Casino Royale: Two-disc Special Edition
by: Average Joe 1 year, 8 months, 4 weeks, 15 hours, 43 minutes ago
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19.99
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
The newest Bond has finally arrived on DVD, and he comes prepared with not only an amazing film, but some interesting extras that take the audience deeper into the World of the new 007.
For those of you that have been with us (and by us I mean Komikazee) for awhile, hopefully you’ll remember my review on Casino Royale that was posted back in November. Basically I admitted that I was completely wrong about actor Daniel Craig in the role of James Bond. When he was first cast I was one of the many people who was quick to say "who is this guy, and where’s Pierce??" and after the film came out I was also one of the many people left eating a big plate of crow. Not only does Craig create the kind of Bond we’ve never seen before (this guy doesn’t need gadgets to take you out, trust me), I personally think he’s the best actor to ever put on the tux and utter the words "Bond, James Bond."
Needless to say, I REALLY enjoyed the film.
So while I’m not going to review the film again (you can read the initial review here I did want the opportunity to review the DVD once it arrived in stores in the hopes that those of you that didn’t see it in theaters will pick it up and enjoy it at home.
Casino Royale comes to DVD in a two-disc collection that packs not only the 144min film, but some really cool interactive menus, and a collection of extras such as the Chris Cornell music video for the film’s theme "You know my name," (awesome song by the way), subtitles, two documentaires and a featurette detailing everything from Craig’s initial casting, to the stunts involved in the film, to a look at the Bond girls past and present.
The first documentary is "Becoming Bond" which details the reasoning for turning Flemming’s first book Casino Royale into a feature film (we’re ignoring the spoof film from the 60’s) that would basically restart the franchise and tell the origin of James Bond and how he came to acquire his legendary double 0 status. The documentary goes on to explain that since the point of making Casino Royale was to show James Bond at the beginning of his career, it meant current Bond Pierce Brosnan could no longer play the part and a new, younger actor would have to step in as 007. The documentary goes on to cover the year plus search for the new actor, and even gives names of some well known actors such as Clive Owen, Julian McMahon, and Hugh Jackman that were once considered for the part. Ultimately we all know who wound up getting the role, and the featurette also details some of the initial reaction that Craig received from the media upon his casting. Without going too far into detail I can say that Craig received a pretty brutual “welcome” from fans all around the World, but in the end he proved us all wrong by creating the most believable Bond to date.
"James Bond: For Real" is a second documentary that details the realistic approach the film took with it’s story, fight scenes, gadgets (or lack thereof), and stunts. This was a very interesting documentary to watch because it really helped reinforce that this is a new kind of Bond flick, and it’s trying to place the character back into the World of reality since his last few films had him relying on some pretty outlandish plots and gadgets. We’re taken to the different locations used during the film, and even shown clips of actor Daniel Craig training for the many fight scenes in the film....another aspect the film’s director Martin Campbell was adament about making as real as possible.
"Bond Girls are Forever" is more of a short featurette on the various actresses that have played the countless Bond girls in the franchise’s 21 film history. While I wasn’t particularly keen on this featurette, it was vaguely interesting to see the different Bond girls throughout the history of the franchise, and how each of them look back on their characters and what they stood for years after making the film. I will say that everyone’s favorite Bond girl Pussy Galore is still alive and kicking, and even says that she continues to get fan mail from people asking her to sign her response as Pussy Galore....there’s some odd people out there.
Overall Casino Royale is a great two-disc collection that is a must for any Bond fan, or any fan of good films in general. While I would’ve liked to see some more footage on the making of the film, the set does give us just enough without making it overkill which is ok with me. Personally, I found the "Becoming Bond" documentary to be the most interesting, but I’m sure there are those of you out there that will find an equal amount of interest in the others.
Casino Royale two-disc special edition will be released on March 13th, and retail for $19.99
Buy it. Rent it. Do whatever you have to do to see this film. It’s amazing.