After four turbulant years of filming and editing, the long awaited Casino Royale has finally reached theaters. As the 21st installment of the James Bond series, this movie made changes to the traditional character. Although this made for a great and more unique movie, it upset some fans of series. “It would have been a really good movie if it wasn’t Bond, but they changed too much of his character,” junior Nick Miller said. Although several of the changes were blatantly obvious, many allowed the character to evolve and appeal to a larger audience. “I haven’t enjoyed too many of the past Bond movies, but I really liked this one,” senior Rachel Mansbach said. These changes included a variety of drinks (vesper martinis, anyone?), and increase in physical activity, and a decrease in promiscuity. There is also an absence of several traditional characters such as Moneypenny, and Q. Even with the changes, Bond still has the same personality. He continually makes cracks about the villain and the things that happen to him. After being poisoned, Bond runs from the room and must use a defibrillator just before his heart stops. When he returns, to the surprise of the villain, Bond says, “That last [poker hand] nearly killed me.” Despite the changes, many people expressed a belief that this was possibly the best Bond movie made yet. After the showing, one woman said, “I could watch that movie again, and I would still see things I hadn’t noticed the first time.” The movie starts in black and white, giving the feel of one of the classic Bond films. The basis of the film is the story behind how Bond became 007, who has been the focus of the largest grossing series worldwide in history. Bond must win a high stakes poker game against a terrorist financer who goes by the name Le Chiffre. If Bond loses, he will have directly financed terrorism. However, winning will leave Le Chiffre with nowhere to run from the men who want him dead. After mixed feelings from the previous film, it was rumored that Casino Royale might be the final Bond film made. Bond is played by actor Daniel Craig, who has been in over 40 films, as well as many London plays. Some of Craig’s more famous films are Road to Perdition, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, and Munich. Right now, Craig is working on four films including The Golden Compass, and the 22nd Bond film. Working alongside Craig, the rest of the cast includes Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen, and Judi Dench. When I first heard about Craig becoming Bond, I was disappointed as well as very surprised. Craig is naturally blond, and he doesn’t know how to drive a stick shift. I thought that the series was doomed. However, Craig pulled off an incredible performance that blew away all of my expectations. In the film, he looks naturally brunette, and he still drives spectacularly. He filled some very large shoes with ease. Overall, Casino Royale is an excellent movie, and definitely one of the best Bond films in a long time. From beginning to end, there are plenty of plot twists and action at every turn, in addition to beautiful scenery. This is bound to become a classic Bond film.