Let me explain why my praise will end up being somewhat limited:
If you've grown up in a time when Connery and Moore's Bonds including their spectacular action scenes, megalomaniac super villains and sexy sidekicks were the highlight of a Sunday evening for the entire family, there's just something missing from the recent Bond films. That's not to say I didn't enjoy them as movies, or as spy thrillers. But, like Orange said, they don't feel like Bond films. This one doesn't either.

Or wait, the opening sequence still does. It's fun, over the top and spectacular. I demand two or three such scenes from a Bond film, but sadly, it was the only one in this one. Adele's theme song is a bit too generic and boring but the visuals of the opening titles were great.

Like you said, with the great names attached to this project, one could have expected fine acting and got plenty of it. I really liked Fiennes, Finney and thought Bardem's villain gave the film a much better second half than the somewhat slow first. I agree about the somewhat flat Bond girls in this one, even though I really like Harris and the first meeting with the Severine character showed so much potential that got totally wasted on the abandoned island. And what the hell was it with "Hey she's been a sex slave since she was 12 or 13, let's surprise her with shower sex". Just off.

The multiple nods to the older films we got in the last third of the film really won me over, after I wasn't sure what to think during the intermission. The showdown finally added some much needed BOOM to the film. I didn't expect a mix between "Home alone" and "Apocalypse now" from a Bond adventure.
So overall a very well done film, but probably not in my top 5 Bond films.

But I'll tell you something else. They have to get over the broken character Bond now. We've had him vulnerable, longing for revenge and mourning for three films now. I want a FUN film next time. Not sure it's gonna happen, but one can hope. I am carefully optimistic what with the nods to the old films in the last couple of scenes. Give Craig's a new direction next. A villain lair in a volcano. A martial arts Bond girl. A shoe that shoots fire.
I am ready.