Big Picture Big Sound

Bond is back. And he's blonde. What's that, you say, a blonde Bond? Is that Kosher? Well, I'm hear to tell you, Daniel Craig is Bond - the franchise is back, baby, and it's better than ever.

As a young man, I remember thinking that no one could possibly be a better Bond than Roger Moore. He was my first Bond, and first impressions die hard. Hell, I even picked what college to attend because of a line by Holly Goodhead in "Moonraker." After the lady astronaut kicked several bad guy's asses, Bond asks "Where'd you learn to fight like that, NASA?" Her response, "No... Vassar." But I digress...

Over time, I realized that Sean Connery - the "original" 007 - also made a damn fine Bond, better in some ways than Roger Moore: more dangerous, though perhaps less debonair. When the rumours surfaced that Pierce Brosnan was being considered for the role, I thought, "Now there's a great Bond." But contract obligations got in the way, and by the time Brosnan finally took the role, the anticipation outweighed the reality. Mr. Brosnan provided little that was new and fresh to a franchise that desperately needed more. I lost interest, along with others. Bond became less relevant. Then along came Daniel Craig.

The Film

Although the newest Bond story has been made into a film once before (not to mention a forgettable 1954 TV movie), the earlier "Casino Royale" (featuring Peter Sellers, David Niven, Ursula Andress and Woody Allen all as James Bond/007) was little more than light-hearted tongue-in-cheek farce. This time around, Bond is serious - deadly serious - and his trademark womanizing is called out for exactly what it is by a new generation of Bond girl (Eva Green's "Vesper Lynd"). But (of course) this doesn't stop her from falling for him.

Despite the film's modern day setting, with the inimitable Dame Judi Dench reprising her role as MI6 Chief "M," this story is meant to show the beginnings of Agent 007, a fresh-faced (but hardly innocent) James Bond who doesn't even have a preference for Martini preparation:

Bartender: "Shaken or stirred?"
Bond: "Do I look like I give a damn?"

From its opening chase sequence in Madagascar (mostly on foot, but more exciting than most vehicular chases), through airports, lavish casinos, decrepit torture chambers and all the way to its intense shoot-em-up finale in Venice, "Casino Royale" grips you in its maw, chews you up and spits you out wanting more. Please Sir. More Bond.

For more details on the film, check out cinema snob David Kempler's Casino Royale review.

The Picture

Early Blu-Ray Disc titles were limited by their storage (25 GB on a single-layer Blu-Ray Disc) and outdated MPEG-2 video codec. Only 3 times the storage of a dual layer DVD, yet expected to hold 6 times the picture detail using the same compression codec? Do the math - it just doesn't add up. Happily, "Casino Royale" comes to us on a dual-layer Blu-Ray Disc (50 GB) using the more efficient MPEG-4 AVC format. The resulting 1920x1080 pixel Full HD picture provides jaw-dropping detail and excellent color saturation.

In the perilous girder-jumping opening chase sequence, I found myself distracted by the subtle variations of blue and green and rolling waves of the Caribbean sea in the background. Brightly lit shots in the Madagascar market or on the open water offered good perceived image depth and striking detail reproduction. Night scenes and lightless interiors were appropriately dark without losing detail, something that's nearly impossible to capture on a standard DVD.

The film is presented in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.40:1 so you'll get black bars at the top and bottom of your HDTV screen, unless you watch the film on an anamorphic front projector with Cinemascope aspect screen.

The Sound

Like many early Blu-Ray titles, "Casino Royale" features an uncompressed 5.1-channel PCM soundtrack. This uses more storage space than the more efficient DTS-HD Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD lossless compression codecs, but captures excellent detail and dynamic range nonetheless, and provides compatibility with a wide selection of current generation HDMI-switching receivers and preamp/processors. The disc also includes "legacy" Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtracks (English, French and Spanish), for compatibility with even the most mundane home theater gear.

As is typical of the Bond franchise, there are explosions and gunshots galore, with dramatic theme music thrown in for good measure. But at a running time of over 2 hours, 20 minutes, this Bond also relies heavily on spoken dialog. The uncompressed PCM soundtrack does an excellent job reproducing all of the textures and dynamics of the film, from whispered pillow talk to gunshots to collapsing, exploding buildings. "Casino Royale" is a reference disc not only for picture quality, but for audio quality as well.

The Extras

The extras included on the disc are fairly interesting, if limited. I enjoyed the "Bond Girls Are Forever" retrospective which documents the evolution of the Bond girls, both the femmes fatales and the ill-fated love interests, from Ursula Andress (Dr. No) and Honor Blackman (Goldfinger) up until more recent Bond babes, Halle Berry and Samantha Bond (both of "Die Another Day"), and yes, even Dame Judi Dench. Original footage of the ladies in action is interspersed with modern interviews conducted by the host and co-writer Maryam D'Abo, a Bond girl herself ("The Living Daylights"). Defying the expected descension into pure fluff, the documentary does a nice job capturing what it means to be a Bond girl, both the good and the bad.

Some of the other extras also add depth to the film-making. "James Bond: For Real" shows just how dangerous and true-to-life many of the stunts were, including the stunning opening chase sequence which features real-life freerunner Sebastien Foucan. All in all, the extras are fairly limited, but if that allowed them to dedicate more bits to the video and audio quality, then I'm OK with that.

Final Thoughts

In terms of the Blu-Ray disc itself, "Casino Royale" offers a stunning treat of visual and audio performance which enhances the enjoyment of the film in the home. In fact, considering the state of many multi-plex cinemas today, the Blu-Ray disc may offer a cinematic experience superior to that available in your local theater.

As for the film, "Casino Royale" marks a return to form for Mr. Bond and gets me excited about what will come next. Unfortunately Mr. Fleming has long since passed away, so they'll need to either start recycling old stories or tapping new authors to move the Bond story forward. Either represents a significant challenge. But considering how well they've adapted this early story to a modern setting, and how well-suited Daniel Craig is to the role, I'm optimistic about 007's prospects. Let's hope this "double-0" has a longer than average life expectancy.

Technical/Release Details

• Director: Martin Campbell


• Based on a novel by Ian Fleming
• Actors: Daniel Craig, Jesper Christensen, Isaach de Bankolé, Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen, Judi Dench, Jeffrey Wright
• Blu-Ray Disc release date: March 13, 2007
• MSRP: $38.96
• US Theatrical Release Date: November 17, 2006
• Feature film running time: 144 minutes
• Feature film video transfer: 1080p 16:9 HD transfer
• Aspect Ratio: Widescreen, 2.40:1
• Sound format: 5.1-channel Uncompressed PCM (English), Dolby Digital 5.1 (English, French, Spanish)
• Subtitles: English, French, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, Thai
• Number of discs: 1
• MPAA Rating: PG-13
• Studio: Columbia Pictures
• Extras:
  • "Becoming Bond"
  • "James Bond: For Real"
  • "Bond Girls are Forever"
  • Chris Cornell Music Video