Reviews

There was the one I'll always remember as the diving bond, there was the skiing bond, the space station bond, the train bond, the voodoo bond, the one with the jetpac, the one with the hat, the one with the cat (or was that the pussy)…. This bond, this "reinvention of the series" bond will for ever after be stuck in my head as the one with the mobile/cell phones. It seems that every plot twist involves the use of a mobile. And after a while it feels like a very cheap plot device. But of course there is nothing cheap about it, there are so many mobile phones in this movie that one has to wonder how much money the different brands paid to have their latest model included. Speaking of product placement one of the worst moments in the movie happens when our new and fresh Mr. Bond meets the main bond-girl and she comments on his watch asking if it is a Rolex, he replies no that it is an Omega. And to make matters worse she replies "Nice!" Yes people I think Omega will pay a bit extra for that one word. And now guess what every yuppie grown-up boy bond fan will be wanting from his missus for Christmas. "Nice!" They should have cut some bits out of it and tidied it up a bit. And for me the whole bit with the crane was just too unbelievable, I hear laughing at some of the stunts during that aerial chase scene. I'm not saying that bond should be believable; it has to bend rules and strive for the spectacular. But if they go to such lengths to re-energize the series with a grittier and more realistic bond then perhaps they should have kept the matrix-like leaping from building to building to a minimum. Spectacular, maybe if you are 15. And the defibrillator in his car thing, (with the loose wire, come on!) surely there could have been a better way of dealing with the fact that he was poisoned. This is a good bond movie, not a classic but certainly not an embarrassment. A great bond girl, one of the best but Daniel Craig does feel a bit stiff at times, maybe but the next movie he will have gotten over the feeling that he must pout, show his muscles and push out his chest at every opportunity.

Maybe I'm too cynical. I accept that. Maybe I grew up watching too may sickeningly heart-warming glory-hunting nice shy guys and gals struggle against adversity but always come out tops in the end, you know the type, Saturday afternoon Disney movies, designed to make geeky kids feel good about the world. You just got to be true to yourself, kid and then you will triumph. Well don't be fooled by the presence of Mr. Harvey Keitel, this is one of those movies that manage to turn my stomach into mulch. In fact the only thing good I can say about Harvey Keitel in this is that he looks like he feels the same as me, doing just enough to collect the pay check once the whole ordeal is over. Avoid!!

This is a mildly enjoyable flick which attempts to be a serious political thriller but in my opinion falls very short of the mark. This is mainly due to the exceedingly annoying Hollywood need to always create some romantic chemistry between the lead male and female characters. OK in this case it is not taken too far but it still feels false and as though it has been added in just to keep the lady's in the audience happy (or rather the Hollywood executive's idea of what will make lady's in the audience happy).

In trying to be serious and political the film comes off at times as just being confusing. And the there's the plot holes, oh my god, there are just too many to mention. Some of the action and suspense sequences are great like the magnificent bit with the bus. Kidman is as usual very good but Penn at times feels very one dimensional, too much cowling at the camera.

That girl has the most annoying voice I've ever heard. I seriously hate her voice- squeaky, whiny, screechy, ahhhhhhh. I can't get it out of my head, help! The more I think about this film, which I watched last night, the less I like it. It has all the depth of an adolescent's poetry. There are a few slightly funny moments but not enough to get past the sheer annoying quality of these characters and there teenage dialog. In my opinion this movie has been completely overrated. Utimatly this is a romantic comedy with a twist. If you are into watching a boy's version of a "chick-flick" which doesn't tax the brain too much and makes a stab at being something a little out of the ordinary, then you might enjoy this (and then forget it straight away). I wish I could forget that girls voice though!