Casino Royale

When Daniel Craig was announced as the next James Bond, some people were upset. I'm not sure why, I guess they liked Pierce Brosnan's limp-wristed sashaying around the world's tourist spots, bedding improbably willing women and every once and a while getting punched in the face. Bond movies have always been big on the camp and sense of fun, but with Brosnan at the wheel it was like everyone was in on a big joke, and that joke stopped being funny a long time ago.

So Daniel Craig came on the scene, a younger fellow, sharp looking and only a couple of roles under his belt (he was excellent in Layer Cake and Munich). There was some talk of re-gritting up the series, making it rougher and more realistic, going back to the early Bond books, and getting a fresh start. This trailer certainly started out right. Snappy black and white, not a lame cliche in sight, Daniel Craig looking super effing cool, and then right at the halfway point - poof. A stupid color montage of dumb action, that damn dated music, and like seven shots of ladies and men getting out of the water. If Casino Royale were directed by Doug Liman, shot entirely in black and white, involved brutal beatings and executions, it might be good. As it is, it looks like a pastiche of James Bond, caught between wanting to be edgy and wanting to be campy, with a trailer cut by someone who watched to footage, was disappointed because it was bad, and decided to spend the first half of his alloted time using random odds and ends to set up a look that will be sorely lacking from the final film.

Watch the trailer here.

I read this back over, and it's pretty harsh. In truth, I hold a little hope for this movie, mostly because Daniel Craig reminds me of Steve McQueen in his youth, and when I try to imagine a Steve McQueen James Bond, it's so awesome that I have to stop thinking about it before my head explodes.