Craig delivers strong performance, but the plot is weak

Rating: 3/10 (24 October 2012)

I attended a press preview of Skyfall, and was disappointed to say the least. What's worse, is that I was bored - and I'm a huge Bond fan. The final hour drags, and the denouement is a paint-by-numbers, clichéd setup seriously unworthy of the Bond franchise.
So, avoiding any spoilers whatsoever, a few thoughts:
As the credits rolled, I was impressed: Bardem, Fiennes, Deakins, Baird, Newman, Logan, and Mendes. Alas, it was not to be, and unfortunately the whole is not greater than the sum of its parts.
Craig certainly owns the part as 007, it's the plot, script and tone that lets him down.
The plot is one of THE worst ever in Bond history, and I mean bad. It's weak. It's way too limited in scope. And it's painfully uninteresting. Whatever happened to Bond villains obsessed with world domination, nuclear endgame, or crashing the global stock markets? Instead, we get a personal vendetta that nobody really asked for.
I cannot believe that Sam Mendes signed up as director upon the strength of this story-line. Perhaps it was the draw of Bond, and so, he committed to directorial duties with any script, sight unseen.
Bardem is fantastic in his (albeit limited) sociopath's role, but is severely underused (as is new Bond girl, Marlohe). While Dame Judi is annoyingly curt throughout, and overused. (Never once in all my years watching Bond did I think: "Do you know what this franchise needs, more 'M' in a lead role.")
As for the tone, it's a mishmash of stylish espionage thriller coupled with a dry, stale overview of Whitehall government policy review (no, seriously), and Home Alone!?!. Needless to say I was underwhelmed as to where the writers, producers and director decided to take Bond23. Carly Simon once sang "Nobody Does It Better", sadly, in today's competitive market of action, spy, heroes, stunts and humour, many others do, in fact, do it better (Bourne, MI:3, Dark Knight). Far better.
My rating: 3/10. A superb opening sequence. Javier Bardem as villain. Lavish cinematography from Deakins. And a nice cameo from a very old friend from the 1960s.
And one final thought: I really miss Monty Norman's iconic theme from the Craig-era Bonds. Why not play it in its entirety at the most opportune moments? It barely features in Skyfall, and that is such a shame.