Entertaining but don't expect anything new.

Rating: 7/10 (12 December 2015)

The problem with this movie was the story. It is so contrived that it negates the strong acting. The prologue was good and the final scene strong, but everything in between was filler. This James Bond film offers nothing new. Instead it is a potboiler out the same creative mold that produced so many other Bond movies before it. The supporting cast was excellent. Unfortunately, their characters were not given more screen time. David Bautista was surprisingly excellent, Monica Bellucci was beautiful, and Christoph Waltz was, as usual, outstanding as the main bad guy. The James Bond formula seems to be wearing thin. It's been done so often that there isn't much left. Daniel Craig is great as Bond, but he's at least the fifth actor to play the role. Yet the movie also has its strong points: beautiful cinematography, excellent special effects, exciting action scenes, and, as mentioned before, a strong finish. So, the movie is watchable and will entertain. Just don't expect anything new.