Move over Batman, Spiderman  make way for Bondman!

Rating: 6/10 (15 January 2008)

Ah, action heroes...gotta love 'em.
It's a shame, actually, that Hollywood must now always resort to fast action, fast cars, and fast women to make a meal of good stories.
So, forget about the actual story  just watch as Bond (Daniel Craig) breaks through walls a la Terminator, jumps off tall cranes and buildings without a skyhook, swings through dark corridors and stairwells without a bat of an eye  well, almost  while chasing and murdering the bad guys, of which there are many. In fact, M (Judi Dench) even threatens to have him killed at one point... Whew, with friends like that, who needs enemies?
This film is interesting for me for three reasons only: first, it's fascinating to see Craig is a role so different for him, despite his early foray in Layer Cake (2004), a gritty gangster movie I really liked; second, the hand-to-hand fight scenes are cruelly well done, equal to or better than any I've seen in the Jason Bourne saga with Matt Damon, who's no slouch at all; and third, the special effects are gripping, almost to the point of stopping breathing as you watch, and testifying to the highly professional cinematography and editing.
So, that's entertainment  up to a point. And, that point was reached when Bond (as per the original novel) is tortured in the cruelest fashion...for a man. Those scenes weren't entertaining at all: they make you wince, your skin to crawl and your thoughts to scream 'Stop!' However, I applaud the producer, director and actors for pulling it off: life ain't always nice, and here's why... Hence, if you care about your kiddies' dreams, don't let them see this movie.
The crash-up, bash-up aspect is probably a bit overdone for me, but I can imagine how the younger set of today sees it all as almost ordinary, given the diet of Arnie, Damon and Willis movies that have splashed across screens in the last few years.
Pity  because with this rehash and restart of the Bond genre, there was a chance to make a difference. Too bad...
So, watch this one for the technical skills and excellent production standards, but little else of substance...except perhaps to note Craig's running style, which he does a lot of in this one.