Loses steam towards the end

Rating: 7/10 (5 November 2012)

Starts off great like most Bond films. The pulsating and adrenaline rush inducing opening sequence sets the tone for the rest of the film. However, the rest of the film fails to keep up. The pacing of the movie is erratic, perhaps deliberately so but it didn't work for me. Having said that, this movie has more humor than the previous Craig- Bond ventures though the dark overtones prevail through out the film. Craig continues to give Bond the rough edge but one sorely misses the humor and the witty one liners. They are there as mentioned earlier but are few and far between. Javier Bardem makes for a decent villain though his character derives obvious inspiration from Dark Knight's Joker. Judi Dench, Naomie Harris and Ralph Fiennes are adequate in their parts. The movie is expectedly a visual extravaganza as it moves from turkey to London and then to shanghai and macau.
Has most of the Bond elements like Q's gadgets, shaken martinis & fancy casinos (with komodos) in small measures which makes it a mildly entertaining ride. Expected more, especially with Sam Mendes at the helm.