The movie was a different look into the result of a Double-O always being on the edge. Worn out, discredited and struggling to get back to something normal life wouldn’t allow. Age is getting old and with it diminuation of former physical abilities.
Bond showed that determination and will can still overcome, but there is a price. M was one of them.
Overall, I was let down by the movie, but could readily sympathize about getting older and less capable in some respects.
The end was a little heartening where he meets the new Moneypenny and his new boss, but it wasn’t as good as many have said.
It seemed to be a setup for the new Bond era...one more Connery-like, with a more traditional “M”, and the return of Moneypenny.
This one was far more about the characters in question than any overarching plot. You have Bond and M’s former pet agent, both of whom have been screwed over by her. How they deal with it is central to the film. This theme was briefly explored in “Casino Royale,” but here it WAS the film.
The song was OK, I suppose. I thought “Casino Royale” and “Quantum of Solace” had much better songs, but I know they were going for an old school sound with this being the 50th anniversary and all.