Although I'd seen Casino Royale previously, I didn't get it back then.

Having now gone through almost all of Connery, Lazenby, Moore, Dalton, and Brosnan, all of which were made in the mold that Connery set, and all of whom I liked (Lazenby wasn't great, but his On Her Majesty's Secret Service still is rewatchable) I am sufficiently versed to begin to appreciate the reboot closer to the original Bond as written by Ian Fleming that is this Craig era.

Watching CR anew, it's plenty better than I remebered.

There is humor. Bond is also a capable player with the ladies. Of course, there's no Q, no gadgets, no Moneypenny, none of that fun, but Bond is brand-spanking new, having just earned his 00 status, and he almost got shit-canned for being more impetuous than smart, so he had yet to prove himself worthy of the keys to the kingdom.

There are elements we've seen before — he comes into a lot of money, falls in love, resigns from MI6 (mostly from Lazenby's OHMSS), but it's edgier.

I enjoyed Daniel Craig's first installment (!), and I'm looking forward to possibly appreciating his era.