Sufficient Bond fare

Rating: 7/10 (29 March 2016)

Enjoyable enough Bond movie filled with what you'd expect: crazy stunts, car chases, exotic locations, beautiful women, a nasty bad guy, Nice fitting suits, (dirty) martinis, Bond being Bond.
Honestly this is a fairly forgettable entry to the franchise, nothing wrong with it and better than most but also the weaker of the Daniel Craig entries. Spectre resumes where Skyfall left off and sees 007 discovering a cryptic message during Day of the Dead festivities in Mexico City. An intense action sequence ensures (as we'd expect from an opening sequence) and the remainder of the movie sees Bond on a (worldwide) trail attempting to uncover a sinister organization led by the (underused) Christoph Waltz.
Lots of exotic locations (Rome, Austria and Morocco ) a couple of beautiful women including (finally) an older bond girl and some excellent hand to hand fight sequences, one of them on a train.
I don't usually take much notice of the "cinematography" in movies but this was just beautifully shot, every scene framed and lit perfectly so that it could be a photograph. The scenery, the buildings the way Bond stands/poses, the cars.
Ultimately it was too long though, we started laughing about the extensive wardrobe Bond somehow manages to keep finding in his tiny suitcase as he circumnavigates the globe; assorted sunglasses, multiple suits, business casual, white tuxedo, alpine ski wear, flashy track suits, safari gear -must be one of those spy things you don't ask about. It didn't matter though, Craig looked great but its one of those things one only notices when their mind starts to wander from the story.
For the most part, it's sufficient enough Bond fare.3/1/16