I really enjoyed the Bond reboot Casino Royale, and while it was less appreciated, my vague recollection is that I generally liked the follow up, but I was hugely disappointed with this film.
There are a few good things. Javier Bardem does a great job as an unstable bad guy. Bond's flirtation with a fellow agent is kind of cute. The action scenes are pretty good; not mind blowing, but generally entertaining.
Unfortunately, I was constantly frustrated by the plot, in which neither Bond nor anyone else (except the bad guy) ever does anything that makes the slightest bit of sense. The movie is just stupid, and the good in it never balanced the idiocy. I am actually amazed that a movie with such a terrible, terrible structure has gotten such rave reviews. For just some of the problems with the plot, read on:
************** SPOILERS BELOW *****************
First off, Bond twice waits until someone has died before fighting, even though in both cases his subsequent actions indicate he could have prevented the death. First, he calmly watches an assassination before attacking and killing the assassin. Even worse, he lets a woman he promised to help die (I knew she would from the moment he offered her help - I've seen Bond films before) and then takes out a bunch of bad guys even though nothing changes that makes it easier to take them out than when she was still alive.
Then there's the moment when a supposed computer genius good guy (Q) hacks into the computer of the computer genius bad guy and takes zero precautions. He simply hooks the computer directly into the MI6 system. Who would do that who wasn't an idiot? The whole reason there are sandbox applications for running suspect software is because anyone who knows anything about computers knows you have to protect your system from threats.
And when the bad guy escapes from a complex bristling with agents, how many people chase after him? One. Just Bond, by himself. No one tries to cover other exits, or chase at him from different directions. He really wouldn't have been that difficult to catch for any organization working together.
The go-it-alone motif comes back at the end, where Bond lures the villain and his army to a remote location to take them out single- handedly. Why? Why not lure them into a trap made up of trained snipers. They're surrounded by flat land, it would actually be a pretty easy area to defend.
I get angry all over again just writing all this down. There is no excuse for this much stupidity in one movie.
There are a few good things. Javier Bardem does a great job as an unstable bad guy. Bond's flirtation with a fellow agent is kind of cute. The action scenes are pretty good; not mind blowing, but generally entertaining.
Unfortunately, I was constantly frustrated by the plot, in which neither Bond nor anyone else (except the bad guy) ever does anything that makes the slightest bit of sense. The movie is just stupid, and the good in it never balanced the idiocy. I am actually amazed that a movie with such a terrible, terrible structure has gotten such rave reviews. For just some of the problems with the plot, read on:
************** SPOILERS BELOW *****************
First off, Bond twice waits until someone has died before fighting, even though in both cases his subsequent actions indicate he could have prevented the death. First, he calmly watches an assassination before attacking and killing the assassin. Even worse, he lets a woman he promised to help die (I knew she would from the moment he offered her help - I've seen Bond films before) and then takes out a bunch of bad guys even though nothing changes that makes it easier to take them out than when she was still alive.
Then there's the moment when a supposed computer genius good guy (Q) hacks into the computer of the computer genius bad guy and takes zero precautions. He simply hooks the computer directly into the MI6 system. Who would do that who wasn't an idiot? The whole reason there are sandbox applications for running suspect software is because anyone who knows anything about computers knows you have to protect your system from threats.
And when the bad guy escapes from a complex bristling with agents, how many people chase after him? One. Just Bond, by himself. No one tries to cover other exits, or chase at him from different directions. He really wouldn't have been that difficult to catch for any organization working together.
The go-it-alone motif comes back at the end, where Bond lures the villain and his army to a remote location to take them out single- handedly. Why? Why not lure them into a trap made up of trained snipers. They're surrounded by flat land, it would actually be a pretty easy area to defend.
I get angry all over again just writing all this down. There is no excuse for this much stupidity in one movie.