Good, But...

Rating: 6/10 (16 November 2008)

I read recently that given the overall world economic downturn, it might be a while before 007 straps on his Walther PPK again. I hope the time is well-spent on beefing up the storyline of his next outing.
There was no problem with Daniel Craig, he once again put forth a good performance, and he didn't disappear behind the gadgets his predecessors had; as I think about it, there were even fewer gadgets than in "Casino Royale".
As I said, the problem was with the plot. This one picks up right where "Casino Royale" as Bond and MI6 try to learn more about the organization Le Chiffre worked for, and there is also a subplot once again to see if Bond can distance himself emotionally from his assignment.
The subplot works very well as we wonder if Bond's zeal is really just an outlet for revenge, but the main plot doesn't hold up. In this the mysterious organization is going after the water supply of Bolivia, and Bond is aided by Mathis, the turncoat from "Casino Royale".
Now, not to sound callous, but why should we be concerned about the water supply of Bolivia? Yeah, Bolivians dying from thirst, terrible thing, got it, but what will the global effect be? The stakes just aren't high enough.
And what is he doing asking for help from a traitor? In here, it was explained away by Bond and MI6 being wrong about Mathis' disloyalty. But I recall very clearly that Le Chiffre said, "Your friend Mathis...is my friend Mathis." How can that be taken any other way? Sorry, but I just can't give my stamp of approval on this one. Oh, one other thing: the opening song sucked, definitely one of the weakest ones ever.