Ohhhhh!!! I soooo wanted to love this movie like I loved Casino Royale, its predecessor. Man, this hurts, but I have to give it only a B, and possibly a B- at that.
This film picks up a few minutes after the last scene in Royale. Bond is out to avenge his beloved Vesper’s death and find out who and what she was involved with.
First, though, just a few words about the theme song and the opening credits. Ugh. OK, one word, 'nuff said.
Marc Forster directed a movie that many critics have said wants to be a Bourne film, and I have to agree with that. The action scenes are filmed with so many quick cuts I thought I might be nauseous. Barbara Broccoli, you've made a boatload of money with these films -- I say pay him whatever you have to pay him, but get Martin Campbell back for the next one.
That said, there is a lot to like here, especially if you were a fan of the last Bond film. Daniel Craig is back and hot damn, that man is smok... er, I mean, as usual he brings the acting chops, not to mention no small dose of cool. Judi Dench is back as M, and as far as I'm concerned she can have this job for as long as she wants it. MI6 has some nifty new tools, and just like in Royale Bond doesn't get any of them. But that's all right, the only tool he seems to need this time around is... wait a minute, you naughty reader... I was going to say the only tool he needs is his gun, which he uses frequently, racking up such a large body count that M (gasp) cancels his credit cards and various passports in the hope she can corral him before he kills all the leads they have.
There is a scene with the only babe in the movie who gets to do the horizontal tango with Bond that's a nod to Goldfinger. I won't spill the beans here, you'll have to see it.
But what I didn't like, outside of the horrible opening credits, was pretty much everything else other than the main cast. And it took me a while to realize what was missing (outside of a decent script)... the glamour! Bond spends most of his time getting shot at, being pursued in car/boat/plane chases, scratched up, bleeding, and looking like hell. Even the beloved Aston Martin ends up in critical condition in the first 10 minutes of the movie and not surprisingly never makes another appearance. The villain in this one isn't very villain-y... he looks like I could take him out with no problem. And his henchmen look like doofuses. Who did the casting for this thing anyway? On top of that, the script is as bland as the would-be villain is.
Let's just say that, if you were feeling the need for a little revenge for Bond's sake after Casino Royale, or if you're a completist who wouldn't miss a Bond film, go for it, but I'd pay matinee price. I hope Craig is back (with a better script) in a couple of years. In the meantime I'm going to go dig out my DVD of Casino Royale.
