Casino Royale

It's back to basics for James Bond in this updated prequel that introduces the British super spy at the beginning of his 007 career but sets the action in the present. The remodeling job is welcome—the series was showing its age—but while director Martin Campbell's Casino Royale offers the requisite blend of derring-do, suspense, romance, villainy, and gorgeous locations (and gals), it's also just a little bland, lacking the sense of tongue-in-cheek humor that marked earlier Bond movies (with no outrageous gadgets or souped-up cars in sight). New 007 Daniel Craig—in a portrayal closest to author Ian Fleming's original—plays the part straight and serious, never winking at the audience, while also ably handling the demanding physical aspects of the role (with the help of stuntmen). The script replaces the book's Cold War sensibilities with a 21st-century form of evil—international money-laundering—as the neophyte Bond tries to bring a villain (Mads Mikkelsen) to his financial knees in an international card tournament (here poker rather than baccarat). Unfortunately, the film also adds an over-the-top last act, with twists and turns galore (not to mention an unpleasant bondage scene) that lead to an overlong running-time. Still, Casino Royale is a fine exercise overall in modern action-adventure. Recommended. [Note: DVD extras on this two-disc set include a 49-minute “Bond Girls Are Forever” documentary, the 26-minute “Becoming Bond” featurette, a 23-minute “James Bond: For Real” stunt featurette, Chris Cornell's music video “You Know My Name,” and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a solid Bond entry.] (F. Swietek)[DVD/Blu-ray Review—Oct. 28, 2008—Sony, 3 discs, 144 min., PG-13, DVD: $29.95, Blu-ray: 2 discs, $38.98—Making its second appearance on DVD and Blu-ray, 2006's Casino Royale (Collector's Edition) sports a great transfer and Dolby Digital 5.1 sound on DVD, or Dolby TrueHD 5.1 on Blu-ray. Extras include two audio commentaries (the first by director Martin Campbell and producer Michael G. Wilson; the second with producer Barbara Broccoli and various crewmembers), 54 minutes of filmmaker profiles (on Campbell, special effects supervisor Chris Corbould, cinematographer Phil Méheux, stunt coordinator Gary Powell, second unit director Alexander Witt, and composer David Arnold), a 49-minute “Bond Girls Are Forever” featurette, “The Road to Casino Royale” production featurette (27 min.), behind-the-scenes segments on “Becoming Bond” (26 min.), “Ian Fleming: The Secret Road to Paradise” on the author (25 min.), “James Bond in the Bahamas” on location (24 min.), “James Bond: For Real” on stunts (23 min.), “Death in Venice” on location (23 min.), “Ian Fleming's Incredible Creation” (21 min.), “The Art of the Freerun” sequence featurette (14 min.), “Catching a Plane: From Storyboard to Screen” segment (14 min.), a 10-minute storyboard-to-screen comparison, four deleted scenes (8 min.), Chris Cornell's music video “You Know My Name,” a collectible booklet in the DVD set, and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is the picture-in-picture visual commentary track, the “Know Your Double-O” trivia track, and the BD Live function. Bottom line: a fine extras package for this first outing featuring Daniel Craig as Bond—especially in the Blu-ray version.]