It's all matter of perspective

Rating: 6/10 (29 October 2015)

Daniel Craig's fourth Bond entry and Sam Mendes' second sees 007 on the trail of the criminal organisation SPECTRE.
The film begins (the first time in any of Craig's Bond's) with the traditional gun barrel sequence, letting you know that Skyfall was well and truly a reboot. The opening Steadicam tracking shot is mesmerising, showcasing the heavy amount of extras and iconic costumes. The practicality of the film is one of its highlights as well as the performances of Craig, Seydoux, Fiennes and the blink and you'll miss her Belluci. Whishaw stands out as Q, providing light humour alongside Craig's occasional wit.
The plot however lacks freshness. Instead of a 'SPECTRE in the 21st Century story' we get a BBC style drama as a side plot that ties into the main story. There is reliance on past films; the train fight is too reminiscent of From Russia With Love. Newman's score is less impactful this time around but the theme song is appropriate, especially to the last act. Whilst the ending of Skyfall felt like Home Alone, SPECTRE's feels like Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation with the threat of explosions in London. The action is not thrilling enough and the helicopter scene feels like a ta-dah moment. Christoph Waltz' Blofeld is similar to Johnny Depp's Willy Wonka in one scene in which all of his workers seem like they might burst into an oompa loompa song any minute.
It's worth watching for Bond fans that have seen Craig's other three movies and, for those who haven't, it's still better than your average modern action film.