Not a Bond Film

Rating: Null/10 (2 December 2008)

I was not happy with Casino Royale however since I had free tickets I went to see the next one on the off chance it would be better and help to change my option on this current era of Bond.
It didn't. It couldn't. It is unquestionably the absolute worst Bond movie ever made! As an action movie it is only so-so. I didn't go to a Bond movie to see a worse than average action flick starting the new Rutger Hauer.
It bothered me the opening gun barrel was moved to the very end of the movie.
The opening sequence promised to be a riving chase but the cameras jittering around and all of the cars looking alike made it impossible to be involved in following it. Opening credits and theme song were a wash. Nothing good to report there either, except that it did end.
Speaking of music the incidental music through out the movie was the worse by far in many years. I don't know how that could be since the same guy who did this was behind the Bond music since 1997.
The movie follows Casino Royale directly by a matter of hours. This turned out to be a massive mistake. This story requires that we care why this Bond is so upset and acting so ugly. The producers and director assume that Casino Royale had made us care, well it didn't. I don't care one wit about the traitorous Vesper and neither should Bond. Bond being broken up because of her is a stupid idea and seeking revenge for her suicide is completely stupid. Need I repeat that, her Suicide. The only one to blame is Vesper. This is so unlike the death of Bond's wife it is not even worth mentioning in the same breath. There at least with that story there was a reason for Bond to be upset at her Murder and seek revenge. In this one I wanted to sit him down and tell him to strengthen up and fly right, she was noting to you now snap out of it! M should have been the one to have the talk with him, instead she had to drive home the already over done plot premise.
Craig performance in this movie was more wooden than before, seemingly capable of only two looks and stomping around like a miniature terminator deserving more of the Sarah Connor Chronicles than the big screen name sake.
The plot was stupid but then a plot was necessary to make this movie. Water Rights and the hostile takeover of a forsaken spit of land. I say forsaken because that is how the movie made it look. I don't know where it is and I don't care, just as I don't care why Bond is crashing through walls and flipping bikers by hand from a dead stop. The primary bad guys, The Quantum group for all appearances is a lame rip off of the original SPECTRE. Speaking of lame rip off the movie is full of them, from the Bourne trilogy to the old Bond movies. I can forgive the Bond movie rip off, rather I would except I can't because they were done so badly.
I've seen better spy drama on USA television network. I would recommend checking that out over this movie series.
I gave it only one star because it still supposed to be a Bond movie. As an action movie it might deserve a 3 or 4 star. However the fact that is was a Bond Film trumps all.
I hope for the next one they go back to being Bond movies. Bring back Sean Connery if they have to, at least he'd be fun to watch.