Call me Dr. No, because I'm dissing this James Bond-style short from Saatchi & Saatchi in New York touting Lenovo's IdeaPad Yoga, a "bendable" laptop/tablet hybrid that can be configured in various ways. Shot in Hungary by two-time Bond director Martin Campbell, "The Pursuit" follows a sexy female spy on a mission as she breathlessly runs, jumps, pivots, twirls, jet-skis, changes clothes, walks briskly, etc. It's an extended quick-cut chase, appropriately cinematic, but as tiresome and uninvolving as any big-budget, cookie-cutter action feature film made in the past 15 years. "The Pursuit" feels twice as long as its running time—that would make it 007 minutes—and I was anticipating some kind of clever twist or tongue-in-cheek payoff. But the clip fails to deliver. Also, it works hard to toss in product attributes (there are lots of shots of the Yoga assuming various positions), and what stodgy ad-reviewing cuss would want to see such stuff in a high-octane spy-themed laptop promo? Next time, just bake cupcakes!
