bland, by the book, predictable

Rating: 4/10 (11 February 2018)

Bond only travels first class. Every boat, train, car, plane he's in is of unimaginable luxury. Even a train in Algiers to the middle of the desert isn't full of sweaty goatherders, but it's an immaculate wagon with first-class dining facilities and butlers.
Every street Bond drives on, is completely empty.
Bond only drives on streets alongside fancy, palatial mansions, palaces, and impressive bridges and architecture.
Bond and whatever woman he's with always carry or purchase a smoking and gala dress, even when they rush from one country to another, are pursued, are carrying nothing but the shirt on their backs, or go to attack someone.
Bond meets woman. Bond sleeps with woman 5 minutes later (even if he meets her at the funeral of her husband... really?!).
Bond shoot a pistol at a pipeline in an IT facility. Entire facility blows up 10 seconds later.
Helicopter with Evil Overlord flies away. It conveniently follows the river, so Bond can follow by boat and shoot the helicopter down (again, with a pistol).
Bond can fly a plane.
Bond has the latest gadgets.
Bond can a drill bit penetrate his skull and brain, and not suffer any adverse effects.
Evil Overlord survives the explosion that destroys his entire base.
Every computer system can be hacked by Q in the span of 30 minutes.

The only redeeming thing about this movie is the cinematography. Most shots are sweeping, wide, and beautiful. The camera doesn't jump from one shot to another twice in the span of a second. There's no shaky cam. The opening shot is a single take that lasts about 5 minutes, from the streets below, to inside the hotel, to on the rooftop - very nice indeed. If only the rest of the movie was half as good.
The first 30 minutes had promise. Then it crashed and burned. Don't waste your time.