License to withhold judgment until the film comes out

I had a few minutes at the end of work today, so I scanned through some of my favorite web sites. One of them had a link to the music video for the theme song for the new Bond film, Casino Royale.

I have a thing for Bond themes. One thing I've noticed is that on their own, they all pretty much suck. In fact, only one out of the 21 themes thus far actually had any longevity beyond the opening credits of the movie, and that was Live and Let Die by Paul McCartney. It was also the only Bond theme whose cover version (by Guns 'N' Roses) actually was a bigger hit than the original version.

After hearing this latest Bond theme, I gotta say it's tough to judge it before I see the movie. I gotta give the filmmakers credit for getting Chris Cornell to do the song. If they are truly gonna go for a grittier Bond this time around, the lead singer from Soundgarden is a good choice to help set the mood. But hearing it now, before the movie comes out...I dunno...I'm not too impressed.

On the other hand, I absolutely hated Madonna's theme for Die Another Day until I saw the movie. Seeing it in that context won me over and made the movie for me. I could say the same thing for Garbage's The World is Not Enough, but let's get real. Denise Richards as a nuclear scientist?!? That kind of casting wouldn't even fly in in movie that was supposed to be funny.

After watching the video, I cruised around other James Bond related sites, and you know what I found out?

1. Casino Royale has the distinction of being the only Bond film so far that has rain! You mean to tell me that after twenty films, they're finally shooting a scene in the rain?!? These films have a reputation of being rather dark and moody, and they've pulled it off so far without that old Hollywood cliche of having it rain?

2. Not only does James Bond hold the record for the longest running film series in history, but it also has the record for the longest running product placement, and for Walther handguns, of all things.

3. A few of the complaints I've seen on the internet, aside from casting Daniel Craig as Bond, is the idea that, since they are rebooting the Bond storyline and telling the story of his first mission, that they still have Judi Dench playing M. Their point is that Dench came on to the franchise in Goldeneye to replace Bernard Lee after his death, and that causes a major continuity flaw in the franchise. Seriously? Bond has fought everyone from Communists to voodoo cults to South American druglords to media moguls in the past forty years...his age was only addressed as a potential problem two movies ago...Bond and Miss Moneypenny keep getting younger while Q kept getting older and older...and this is what ruins the franchise for you? Lighten up.

I'll be at the theater November 18 for Casino Royale.