THE MOVIE-                        4 stars out of 5

 

Casino Royale Collector’s is a two disc set issued in conjunction with the premiere on November 8th of the newest Bond Film Quantum Solace. Disc one is the film itself which was previously issued on Blu-Ray in 2007. The video encode for the Collector’s Edition of the film is identical to that issued in 2007. The audio encode however, is different, with the Uncompressed PCM track on the 2007 release replaced by a Dolby True HD track. Disc number two consists of several hours of new HD extras that were not included in the prior 2007 Blu-Ray release.

 

Casino Royale represents a quantum shift in the Bond legacy taking the series in a totally new direction. Daniel Craig represents a totally new Bond, one that is ruthless, angry and violent, in addition to be a womanizer. Back is Judi Dench as M, the head of MI6. Casino Royale takes us back before Bond was a 007 and shows how he rose to the level of a double O with a license to kill and his early mission tracking down the financier of international terrorism through an international poker tournament in Monaco. Yes, this Bond film has plenty of action sequences that are very well done and the usual gizmos and beautiful women. However, what sets this film apart from the others is the violence, anger, recklessness and edginess that is displayed by the new Bond, which makes him fit more into our 21st Century culture which is becoming increasingly violent. In this regard, Bond as played by Daniel Craig, mirrors the times and quite frankly, is quite refreshing. The is a very good film and a worthy addition to the Bond legacy. Recommended.

 

THE VIDEO-                        4 1/2 stars out of 5

 

Casino Royale is encoded with AVC and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2:40:1. As far as I can tell from a direct comparison on my system back to back, the encode on the collector’s edition is identical to that on the original 2007 release. The video quality on both is quite good although not quite up to the level of the best looking encodes I have seen since the original 2007 release. Color accuracy is quite good and looks as it did in the theater. Black level is quite good as well although not quite as deep as the best looking Blu-Ray releases such as Iron Man for example. It is in the area of clarity where this encode falls a bit short. While detail is good, the overall image is a tad soft in comparison with the top tier encodes, lacking that through the window clarity that is the hallmark of the very best Blu-Ray (and for that matter HD DVD) releases. Minor quibbles aside, this is still a fine looking release and one that will thrill fans of the film. Just don’t expect the collector’s edition to offer any upgrade in terms of video quality over the 2007 release as both are identical.

 

THE AUDIO-                    4 3/4 stars out of 5

 

As noted above, the collector’s edition release offers a new audio encode, switching from Uncompressed PCM to Dolby True HD. Which one is better? Hard to tell as they are very close. In fact, they sound so similar that any difference between the two is in all likelihood, insignificant. Generally, my belief is that if you have to really strain to think you hear a difference, there isn’t any. As I had to strain the think I heard a difference, I will call the two encodes identical as well. Both are excellent. The audio on Casino Royale has a smooth and open sound with excellent transparency and imaging. The sound field has excellent depth from side to side and front to back in my room. Bass is deep and tight and really rocks the room. Dynamics are off the charts as well. This is one dynamic track and sounds very good at reference volume levels.  Dialogue is very well recorded with excellent fidelity and well placed in the mix. The dialogue is always clear and easy to follow, even in the the action sequences. The surround speakers are active throughout the film and used to excellent effect, generating a very immersive sound field that places you in the middle of the action. There is really little to quibble with with the audio on this release. Is it perfect? No it isn’t as it tends to be a tad on the bright side overall. Just a tad but enough to keep it from getting a perfect score.

 

EXTRAS

 

It is disc two where this release really shines in comparison with the 2007 release. Disc two contains a plethora of extras, all in high definition. For me, the highlights are the documentaries with my favorite being the filming in Venice and the special effects used to create the sinking Palazzo. The high def views of Venice, the grand Canal and St. Mark’s Square look fantastic and make me yearn to return to Venice one day. What a great and truly unique city Venice is. The documentaries also include a look at the history of the success of the Bond film franchise, a look at why it took over 50 years for the first Bond book to be brought to the big screen, a look at the filming in the Bahamas, a look at the life of Bond’s creator, Ian Fleming, In depth interviews with the director, producer and stars of the film, deleted and extended scenes, storyboards, a music video and crew commentary. Frankly, I can’t image a more thorough set of extras being provided for any film. It will take you quite awhile to get through it all. In fact, I still haven’t finished them all myself.

 

IN CONCLUSION

 

While Casino Royale Collector’s Edition contains a new disc filled with many never seen before documentaries in high definition, the version of the film included contains identical video and audio for all intents and purposes identical with that contained in the 2007 Blu-ray release of the film. Are the new extras worth a double dip if you already own the 2007 release? I will leave that call up to you. For those of you that have not already purchased the 2007 release and are looking to purchase the film on Blu-Ray, I can recommend the Collector’s Edition without reservation.