Unpolished character masquerading as a 007

Rating: 4/10 (5 December 2006)

Well, it appears I'm in the minority, but I was thoroughly disappointed by this unbelievable portrayal of the British super secret agent.
The movie strays so far from the Bond genre, if it weren't for the theme music, Judy Dench as 'M', and the obvious bundle blown on special effects, you wouldn't be able to discern it from any of the other over-the-top, unbelievable and strictly for entertainment movies coming out of Hollywood these days. It will be a great disappointment for fans of James Bond who have enjoyed (most of) the films over the years since From Russia with Love. This one bears little resemblance to the much loved 007 movies. In fact it is irreverent and the lead is even nasty at times.
In the 90s, I did not expect Pierce Brosnan to fit the mold, but he actually did a decent job and has since broadened considerably as an actor. But this lead!.... he tries so terribly hard to look and act tough I laughed at some of his attempts...
It also appears to be a vehicle to validate Hollywood's decision to name Craig as the next James Bond at the expense of focusing on believability and character development. His character is distant almost frosty, his portrayal two dimensional, and the stunts totally ridiculous. No one believed the opening chase scenes did they? For me the movie fails to excite. Even his love interest, Eva Green, hates him for most of the movie. There is almost no chemistry between them, replaced instead by barbs and insults dressed as sexual innuendo. And when it happens -- like most of the action scenes in the movie -- it's unbelievable... she's much too easy a catch for him in the end.
This movie is a perfect example of reinvention taken to the unfortunate extreme which results in something that no longer resembles the original product... welcome to the new angry Bond with little of the class, polish, and panache that got him there in the first place.