Casino Royale

I saw it, but didn't much like Daniel Craig in the role as James Bond. There are scenes in the film where his stoic blue eyes do make him look like one of the heads on Easter Island. He was so robotic and just off-putting in the first main act of the film. I don't find him all that charming or debonair (even if it's "Bond Begins", Bond should have this intangible from the get-go). He's just hard to look at with those cold steel blue eyes, just odd looking to me if you're going to prop him up as the next James Bond for a new generation. I missed the sense of irony that Brosnan's eyebrows would communicate in dire situations. Sure, we get more muscles with Craig, but we also get more running, lost of running, way too much running...

The 2nd act was too long and uninteresting when it comes to the actual poker play at the Casino Royale. I didn't really buy the love affair between Bond and Vesper, it felt not as intimate as it should have been. I blame it on the directing and somewhat on the screenplay. Eva Green's intro on the train was a hampered by her accent in the verbal sparring between Vesper and Bond, as her dialogue was tougher to understand than it should have been.

The 3rd act is too rushed in spots, and rather pedestrian in 2nd unit action sequences. It wrapped up too quickly given the bloated 2nd act. The plot just wasn't all that interesting to me.

I give it 2.5 stars, or a grade of C+.