An excellent film: superb action, great acting, thrilling detective work from Bond; who is an actual real character who the audience notice making mistakes, and at one point actually fear that his ego and reckless nature has wrecked the mission once again.
Craig is excellent as Bond. It's not really a Bond to be compared with previous Bonds as it's very different: many critics have remarked that we see Bond cry in this film- for me the big change is that we actually see Bond happy; properly happy and contented. Even when he got married he didn't seem this real.
To start with I was worried he wasn't Bond at all (although the Madascar chase certainly shows him to be a proper double hard b*****d!), but as soon as he arrives in the Bahamas, and especially when we see his method of entry into the Ocean Club (which, if this were a playstation Bond game, would earn you a 'Bond Moment'!), you're assured that this is still James Bond.
Watching this Bond it's easy to see why Dalton's Bond wasn't quite there- he didn't have the arrogance and ego that Bond needs.
Does Craig have the charisma of previous Bonds? Well he's not far off, but importantly he doesn't get the opportunity to wink at the audience as other Bonds did, which gives a lead an instant charisma boost and link to the audience. We doubt this Bond; we're not sure he can do the things he's trying to do and aren't even sure of what he's trying to do; and that makes it much, much more interesting and exciting.
This is a James Bond who lets fly the traditional quips and then, when they don't hit their target (although the audience laughs), says 'well I thought it was a good line'. He's real.
Bourne has had an influence, but they've made Bond a much more interesting character than Bourne- there's so much more to him. A definite win on the most important element.
Bad points: It is far, far too long and tapers to an end on a bit of whimper after a succession of climaxes and quiet moments: the whole sinking house scene just felt stuck on and wasn't needed at all. I think even the dinner-suited fan audience I was seeing it with were flagging by this point. I'm not completely sold on the title sequence and the song sounded dreadful in the Odeon Leicester Square (which had particularly echoey sound).
I'm not sure the romance works entirely (there's an OHMSS-style sudden leap where Bond turns from not being all that interested to being in love). Eva is gorgeous, although occasionally hard to understand. Judi gives her best M in this film and the relationship between her and Bond is very interesting, although at points it feels that M and Bond are the only important personnel in MI6, such is the close nature of their relationship. The poker game gets a little episodic with the attempts to break it up a bit and the film begins to suffer from being in the same place for so long. And the final 'punch-the-air' scene just didn't work for me at all.
Overall, cracking stuff, can't wait to see it again but may have to pack a pillow. Just too long. Kudos on turning the stinky and out-of-the-blue 'finger' line into one of the best gags of the movie, though.
Oh; and Eva's bottom. 'Nuff said.
