I think your final point is spot on - this felt like the second part of a trilogy. I'm interested to see what they do next; I think that will be the deciding factor in whether QoS is seen as part of a successful series, or the point at which they lost the plot. And indeed, whether Casino Royale is seen as the rebirth of Bond, or another Goldeneye.

I had the same problems with the film as you, but I think I liked it more. In fact, we may go see it again this weekend, just to be sure :-p