It was an enjoyable affair for pessimists too, but it was also a reminder that the franchise once again risked tumbling from the pinnacle it had conquered, just like it had so many times before.

Ludicrous gadgets and hideous CGI were replaced with grounded spycraft and practical stunts, and the result was a tight thriller that ripped into the beating heart of Ian Fleming’s clever little thug.įor optimists, it was a roaring return to form. Casino Royale launched Bond’s Daniel Craig era with such force and vision that it made Pierce Brosnan’s Die Another Day look like a movie for espionage-loving cavemen.