Classic Bond

Rating: 8/10 (2 November 2015)

I will start of by saying Spectre is defiantly a homage to some of the old bond films, mainly the Sean Connery era and features some of the classic bond Clichés, such as the Aston Martin (with a few surprises), a stern henchmen, a classic villain and of course the amazing stunts. Compared to Craig's previous bond outings, this one has less emotional gravitas, that was featured in Casino Royale and Skyfall however there is another connection to his past and James Bond does share a powerful and well acted relationship with Madeline Swann played by Lea Seydoux.
Daniel Craig's return to this film is greatly appreciated and he does well with delivering classic bond quips and lines as well as showing a more venerable side to the character of James Bond. Christoph Waltz does a great job as the films main villain and has an interesting connection with bond that you may or may not enjoy. Some have complained that Oberhausen's motivation weakens his character but I feel it only emphasises why he formed such a controlling and sinister organisation.
The film is mainly about Bond finding the organisation known as Spectre and its shady leader, Franz Oberhausen. Bond goes through a series of spectacular action scenes such as the opening sequence in New Mexico and of course meets two attractive women, one being Lucia played by Monica Belluci who many people thought would have a role more substantial then roughly five to ten minutes although I personally felt there was no need since everything in Spectre largely served the story without too much being thrown in or too little but she did very well with the part she was given. Bond also meets Madeline Swann who is a much tougher and more capable bond girl than many of his previous partners.
Who also features largely in Spectre is Ralph Fiennes as M, Ben Whitshaw as Q and Naomi Harris as Eve Moneypenny who play their roles with great confidence and subtlety. These characters have a sub plot where they are trying to help bond on his mission to find Spectre from the sidelines while struggling to battle political pressures of M's new Boss C played by Andrew Scott and although his role isn't particularly interesting in the film, he works as a worthy adversary towards M and serves the overall story well. The set pieces and action in this film are well crafted with some interesting shots (such as the opening shot) and real edge of your seat action where you actually fear for bonds life. Sam Mendes did a subtle job at tying the events of previous Daniel Craig films into this film which I think added more to the climatic ending of the film. The story and writing was very solid as the plot seemed quite elaborate but well thought out and the pacing of the film was also smooth.
So in conclusion this is an excellent addition to the Bond franchise and is a solid and fun adventure with great acting and a few good twists. Although perhaps not as emotionally impactive as Skyfall or Casino Royale it goes in a different direction to those films, creating a more modern interpretation of the classic bond films made decades ago. 8/10