The gadgets are stock items from Best Buy shelves, barring a few novelties, and Q does not put in an appearance, as in the novel, sending a minion instead to inject a cryptic implant into Bond. Q seems to have decided to trade his scientist's hat for a marketing one, and the product placements festoon the film beyond tolerance.
The cars are another story. Some of the most slick cars and driving sequences one has experienced in a Bond film are presented, including the Ford Mondeo MkIV, the Aston Martin DBS, and the venerable DB5. Bond makes short order of a couple of the better ones. The opening sequence past the credits is a heart-stopping rondo on an oil rig in Uganda, reminiscent briefly of the Eiffel Tower sequence from a View To A Kill. The African terrorism references are an indicator of the political savviness of the film's producers, as is expected of Bond films, given that recent threat assessments rate African terror outfits quite high.
The quintessential opening credits and song (by Chris Connell) are memorable, and the evolution in Bond credit sequences is a topic for another essay.
The film was a reckless series of hi-jinks that had it's finger in the global terror pie, and one must say one enjoyed it, despite the quibbles expressed about the character.
Article comments
1 - Rosie Powell
Sounds like you're disappointed that CASINO ROYALE didn't adhere to the Bond formula. And I'm disappointed that you couldn't appreciate that.