Discrete Movements

Rating: Null/10 (28 November 2008)

In a way, this is disappointing. Its seems to have simply taken from the Bond story grab bag, giving us nothing new. Last time had that amazing opening chase sequence. And to my mind a novel spectacle at the end. This has nothing like that. It also lacks the grit and pain of the first; we are back to a glossy magazine of spyworld, not its catacombs. Unfortunately, I just have seen "The Fall," and it is unlikely that a different "around the world" could impress me.
But it has something endearing in the editing. The shots of the action scenes are along the lines of what we saw in "Transformers" where the camera does not fully show us the action. This is an experiment, I think, and may fade, Also this is greatly toned down, but it is edited so expertly that it has a greater sustained effect.
One sequence in particular is worth the price. It is near the beginning and finishes a rather boring chase. There are collapsing scaffolds and swinging gantries. The setup is not so original, but the way it is shot and edited is. It must have been done by a second crew, because it stands out in tone as unique, extreme.
We have our office redhead back. That's a big deal. But although I prefer a Bond without extreme gadgets, it just lacks something without Q. I wonder when we are going to have some actually interesting narrative structure. Other action movies, the good ones, do.
Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 3: Has some interesting elements.