall and gave chased in a bulldozer. WTF?
The biggest grip against CR is there are no memorable moments. I thought the parkour chase would be it. By the end of the movie it was too little and 8 months later Die Hard 4 made it look like youtube video. A J. Bond movie should have at least one moment that goes home with you. Everything in it I have seen elsewhere.

I could see parts of CR were still trying to be Bond movie but it was fighting a mutating virus. The next one needs to be back on track or there will be no point to them.

I went in to the movie not caring and came out disappointed by DC. He made me not like him and he still has a chance to make me like him, by being J. Bond not a substitute for Stallone.

[stockslivevan]

I expected to like it, and I did. Casino Royale was the exact dose the Bond series has been begging for since the Connery (pre-YOLT) and Dalton years. The Roger Moore films have watered down the essence of Bond and turned the character into a foppish like uncle who quipped jokes day night left and right. Brosnan continued that aspect and so the character of James Bond became lost once action, gadgets and cliches have taken the driver's seat as opposed to the lead character.

Casino Royale brought back that tough and dangerous feel to the role that is essential to Bond. Like Connery, he presented that cockiness in a more appropriate manner as opposed to the overly-cocky and mugging for the camera approach that Brosnan brought, which I really found annoying, especially in Die Another Day.

So what if he says "I don't give a d**n", he just lost 100s of millions of dollars to a terrorist organization, do you really want that Roger Moore attitude to suddenly pop up and say "Oh well, I suppose we all get jollies one way or another"? It's nice to see Bond actually express more emotions again, it makes him more believable as a character instead of the OTT comic book approach.

[Commander 0077]

The DC Bond is hardly believable as a character that is supposed to be a very smart cookie at the least, able to outwit the baddies with a combination of naturally high intellect, instinct and the 'touch.' Not for one moment do I believe that the DC Bond is capable of outsmarting his opponents.

Off the road a bit, Bond was designed to be by his creator and by his 'co-creators' (the original EON team) to be a larger than life figure, grace under pressure and all that, who knows his food, his wine and just about everything else. The DC Bond seems hardly able to drive fast

[James1090]

I wasn't overly pleased with the choice of Craig as Bond, but was more than willing to give him a fair shot.

I actually thought CR was going to be excellent after all the rave reviews, but I left the cinema a tad bemused by what I had witnessed. A Bond film that wasn't a Bond film and a new James Bond that simply wasn't Bond.

Every actor deserved there chance. I agree with giving the actor a chance but once I saw it I really didn't like it very much. i almost fell asleep halfway through. It didn't feel like the Bond movies of old to me.

[007]

There was zero chance of me becoming a DC convert. I've seen him in various tv and film bits for ten years and he's the last person in the world I'd have picked or wanted. As for the film, like Skywalker, I expected it to be amazing after the reviews. I suppose you shouldn't believe everything you read.

[English Agent]

There was zero chance of me becoming a DC convert. I've seen him in various tv and film bits for ten years and he's the last person in the world I'd have picked or wanted. As for the film, like Skywalker, I expected it to be amazing after the reviews. I suppose you shouldn't believe everything you read.

So you didn't like CR...............then what type of Bond film do you like '007'

AB

[carl stromberg]

I thought Daniel Craig was a bizarre choice for Bond - especially a young one.

I did think I made a mistake when the reviews started coming in. But the reviews puzzled me when I actually saw the film. I think Arthur C. Clarke should investigate.

[Skywalker]

The DC Bond is hardly believable as a character that is supposed to be a very smart cookie at the least, able to outwit the baddies with a combination of naturally high intellect, instinct and the 'touch.' Not for one moment do I believe that the DC Bond is capable of outsmarting his opponents.

Off the road a bit, Bond was designed to be by his creator and by his 'co-creators' (the original EON team) to be a larger than life figure, grace under pressure and all that, who knows his food, his wine and just about everything else. The DC Bond seems hardly able to drive fast

They are the points that irritated me too. The gap between rookie and the Bond we are all familiar with was far too vast, especially for someone who is no spring chicken.

[katied]

I was neither here nor there about CR or DC before seeing the movie.However,after dealing with certain Bond fans(nobody here, BTW )I've cooled off on both.


(Though I did swoon a *little* seeing this month's(US) GQ with DC on the cover while I was at the airport today )

[Dr. No]

Um, I couldn't see Craigs choice. Saw the movie any expected to be surprised, shot story I wasn't impressed with Craig's spy as any relation to Bond.

To be fair CR the book isn't all the rich a source IMHO. Dr No has a very colorful and exciting settings for a story about a job that was supposed to be a pushover

[Kristatos]

Follow up question for those of us in the "went in wanting to like it but came out disappointed" camp: at what point did the film lose you? For me, it was when Bond shoots the bomb-maker in cold blood for no reason after he had already told Carter "I need him alive", and then proceeds to blow up the embassy for good measure. Such a callous disregard for the lives of innocent bystanders seems totally unlike either Ian Fleming's or Richard Maibaum's Bond to me, and the Miami Airport chase showed that it wasn't a one-off incident either.

[James1090]

Follow up question for those of us in the "went in wanting to like it but came out disappointed" camp: at what point did the film lose you? For me, it was when Bond shoots the bomb-maker in cold blood for no reason after he had already told Carter "I need him alive", and then proceeds to blow up the embassy for good measure. Such a callous disregard for the lives of innocent bystanders seems totally unlike either Ian Fleming's or Richard Maibaum's Bond to me, and the Miami Airport chase showed that it wasn't a one-off incident either.

I found that very unbondlike as well. I don't think agents no matter how experianced an agent is they know that they shouldn't do anything to comprimise a mission. Getting into the news would usually mean you are fired or demoted, not put on a more important mission.

[Skywalker]

Follow up question for those of us in the "went in wanting to like it but came out disappointed" camp: at what point did the film lose you? For me, it was when Bond shoots the bomb-maker in cold blood for no reason after he had already told Carter "I need him alive", and then proceeds to blow up the embassy for good measure. Such a callous disregard for the lives of innocent bystanders seems totally unlike either Ian Fleming's or Richard Maibaum's Bond to me, and the Miami Airport chase showed that it wasn't a one-off incident either.

Like I've mentioned before, I was excited at the thought of watching CR after the positive reviews. At no point during the film did I analyse areas of weakness, as I did not expect to see any. It wasn't until after the film, whilst drinking a cold beer, that I gathered my thoughts and reflected on Bond 21 and 'Danny Boy'. Then I found myself to be disappointed at what I had just witnessed.

Everyone knows my issues with the film, so I won't bore you all again, but hasten to add, I watched CR for a second time and the point in the film where I first get irritated is the 'Jerry Bruckheimer esc' Crane jumping.