Same ol' same ol'

Rating: 6/10 (25 October 2014)

I had been told that this was the so-called new, improved James Bond, much better than the old James Bond movies et cetera. So I went into this movie with high hopes.
Let's see. Car chases? Check. Foot chases? Check. Shootings? Check. Explosions? Check. Car crashes? Check. Sinister villain plotting to do bad things with wide-ranging consequences? Check. Apparently intelligent female who's brain leaks out of her ears the moment she claps eyes on our hero? Check. Bond sans clothes? Check.
Don't get me wrong. This is not a bad movie. It is a perfectly acceptable and entertaining way to spend two and a quarter hours or so of your time. Craig makes a perfectly good Bond, Mikkelsen a great villain, and Judi Dench is always a pleasure to watch. Production values, effects, and so on are all fine, very polished, very slick. Just don't expect to see anything new. Same old Bond, same old plot.