imdb-23821

The actors are the best part of this film. If you think this is about science fiction, it isn't. The writing is terribly lazy. If you're looking for a mindless b-movie with some good effects when they are present (and not drowned out by languid pacing) and an ending to satisfy you and your date, maybe this is your film.

This is not to say it's 'bad' completely. It's just a concept about a gorge where only one person on each side can be chosen to guard it, in the middle of nowhere. For something so important and frightening, why would anyone even do this? It doesn't make sense. The writers didn't care. It's a concept film that you need to dispense with anything that makes sense and go with this as a film about bonding - that you've seen 1,000 times before but much better executed.

This felt like a concept movie that someone thought was good enough to release rather than better develop and release with an appropriate budget.

Don't be fooled by the great reviews. This is mediocre and should have been much better.

Overall this is an excellent film. The ending will not please everyone. I want to give it a higher rating, but quite frankly, the pacing toward the end is mediocre because of how long it takes to get there. I feel that the movie should have been longer because a crucial scene is snipped out and likely in order to make the film. Not as long as it already is. You'll know it when you see it. As a result, it will take you a moment to figure out what has happened between the scene you are watching and the prior fade.

The acting is terrific. The dialogue is excellent. The story and the people are supposedly reasonably authentic. But it would have been better to have had more of an understanding rather than just a screenplay.

In short, the synopsis gives you a very good understanding of what the film is about. The ending hit is more a statement about the events in a dramatic way that is understated. It's an excellent film, but I can't say you'll want to watch it again.

The ultra high production value is what saves this film from being below average, including some of the terrific actors like Anna de Armas and a somewhat droll Craig and repeat visitor Jeffrey Wright. The film is far, far too long. It takes a long time to get started and then features a poor story with an ice cold romance and another DEI Bond that shouldn't have been handled in such an obvious way.

The scenes and sets are gorgeous. But the whisking away from one to another feels like a made for a movie story. Like all have said, the middle scenes with Anna de Armas are the best part and then the rest is passing time. The sad part is that this film literally kills the franchise. It's an average film whose running time makes it a snoozer. Worst of the Craig era but watchable - if you have time to spare.