Continues the appealing new wave thriller style Bond

Rating: Null/10 (12 November 2015)

With the 00 initiative under threat and a MI5 and MI6 merge imminent infamous spy James Bond uncompromisingly goes out of his way to bring down a sinister organization which links to his past.
Fittingly with the infamous gun barrel piece Daniel Craig is back as James Bond and finally criminal organization Spectre (Special Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion, S.P.E.C.T.R.E the acronym now gone) returns to the franchise. Opening with excellent tracking shots of the Mexican Día de Muertos festival and amazing stunt-work Sam Mendes' second Bond directing effort looks absolutely remarkable. Locations include Tangiers, Morocco, London and Austria to name a few which are captured beautifully, compliments to Hoyte van Hoytema cinematography.
There's countless nods to previous instalments, during an intense train fight Craig's Bond tries a familiar Sean Connery/Roger Moore kick which is amusingly foiled by Mr. Hinx notably played by Dave Bautista. All the trademarks and tropes of Bond are present. There's a twist on the ejector seat, here Bond himself is ejected from an Aston Martin. M, Moneypenny, Q, locations, women, shoot outs and chases. There also a good scene where Q is out in the field echoing A Licence to Kill and CIA agent Felix Leiter is given a passing mention.
At times Craig retains the steely licence to kill (or not to kill as pointed out) with precision, but these are fleeting. Even when demonstrating he is a hardened assassin and lover, picking up machines guns, flying planes and getting the ladies - here Craig at times looks bored rather than nonchalant cool.
This Bond has one of the more interesting stories which connects all of Craig's previous 007 outings with past prominent characters being featured in the opening credits, later on posters and computer screens. Jesper Christensen returns as Mr. White (now thallium poisoned) and Judy Denche's M also makes an appearance from the grave. Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris do a great job bringing the iconic supporting characters to life and Ben Whishaw simply shines as Q. Christoph Waltz is fantastic as Oberhauser a.k.a Ernst Stavro Blofeld but is sorely underused with limited screen time. We're also treated to a re-imagining of how Blofeld gets his scar and leg injuries. Possibly due to the script or Lee Smith's editing lead Léa Seydoux's Madeleine Swann is a little uneven (notably during the argument with Bond in the snow) but you can't fail to warm to her by the closing act. Although a long-time in coming Italian actress Monica Bellucci makes a limited appearance as a Bond Girl, better late than never. Bellucci is memorable in her limited role.
Andrew Scott has good screen presence as C but from the outset anyone familiar with Scott's work will have a good inclination of one of the twist to come. Moreover so does Bond who gives a throwaway line that he knew of C's intentions all along, which makes the experience quite redundant. There's unorthodox quandaries littered throughout. During the synonymous pre-credit sequence there's a lapse in logic as Bond relentlessly and unnecessarily attacks a helicopter pilot while exchanging blows with the passenger. The soap opera Blofeld connection to Bond twist is bitter sweet.
Mendes seems focused on creating Casablanca artistry rather than pace and inexplicably tries to shoehorn David Lean and Merchant & Ivory- like aesthetics into a franchise that's by default visually jam- packed. Also the fistful of writers lose some of the humanity, its inconsistent and unable to capitalise on its story potential. Lacking are character nuances that date as far back as Dr. No, basic spy techniques. Also here he's super-Bond.
Herein lies the issue with SPECTRE, while the Bourne-like plot is exceedingly intriguing (it has one of the best Bond narratives) and every frame looks unnecessary breathtaking, the dialogue and repressive action doesn't really flow, for whatever reason SPECTRE is arguably pretentious at times and comes across stilted.
In terms of breaking free from the much loved Moore, Brosnan formulaic Bond, Spectre successfully continues the appealing new wave thriller style while paying homage to its predecessors but adjusted for a contemporary audience Mendes' latest 007 addition slightly backslides when compared to Skyfall. Even with Craig's carte blanche co- producer control, as a movie going experience, this debatably maybe his weakest jaunt as Bond, James Bond but is still entertaining.