"The name's Bourne, James Bo...err wait, what?"

Rating: 3/10 (1 January 2007)

Firstly I'll come right out and say that I was in the "anti-craig" camp leading up to the film's release. I'd seen him in other films and thought he was decent, but I just didn't think he could be convincing as a Bond. However, I will admit that I was pleasantly surprised that Craig was not bad as Bond. I didn't think he was GOOD, but he definitely was not the reason this film ended up as a disappointment.
The reason? Well, as stated before by many others, it would seem that the series didn't like its protagonist anymore. Therefor, we now have a "new" Bond. That is to say, we now have a character that seems to be more 'assassin that happens to be working for MI6' rather than 'MI6 agent that is forced to get his hands dirty when the situation calls for it'. People claim this is "refreshing" because it makes for a "darker grittier Bond". I see it as alienating. I guess people no longer want a gentleman spy who relies on wit and guile to get him through tough situations. They want James "everyman" Bond to get the crap kicked out of him and take out as many others in the process...but wait he still has to where a tux. And have clever one-liners. Because it wouldn't be Bond without those!
To me the film was just a conglomeration of awkwardness... The intro black & white scene where you weren't sure if you were in the right movie until some guy said the name "Bond"; that same scene being black and white for no other reason that I can tell other than to catch people's attention (yet it worked); The characterization of Bond as a hard-ass who spoke in syllables and punched out your teeth, yet would suddenly shift into an entity of super-natural sophistication; a Bond that fell into school-boy love with an obviously shifty female, only to almost automatically dismiss her as a "bitch", THEN go out and get revenge on the man who forced the woman into her treachery; and of course a plot with a ton of holes that ended up bearing very little to no significance when it was all said and done.
There's more, but I don't feel like putting myself through the torture of trying to remember all of the movies shortcomings. (don't even get me STARTED on the title song...Chris Cornell you're fired) All in all, it's a fairly mundane movie with a few action sequences that will keep the simple minded movie-goers distracted long enough to claim it's the best Bond ever without realizing that it's not really Bond at all. They can have this one, so long as I can keep FRWL or Goldeneye.