Considerably easier! **SPOILER WARNING**

Considering the fact that my James Bond-review was (...considerably!) waaaay too long, here's the result of another and much better idea; a pro's and con's list based on the movie, what I really liked and what I really didn't like, and maybe that will make it easier to really make up my mind on whether I liked it or hated it on the whole. Cos that is a great issue right now, and I can't seem to figure it out. Fully. This is, then, mostly a summary of my...well, summary, but I've included details which I left out or forgotten when writing my review.

And as the bright-side-of-life person I truly am, I'll start with all that made me stay in my seat throuout the film and kept me from totally losing it...out of frustration. The numbers on the two different list correspond, though, and must thus be read in relation to one another...enjoy!

And here we go:

GOOD:

1. Daniel Craig's voice. It's perfect. And it's actually far hotter than the man himself.
2. Daniel Craig and Eva Green as a couple. When they finally get together. It looks totally sweet, and the chemistry is evident. Bravo! The scenes where they guess each other's pasts, the scenes where they (litterally) dress each other up, the scenes where the relationship finally gets to shine through and they induldge in it completely...amazing. Made this girl happy!
3. AND: that also proves that in order to make a Bond-movie work you do indeed need sailboats, a nice place for a holiday (ergo beaches) a cool set of clothes and accessories, drinks and fancy gadgets. Don't lose that style, please! Just look at the scene from the opening with the truck. I laughed so much, my stomach ached. Plus; the back-to-the-80's conversations with Mathis. Moore/Dalton-esque strategy game; archetypal Bond, but with a twist! And that fantastic opening sequence in its entirety. Yep, best ever. Which says a little...
4. ...aaand which reminds me: great stunts! VERY little sci-fi tech and green-screen special effects! And scaringly realistic car crashes!
5. The shower scene. Perhaps one of the best scenes from a Bond-movie, ever. In my humble opinion. Brought such emotion and examples of great acting to the film, plus we got to see James in his tux AND it proved how he can actually treat women nicely and not only see them as items with which he only wants to make love, never talk. Or care for. When James put his arm around Vesper and comforted her, so tenderly, the atmosphere in the theatre was almost electric and it was so quiet you could feel the tension. What a powerful scene!
6. The film is not too long. What's the matter with all those people who want to cut everything down to a maximum 80 minutes? Casino Royale was never, NEVER, boring - if there's one major upside to this movie, it's the fact that it takes time to dwell and linger on the important factors, properly, not just hurry on. Yet it maintains it fast pace... Impressive!
7. The scripts. For the first time in Bond history: no embarassing silences. And no silly jokes! Good one-liners all the way! Personal favourites; "I seized you up the moment I met you", "That last hand...almost killed me!" (a glimpse of Sean Connery there!) and that you stripped my armour from me-comment. Sweet. The plot is complicated, but not incomprehensible. And it's got a sense of logic which is rare, compared to the rest of the Bond-saga. It's all got to do with the new, realistic touch...in this case; for the better.
8. The wardrobe. Everyone but Bond himself (save for the tuxedo he wears at the casino) have been provided nicey clothes. All the girls' dresses, Eva Green's hats, that Solange-girl's green bikini and Mads Mikkelsen's outifts...yummy!! Me want!!
9. The locations. Best ever. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. I feel like going on holiday!
10. Bond is not Superman, Bond is a man, for better or worse. Better: he has a past, he has a soul, he has a heart and he has something to say, meaning good lines that also make sense in respect of coherence. Bond shows human reactions to human problems and we get a look beyond that impregnable shield. Yey!
11. The music. David Arnold and Chris Cornell, I'm gobsmacked. Most folks seem to disregard, even despise, the new Bond-theme. Out of place, blablabla. I totally disagree! It actually fit the film's image and style very well...I think.
12. The very last lines. No comment necessary; just pure pleasure. And he finally got that Bond-look right. That twinkle in the corner of his eye, that wry smile, that cold precision. The glimmer. A brilliant ending - and a great way to lead up to and prepare us for a next chapter. It also leaves us with hope that not only will James Bond return, he will be more like himself. The Bond we've got to know, just - perhaps - a better person. A more complex and interesting guy; that seems the idea. Hopefuly, they'll carry out the adjustments and make the required improvements. But do keep the GOOD, new parts!

BAD:

1. Ok, so Daniel Craig worked out (A LOT!) and put on some (ooor A LOT of) muscles for this role. That doesn't mean he has to bare his chest every five seconds. Neither should he have to wear mini-mini, ice-blue and ugly swim-panties that looks pathetic on him and WHY did it seem like he was part of a wet-T-shirt competition all the time?!
2. It did take a while before Vesper stopped being a bitch and started warming up to our main man. She was intended to be a cool chick, with brains, and that's all fine. She was, too. But that shouldn't suggest a complete lack of sensuality and a sour, arrogant expression! Teasing and arguing with Bond is totally in order, but why make it so uncomfortable to watch; so...stung with deep-rooted conflict? Smartness, fun, battle of wits, seizing each other up - not fighting like an old, married couple. But it did get better...!
3. WHERE IS Q????!!!! And Moneypenny? Where's the FUN STUFF?! And why the hell IS he driving a fucking FORD?! He does get an Aston Martin after a while, and it sure looks awesome, but hey - he's not supposed to drive anything else!! Unless it's a submarine/car-combo or has got wings!
4. BUT: great stunts, alright, but why does James have to go to a resort-like place to recover all of a sudden? We want an invulnerable Mr. Bond, not a wimp in a night gown. For the umpteenth time. Complain or not; James is a bit out of the ordinary and beyond human. Deal with it. And don't ruin it. I understand that he gets hurt and I like the fact that his wounds need more time to heal. But he should go down in style, not doze off in a wheelchair. Although, he looked kinda cute. (But AAARGH, that's so not BOND!)
5. Yep, the shower scene was wonderful - too bad they ruined the torture scene AND the ending. First one was ruined by misplaced laughter...and a horrible joke. It was supposed to be cool, but the way I see it - it made Mr. Bond look like a fool. And I hardly think that was the point, even though it rhymes. (...) The latter just seemed out of place, and I've heard I'm not the only one who thinks so. Actually, the ending could have been longer! It should have been built more up to and explained further, and better. The way things came out, it seemed groped more or less out of nowhere.
6. The movie might not be too long. And it definately sticks to its own path all the way and is always true to this new idea and the new Bond. It's just that I don't really like the "new and darker" side of Bond. Not really. He is at the beginning of his career, he is frustrated and inexperienced, blabla. But how can anyone explain the transformation into the successor (eeer, predecessor???) Roger Moore after seing this? Did he undergo some kind of serious treatment or what? Maybe they want to remake the entire anthology, and re-do the Bond-franchise. But why don't they rather invent a new character, a new agent instead? Bond is Bond, and you can't change EVERYTHING. Considering CR, they seem well on their way in doing that. Unless they're in a process of regressive tranrformation, of course. Let's hope so!
7. Yeah, the scripts are excellent. EXCEPT, of course, for that "I don't give a damn"-line and the angry, near the end-comment "The bitch is dead", which I - due to the context - can understand, but it just didn't fit in. I also miss the old Bond-humour and the ironic charm and the "I'll take on anyone, anytime"-attitude.
8. Personally, I just can't get used to Bond in a dirty hood and jeans, sporting a see-through, torn, white T-shirt. It seems wrong. Still and forever.
9. Big-bara-boom in Venice. Pfff.
10. For worse: Bond starts off as a brute and a bully and it doesn't suit the world's #1 gentleman. At all. Earlier on, Bond always retained a minimum of control over the situation, even when Tracy died (sniff, sniff...), but here he loses it too frequently. I mean, literally. Additionally, Daniel Craig needs to work out his mimic, not just his abs. And - furthermore - why do we have to inspect the house and family life of M, of all people? Sort of destroys the myth, don't it? And no-one really knows her full name, that's the way it's always been!! And when did she start swearing so much? Hey! Tactics, Madam! The "Queen of Numbers" and head of her Majesty's Secret Service doesn't behave like a car salesman.
11. I miss the Bond-tune. I do. I get my share near the end, but it doesn't quite suffice. And the spilled-over-screen blood looks like ketchup.
12. I was sceptical at first, and I still am. Slightly. But like I said, they managed to make one hell of an action-movie, with its own ways and twists, and its own look. That's all fine. They didn't slip and fall. The movie kind of failed in its entirety, as a Bond-film, but not because of some, silly scenes. More due to the fact that Craig isn't the Bond we know. He is a new Bond that it takes time to get used to, and this was just a bit too much at one time. We get bombarded with "21st century James" for 2 & 1/2 hours and in the process, some essential aspects of the OLD James is forgotten. Don't mess so much with the traditions. At least, try to be gentle and don't get it wrong! Then maybe I'll get rid of my scepticism, too.