Actually, a pretty decent movie.

Rating: 7/10 (27 December 2006)

To say it upfront: I am not a Bond fan. Haven't been since I was maybe 14. I find the old movies bad, horribly acted, badly scripted, with corny unfunny jokes, unbearably stereotypical characters etc. etc. The newer ones aren't much better, a bit more modern, better effects, but basically the same predictable super-agent drivel as the old stuff. Most of all, I tend to find those over-hyped discussions about who is going to fail to act in the role of this inconsequential Bond character most tiring.
So it did come as somewhat of a surprise to me that I found myself in a screening of the latest installment of the series. I had not planned to watch another one of those in the cinema.
However, what was even more surprising was that this one was actually a pretty decent movie. Not bad at all. Quite enjoyable, as a matter of fact.
Much of that is due, of course, to the somewhat different Bond character. This will doubtless anger many fans of the series, but the latest Bond is a more believable character, almost human-like in its complexity, a character that engages in what might pass for actual relations with fellow characters in the context of this genre. Being quite fed up with the slick super-agent featured in the rest of the series, I found this was a welcome change.
Craig does a respectable job at pulling off that role, and so does the rest of the cast. Obviously, the roles aren't of the great dramatic type, and the range required for them is no challenge to a fairly high-caliber collection of actors. Nonetheless, they do their jobs well, which is not something one can say about every action movie.
In spite of some changes in the basic ¨flavor¨ of the movie, there are still enough of the other Bond attributes to satisfy any but the most fanatic fans: high production values, some great photography, beautiful women (also perhaps in somewhat more complex roles), fancy vehicles, a good dose of action, and lots of references, some of which outright hilarious (the scene in which he orders his martini rendered me helpless with laughter for a good minute or two). Gone is practically all of the corniness, the bad jokes and the lame-brained stereotypes (beyond, of course, the basic good/bad categories).
What is left is a pretty decent spy/action flick, solid entertainment, beautifully photographed and professionally executed. If you could at all enjoy that type of movie, and if you are not someone who has firm a priori views on what actor should be playing Bond or how, or what elements ¨define¨ a Bond movie and therefore have to be present, I see no reason why you should not enjoy this one.