The Daniel Craig Era Of James Bond Movies Continues To Borrow Heavily From The Series Iconic Moments, But Also Continues To Remain Very Entertaining.

Rating: 7/10 (26 October 2015)

It is in many ways extremely simple to review the James Bond movies. You always know there will be exotic locations, girls, cars, gadgets and in the latest outing there is no exception. I really enjoyed the previous entry "Skyfall" (2012), and that movie has somewhat been a lightning rod when discussing it with my friends (Especially my old film school teacher). If there is any criticism I have it is that this latest mission certainly draws out the familiar traits a bit too much over its 2 hour 20 minute running time. But with all the different locations that is traversed and outlandish stunt work that could be CGI or not, "Spectre" has more than enough action sequences to remain an enjoyable entry in this ever growing franchise.
If you've been following all the Daniel Craig series of movies, "Spectre" pretty much continues the storyline of this shadowy organisation and introduces the superb Christoph Waltz and Dave Bautista as the new villains. Dialogue is sharp and witty, but the themes of global surveillance while prominent are really not that interesting (Especially when the series is trying to continue this "00 agents are unimportant nowadays" side story). Certainly though events escalate, and some of the areas traversed offer beautiful modern kitsch designed buildings in the middle of nowhere. Overall for a fan it's nostalgic and pretty fantastic.
Call me simply pleased as well, but the movie opens up with a fantastic 3 minute long tracking shot that dips in, outside and around buildings (Reminiscent of Orson Welles's classic opening scene in 1958's "Touch of Evil"). I won't spoil anymore for you, but that pretty much remained one of the highlights of the movie for me. Whereas I think Sam Smith is a very capable singer, I didn't really think much of his lyrics attached to the theme song and I don't think it'll age as well as the other iconic songs of the franchise (Though I will admit the cascading melody is a powerful one and well utilised throughout the movie). Daniel Craig continues to remain perfect for the role, and Lea Seydoux is quite possibly one of the best bond girls the franchise has ever had (Monica Bellucci also shines in the small screen time she has also, why all the media attention of an older bond girl I don't know).
Final Verdict: Other than some of the product placements in the film being fairly shameless, it certainly lives up to the shadowy organisation the film is named after (Though the way they chose to re-invent a classic villain the way they did is the definition of un-original). It's flashy, the set pieces are great and if this is to be the last outing for Daniel Craig it is certainly the best way to go. I got to enjoy it in an audience of over 700, and when I used the men's bathroom afterwards Sheena Easton's "For Your Eyes Only" was playing. Director Sam Mendes and Eon productions have made a very enjoyable, yet paint by numbers entry of the franchise. 7/10.