By BRYAN "CHIEF" ERGLE
November 22, 2006

The name is Bond . . . James Bond, and he’s not just back, he is reborn.

While Casino Royale is technically the twenty-first movie in the long running MGM series, it presents us with the very first mission of James Bond as a double-0 agent. With an almost entirely new cast and new ideas, this movie truly makes you feel like you are watching Bond as he was supposed to be.

Daniel Craig, hand-picked out of the many actors who were vying for the coveted role of 007, does an excellent job of moving the role from the foppishly good-looking and ‘I’m too pretty to have to work hard’ attitude of the prior movies to a hard-edged, but still human, spy. As well, the over-the-top special effects of disappearing cars and space missions are gone, replaced with very believable technology.

While the movie runs a bit long, dragging out a bit in a few of the dramatic scenes, it otherwise fits together seamlessly. The action sequences are well done, the emotional scenes fit perfectly with the character, and the humor is exquisitely dry.

Overall, the movie is fantastically done, likely to be known not only as the best Bond movie to date, but the perfect way to reboot the series that has captivated so many, and introduce it to a whole new generation. It also has one of the traits I look for in a truly well-done moving -- the ending alone is worth the price of admission. Go see it in the theaters while you can! Four out of four stars.