Skyfall in a tailspin

Rating: 3/10 (2 January 2013)

A prime example of where hype outweighs substance, "Skyfall" is the epitome of the studio pay dirt, exploiting the brand for the sake of some funny money, sans the desire to actually conceive, construct and execute a strong, cohesive narrative.
Daniel Craig is starting to relax, and that's a good thing insofar as Bond is concerned; not that I don't appreciate the contrast in his Bond incarnation, just that his chiselled features (physical and emotional) rarely enable much character to emerge. Javier Bardem - a stereotype if there ever was, not the worst Bond villain ever conceived, but I struggled to take him seriously (he seems to be cornering the market on villains with really bad hair-do's).
Adele's theme song while now ubiquitous on the radio, is but a pale imitation of the great themes developed for the Bond franchise since its inception. And finally, when you inflate an expectation to the degree to which "Skyfall" was relentlessly plugged pre-release, you've got to deliver. Aside from the production values, I'm not seeing where the money was spent on developing the narrative or plot (without the need for contrivances), so "Skyfall", for me, was a disappointment only amplified by its great expectation.