Fizzles out fast - time to change both actor and director

Rating: 2/10 (5 November 2015)

Things start out quite exciting with a spectacular helicopter sequence in Mexico City. But things fizzle out quickly and there are too many yawn inducing moments leading to a clichéd anti-climax of an ending. In between, it feels interminable.
The actors: When the villain and the hero kind of look alike you know the Daniel Craig has to be replaced - even he himself doesn't want to do another Bond movie. Let a younger, less haggard, more suave actor take his place. Christoph Waltz as one of the more insipid Bond villains wasn't given the opportunity to shine. It seemed like a caricature of his other villain roles. That C guy was forgettable. Ralph Fiennes looked pretty dour throughout. As the main female lead Lea Seydoux was a bit of a plain Jane for the role. At least her diction is understandable. It was fun to see her quite proactive in the train fight but she lacks the special quality and unique beauty required in a Bond girl.
Locations: At least there were some exotic places but Tangier could have been portrayed a bit nicer instead of that dirty looking hotel and street. Every time the location changed to London it got boring and drab. Wonder why they had to film in such wintry looking conditions in London. A few glamorous scenes would have helped balance things. The train was hardly a romantic place for the hook up.
Gadgets and cars: The car chase in Rome seemed fake - not enough traffic on the road. The car didn't look very special - a bit last decade and common looking. Nothing unique happened with the gadgets or technology. The bomb watch was too simplistic.
Directing and story: Sam Mendes isn't good for action. He let the pace slacken too much throughout. He needs to look at the recent 'Mission Impossible' or any Luc Besson movie to see how to keep up momentum. The plot was uninvolving - don't really get Lea Seydoux's role. The ending was so deja vu and predictable - giving him enough time to escape and tying her up. The falsetto Sam Smith song is out of place.
Most fans will probably see this movie. Too bad it's hardly better than the dismal 'Skyfall'.