James Bond: Casino Royale
Nov. 25th, 2006 02:25 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
timepiececlockIt was...
Hm.
Hmmmm.
It was....hhmmm.
It was... it was... hot? dramatic? hard-core? hot? a little slower than most James Bond films, but in a good way.
All my relatives hated it. It wrecked the fantasy, it wasn't gadgety enough,it was too violent, it wasn't the same kind of sexy, etc etc etc. Pretty much everything about it they didn't like was all the stuff that I did like.
I'm ambivalent about some of the overall Bond character stuff, but in all honesty.....
I FUCKING LOVED IT.
I easily enjoyed the viewing experience more than any other Bond film I've seen. The violence was better utilized, with a focus on intensity instead of flashiness. It reminded me of the violence in The Bourne Supremacy at times. The plot overall was simpler than most Bond films, but the dialogue and subtleties carried within it were far more interesting, and more focused on character development. Some of the scenes were disturbing, some were funny, and some were sad enough to make me almost feel like nearly crying. Of course it pretty much requires Braveheart or a dying puppy to make me actually cry for a movie, but even something that comes close to considering crying is pretty emotionally affecting, even if its not entirely surprising.
I'm enjoying the sexual objectification of James Bond. The reviews were right--- they really did decide to just run with it and objectify him as much as all the women. More than some of the women, actually. It's not just visual, either-- it's in the freaking dialogue. I do kind of believe that you can't stop society from objectifying people so you might as well go for equality and objectify both genders equally. This film certainly lives up to that. I blushed more than once in the film, which is a bit odd considering there was very little nudity* or actual sex on screen. Just the actors staring at each other made me blush, I suppose.
The first chase scene, with the parkour/free-running jumps, was just amazing. My parents didn't believe people could really do that. My brother asked me if James Bond was more hardcore in this like the critics said, and I told him, "The basic theme of this film is that James Bond is always more hardcore than you."
I can't really give this film a grade because I don't know how I'd rank it in terms of overall film quality. I'm sure it must have its high points and low points, but honestly I don't care. It was good enough that I could watch it a couple more times, and more importantly I enjoyed it. I actually completely enjoyed a Bond movie.
I'm tempted to go into a page-long analysis about the portrayal of women in this movie compared to the previous movies (in a future timeline), because there's a lot there to discuss and not all of it nice. But that's a conversation for another day.
To summarize: go see this movie. You will have something to talk about afterward, whether you love it or hate it.
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mswyrr: It's sort of like a canon AU fic in the way it takes the same characters and puts them in a different universe, and the way it fleshed out Bond also kind of reminded me of those fics where fans try to work out a believable psychology.
rashaka: Yes! It was a lot like that. Like some fan got a hold of the James Bond world and said: "Okay peoples, here's what we're going to do. We're going to take James Bond and we're going to make him REAL. He's going to really kill people and he's going to really fall in love and he's going to really have to take responsibility for all the shit he participates in. It's going to be dark and psychological and sexy and funny and have one quarter of the cheese factor. This is hardcore James Bond."
*there's actually a scene with quite a bit of nudity but I'd forgotten because it wasn't a sexy scene
Hm.
Hmmmm.
It was....hhmmm.
It was... it was... hot? dramatic? hard-core? hot? a little slower than most James Bond films, but in a good way.
All my relatives hated it. It wrecked the fantasy, it wasn't gadgety enough,it was too violent, it wasn't the same kind of sexy, etc etc etc. Pretty much everything about it they didn't like was all the stuff that I did like.
I'm ambivalent about some of the overall Bond character stuff, but in all honesty.....
I FUCKING LOVED IT.
I easily enjoyed the viewing experience more than any other Bond film I've seen. The violence was better utilized, with a focus on intensity instead of flashiness. It reminded me of the violence in The Bourne Supremacy at times. The plot overall was simpler than most Bond films, but the dialogue and subtleties carried within it were far more interesting, and more focused on character development. Some of the scenes were disturbing, some were funny, and some were sad enough to make me almost feel like nearly crying. Of course it pretty much requires Braveheart or a dying puppy to make me actually cry for a movie, but even something that comes close to considering crying is pretty emotionally affecting, even if its not entirely surprising.
I'm enjoying the sexual objectification of James Bond. The reviews were right--- they really did decide to just run with it and objectify him as much as all the women. More than some of the women, actually. It's not just visual, either-- it's in the freaking dialogue. I do kind of believe that you can't stop society from objectifying people so you might as well go for equality and objectify both genders equally. This film certainly lives up to that. I blushed more than once in the film, which is a bit odd considering there was very little nudity* or actual sex on screen. Just the actors staring at each other made me blush, I suppose.
The first chase scene, with the parkour/free-running jumps, was just amazing. My parents didn't believe people could really do that. My brother asked me if James Bond was more hardcore in this like the critics said, and I told him, "The basic theme of this film is that James Bond is always more hardcore than you."
I can't really give this film a grade because I don't know how I'd rank it in terms of overall film quality. I'm sure it must have its high points and low points, but honestly I don't care. It was good enough that I could watch it a couple more times, and more importantly I enjoyed it. I actually completely enjoyed a Bond movie.
I'm tempted to go into a page-long analysis about the portrayal of women in this movie compared to the previous movies (in a future timeline), because there's a lot there to discuss and not all of it nice. But that's a conversation for another day.
To summarize: go see this movie. You will have something to talk about afterward, whether you love it or hate it.
mswyrr: It's sort of like a canon AU fic in the way it takes the same characters and puts them in a different universe, and the way it fleshed out Bond also kind of reminded me of those fics where fans try to work out a believable psychology.rashaka: Yes! It was a lot like that. Like some fan got a hold of the James Bond world and said: "Okay peoples, here's what we're going to do. We're going to take James Bond and we're going to make him REAL. He's going to really kill people and he's going to really fall in love and he's going to really have to take responsibility for all the shit he participates in. It's going to be dark and psychological and sexy and funny and have one quarter of the cheese factor. This is hardcore James Bond."*there's actually a scene with quite a bit of nudity but I'd forgotten because it wasn't a sexy scene
no subject
Date: 2006-11-26 01:13 am (UTC)I FUCKING LOVED IT.
I kinda feel the same way; ambivalence combined with POWERFUL LURVE. My interior monologue during the movie was very schizo.
"THIS IS SO FUCKING GREAT!"
"Why? Why is it great?"
"I don't know. HE'S HOT. AND HE HURTS SO MUCH. I want to wrap myself around his big warm body and kiss his bruised knuckles *whimper*"
"But what if you're celebrating sexist ideas here? Not to mention the moral questions. He's summarily executing people without a trail! Maybe you shouldn't like this so much."
"Look, shutup. I'll explain it to myself later. Right now, I just want stare at his pretty eyes and be left alone to justify his calling that poor girl a bitch because he HURTS SO MUCH, mmkay?"
". . .you're pathetic."
"Whatever."
I do kind of believe that you can't stop society from objectifying people so you might as well go for equality and objectify both genders equally. This film certainly lives up to that.
I think you're right. But it's another ambivalent point for me; it doesn't make me feel particularly good about the human race, myself included.
I blushed more than once in the film, which is a bit odd considering there was very little nudity* or actual sex on screen. Just the actors staring at each other made me blush, I suppose.
Green and Craig had great chemistry. And I thought Bond making out on the floor with that guy's wife had a real sensuality to it that, even though they were both clothed. Something about her silky dress straps beneath his big hands and the way they moved together.
The "pinky" line killed, though. It actually made me blush so hard my hands instinctively came up to cover my face in embarrassment.
I can't really give this film a grade because I don't know how I'd rank it in terms of overall film quality. I'm sure it must have its high points and low points, but honestly I don't care. It was good enough that I could watch it a couple more times, and more importantly I enjoyed it. I actually completely enjoyed a Bond movie.
I want to know what happens next *so much*. ((wriggles anxiously)) I'm half afraid that they can never do another film this good again, and half hopeful that they'll succeed and I'll get to have that much mindblowing fun again.
I'm tempted to go into a page-long analysis about the portrayal of women in this movie compared to the previous movies (in a future timeline), because there's a lot there to discuss and not all of it nice. But that's a conversation for another day.
Please, do! I'd love to get your take on it; I'm still trying to coax some critical analysis from the mass of jelly my brain has become.