No, Mister Bond, I expect you to die!

This evening I donned my dinner jacket (de rigueur for Bond premières in Oxford) and headed out to Casino Royale. James Bond is back – and how. It is a reboot of the franchise (although Judi Dench’s M remains), even if it’s not quite as “back to basics” as some have claimed. The gadgets are still there, but less obtrusively – they serve the plot rather than vice versa as in many of the recent movies. Daniel Craig makes a very convincing Bond – give him a couple of movies and we’ll see how he stacks up against the competition. The filmmakers have plenty of fun shaking up the iconic Bond elements – they’re there, but not quite as you expect them. Oh, and they definitely throw a bone to the slashers…