A patchy, unsatisfying end to Daniel Craig's Tenure This film is a disjointed patchwork of the sublime and the ridiculous, so it's difficult to generate a coherent impression of the film as a whole. The production has been a saga of changing directors and writers -manifestations of a world in social and political flux- and it shows.
The concerns raised about the overly "progressive" tones of the early marketing materials are mostly unfounded (with the glaring exception of the finale itself), but there is still often the sense of Bond as somewhat withered, emasculated protagonist. This is in keeping with a consistent adjustment in tone which contrasts with the bullish, unrepentant character that has been the mainstay of the books and previous films.
There are some strong action set pieces, some beautiful cinematography and the opening of the film sets up a dramatic, plausible and coherent narrative that could have provided a compelling backdrop to a worthy final outing for Daniel Craig. The two new female agents are generally worthwhile, believable characters, neither of whom really get enough meaningful screen time. However, the story never seems coherent, or often worthwhile, and our new villain Safin never gains any traction, credibility, or concern until the thoroughly unsatisfying finale. I was occasionally riveted, but more often the story felt stodgy and uncompelling.
Ultimately, I left the cinema feeling deflated and slightly annoyed. This is not an exciting, uplifting tale, rather, I got the sense that the script had been written with an intention of spoiling all the good aspects of Bond that have taken 50 or so years to cultivate.
For a story arc that started out so promisingly, this is a bitter, spiteful end and I cannot understand why this film was made other than to settle some simmering grievances with the main protagonist and his misogynistic undertones. It certainly wasn't made to make you feel any happier.