After watching the movie, I agree with highdefdigest.com's review below (click the link or copy and paste to your address bar). For me Blu-Ray is all about amazing picture on my 1080p HDTV http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/653/casinoroyale.html 'Casino Royale' hits Blu-ray at a crucial time for the format. Recently overtaking HD DVD in terms of total unit sales for the first time since launch, Blu-ray is enjoying the sales edge, and a big title like 'Casino Royale' should only help solidify that lead. If Sony doesn't deliver with this one, it would not be fatal to the format, but it certainly would rank as a major disappointment. To be honest, I like this transfer, but I don't love it. 'Casino Royale' is actually the first film I've seen more than once in theater since, I believe, 'Jurassic Park' (in 1993!), and this 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 presentation does a pretty good job of approximating my experiences at that theater. But it also looks a bit digital and artificial. I'm certainly all for the filmmaker's intent, but even if that is the case here, I can't deny that the sheer level of detail rarely reaches the heights of the best Blu-ray titles I've enjoyed, and though the image does have pop, I wasn't consistently blown away. After the opening teaser, which is black & white and purposely grainy, the transfer really begins. The credits take off with the typically bombastic Bond theme song, and it looks fantastic. Colors are rich, vivid and stable. Detail is great. And the sense of depth and three-dimensionality -- even though we're talking animation here -- is wonderful. Unfortunately, after that, I couldn't hlep but feel a bit deflated. 'Casino Royale' is a new release, and as such the source is pristine. The film has been shined up like a new penny, and truly sparkles. Blacks are excellent, and colors are vibrant. But contrast consistently runs hot, enough so that the image looks routinely blown-out and unrealistic. Colors often feel oversaturated. Fleshtones just don't look natural, and aside from extreme close-ups, I often could not detect realistic skin textures -- everyone looks painted orange. Dark scenes are actually better -- contrast isn't so distracting, and the film's use of cooler blues pays off with a more film-like, pleasing appearance. The actual card-playing centerpiece of the middle of the film is also quite nice, and a respite from the earlier, more sun-drenched exteriors, such as the Madagascar chase sequence that, again. looked too hot. Detail can be fairly strong, but again, the flushed hues and bright whites flatten out the image and it doesn't have absolute top-notch depth. Without a doubt, 'Casino Royale' is always watchable and has moments of true grandeur. But is it the five-star transfer we've all been hoping for? Alas, for me, it was not.Read full review
There's no need to discuss how crystal clear Blue-ray is, if you don't know that by now, visit a local Best Buy or electronic shop and get a preview. Casino Royale is Craig's first take on Bond, after being abruptly escalated to double-O status. The movie is action packed from the first moment to the last (just when you thought it was over). Blue-ray enhances the experience, just making you glued to your TV screen for the whole 120-minutes, simply staring at the water in the background or the pebbles on the floor. A good movie, great actually. It's more like the Bourne series than the previous Bond of gadgets and electronics that could make him fly to space or drive his car using his wrist watch. It's practical, sophisticated and entertaining. Makes a great movie for general audiences and a collectors items for Bond fans. For this one, you may want to shell out the extra money to get it in Blue-ray (provided you have the player & Hi-def TV).Read full review
Still not on a par with the days of Sean Connery, the new Bond is quite an improvement over effeminate versions portrayed by Pierce Brosnan and Timothy Dalton. You can finally see some of the manly qualities that Bond should have, without all of the fancy-pants poncery of the more modern Englishmen to play the part. But enough about the acting, as that's hardly what people would buy a Bond film for! The Bondgirls: very nice this time around. I remember hearing an uproar about Eva Green being selected for the female lead, but I think she's perfect. Quite good in this film. She was thankfully not another Xena: Warrior Princess 21st-Century female action hero stereotype. She was tough, yet vulnerable, and quite feminine. The other ladies were quite easy on the eyes, as well, though they don't get much screen time. It's a one girl show this time around. The Plot: though I realize nobody watches Bond films for the clever plot, this one was not so ridiculous as some of its predecessors. Though not as intricate, with only mild twisting and turning, it is at least believable. Basically, the villain is a banker-to-the-warlords who takes a huge loss when his stock market scheme is foiled, and needs to make up the defecit before the warlords realize he was gambling with their money. Intro the high-stakes Texas Hold'em tournament (yeah, you heard right!) held in Montenegro - probably the most unlikely premise for Bond to appear anywhere, it is an obvious latch-on to the growing popularity of the card game. Anyway, Bond needs to win, because he's Bond, and the villain needs to win, because he doesn't want to sleep with the fishes, see. Violence and intrigue ensue. Pretty standard stuff, if you cut out the poker bit. The Action: yes, beside the Bondgirls, this is the reason most people would spend two hours watching a Bond Film. And, for the first time in the last few installments, this edition actually lives up to expectations. After a short flashback for expository purposes, we are treated to a relatively original chase scene, something you can rarely count on in a Bond film. The action here was well-balanced between tension-building realism and the over-the-top unlikeliness Bond films are noted for. I was impressed. Later on, there is a short car chase that ends in an interesting, if somewhat Snidely Whiplash-esque, manner. A somewhat less interesting fuel truck fight (I know I've seen it in a previous installment) sets the stage for one of Bond's clever tricks that the audience isn't let in on until the end. Also, they do some interesting things to a Venician building towards the end. The Cars: this was a little disappointing. The Astin-Martin was nice, but that's about it. One moment that tickled my fancy was when they showed bond driving a rental car that looked like a Ford Focus, or something similarly lame (no offense to Ford employees - I'm sure it gets excellent gas mileage). The Gadgets: surprisingly few gadgets entered into the story, and nothing that allows Bond to make a MacGuyver-like escape from some holding cell. Every last deus ex machina in the film was due to something else saving Bond's bacon. I missed the laser pens, and John Cleese, but you can't have everything. Overall, I would say this is definitely above averageon the Bond scale, and I would recommend all Bondophiles buy it. People with only a mild interest in Bond films may want to rent first.Read full review
Like many, I was horrified by the appointment of Daniel Craig but by halfway through the film, I was converted. Strip away the superficial differences - gadgets, tuxedo, looks, sleazy charm - and this is still Bond. This is Bond as he was intended to be - a spy, an assassin and a 'problem' solver. Daniel Craig isn't as good looking or charming or in-your-face as the other Bonds, but he brings a subtlety and understated power to the role which had become sadly lacking, instead being replaced in recent years by wholly unrealistic events and characters. This Bond is an enigma and unpredictable, as a good spy should be if he wants to stay alive. The events are believable and the characters complex, what a pleasure! I was a huge fan of Pierce Brosnan as Bond but this film has addressed issues I had with the series I didn't know I had. The film is breathtaking, raw and powerful and Daniel Craig is a resounding success. He did a truly magnificent job despite enormous negative reactions and his increased effort shows. He has reinvented a beloved character and actually improved him, which is no mean feat. I have never been so happy to be so wrong.Read full review
Casino Royale, AKA James Bond number 21 on Blu Ray puts the best of James Bond movie magic at your beckon call. For the foreseeable future--Casino Royale is a must view for anyone with a heartbeat. Rotton Tomatoes graces the film with 95% positive review. Casino Royale was Daniel Craig's big test--a refreshingly gritty twist on the bond character without a flinch of pander. The opening scene of Daniel Craig's Bond pursuing parkour legend, Parisian Sebastien Foucan through space is one of the most stunning chase scenes on foot. Bond Girl Eva Green's "Vesper Lynd" gives you brains and a very human dimension to go with her searing radiance. It's no wonder she haunts Bond into Quantum of Solace and beyond. A test of a movie is that not many are worth owning. Casino Royale is.
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