I still keep Connery as the all-time greatest Bond, but Craig is a good second. He really is a cold-hearted bastard at times, and has no qualms with being a brute and a thug. I like that. I also like that after "Skyfall", a good film that never really felt like a Bond-flick, Sam Mendes finds back to a lot of the formula here. There is an exciting intro, a spectacular set-piece, a God-awful song so lacking testosterone that it will make the skin crawl on anyone who ever loved music, and straight to the plot we go. Via a gorgeous female of course. And the puns! All is as it should be.
Christoph Waltz is beautifully set up as a looming, all-seeing shadow in the dark. A worthy nemesis, as Blofeld should be. Even with the scar (eventually) that Donald Pleasance made his own. Thought Waltz makes for an eerie character, he isn't the most enthralling, nor believable villain in the series by far. Léa Seydoux is as average as Bond-girls come, though Bond annoyingly fails to see it. For all his toughness and callousness, Craig's 007 is idiotically soft when it comes to women. Ralph Fiennes is quite exquisite, though. Looking weary, worn down and every single year of his 54, though heart-strong and resilient. I didn't miss Judi Dench for a minute, and that says a lot about his contribution here.
The plot is as modern as ever, and as non-consequential as most instalments since Goldfinger. Ironically, the parts that feel stupid and unnecessary are where they try to make this a "family matter". Someone should have recognized that as a terrible idea already before they started shooting, and surely in the editing-room. But alas, such brains were not present.
Where this film really excels though, is the spy-banter. Particularly the opening scene with Fiennes, Craig and Andrew Scott. Such crisp dialogue, such fantastically restrained acting. Not a single air-conditioner on the planet could keep a decent temperature during their little conversation. There is so much going on between the lines, every subtlety counts. A rare sight in modern films, and most welcome.
For hard-core fans there are plenty of small (and some less subtle) nods to earlier Bond, be it garments, tête-à-tête with the main villain. So I really have no problems with the level of detail or the loyalty to the fans here.
Mendes fails to hit the really high notes though. The most suspenseful scene is about midway, with Bond searching for the lost Mr. White. It also lacks the chemistry Craig had with Eva Green and the aforementioned ultimate villain (not to mention henchman), thus making it a solid Bond-film, but nowhere near the classics, and a bit short of Craig's best as well.
7/10
