I have tried to ensure that I do not give away any spoilers…
This was a superb film. Most importantly, not simply a superb Bond film (easily the best, I think) but a superb film, period. I must admit when I saw the running time I was rather concerned as I thought that the essential structure of a Bond film - spectacular stunt sequence/plot development/dialogue/character relationships/spectacular stunt sequence/plot development etc etc - would not bear being drawn out over such a long period (over two and a half hours). But not so. Each of the sequences seemed to be of exactly of the right length and overall the pacing was really well sustained. And it was commendable that for some scenes, particularly those at the very end, were not as extended as they well could have been - in fact they were surprisingly short but it gave them even more impact I thought as the power of the scene and what was happening was very effectively concentrated. And the opening pre-credit stunt was wonderful - a long sequence, probaably the best that there has been, but masterfully controlled so that one was completely gripped and intrigued by the events and was not thinking’now that’s ridiculous’ but I suppose it had to be given what we have just seen’.
I also liked the way that, for the sequence at the tomb, in the immediate aftermath and for a while afterwards, the soundtrack reflected the distortion that Bond would have experienced having been so close to such an explosion. A very smart touch, influenced perhaps by The Hurt Locker and something which enabled us, right from the start, to empathise more with Bond as an individual (not very often something that we take away from a Bond film) rather than being this agent with almost superhuman abilities; he suffers from traumatic after-effects too!
The much-talked about ‘light touches’ in the script were certainly there and very effectively too. But they always came from the character and situation and, being very effectively concise, had more impact than if they were too long-drawn-out. And it was a world removed from the irritating laboured facetiousness of Roger Moore, thank goodness.
Craig remains an excellent central character - worn, rugged, harsh and gripping in his communication of B’s emotional responses and this hrash grittiness reminded us that the 007 moniker is in fact means a Government-endorsed assassin.
I felt that there were refernces back to earlier Bonds, particularly with the use of the song ‘All the Time in the World’ which always has a very powerful emotional resonance, particularly for Bond films and the clear allusion back to Dr No with a Garden of Death cultivated by the physically damaged villain on his personal island. But I did miss the trickling blood flow from the iconic title credit sequence - and the theme had been re-orchestrated (Zimmer?) but in a way that, unfortunately, lost its characteristic and wonderfully appropriate harsh brassiness with the theme coming over as rather smoother than usual.
So, a superb and thrilling, emotionally powerful film that just happens to be part of the Bond franchise.