Dark, dank and dull...

Rating: 3/10 (27 October 2015)

The praise being heaped on this film is shocking, it was a complete let-down! It has all the elements of classic bond, but it lacks the style and substance.
Firstly, I was thrilled to hear that the henchman was returning in Spectre and Bautista was the perfect fit, he's a beast! But Spectre wasted him, they used him as more of a nuisance rather than a threat to bond. His link to the overall "big boss" (you know who... Everyone does by now.) is flimsy and he just seems to appear at certain points to inconvenience bonds progression. His fight scene is great, but it just fizzles out as though Mendes had no idea how to finish the scene.
Secondly, the story is one of the worst in a James Bond film (and that includes Quantum). It's a mish-mash of hearsay and fluke that seems to be directing Bond on his quest to various "exotic" locations around the world. We get some snow, some sun, some sand and a lot of nighttime. Most of the city based action is shot at night and the only reason I could think of was that it was clearly cheaper than doing it during the day (or a terrible metaphor for bond living in the darkness, but it was obviously because it was cheaper.). Perhaps the biggest challenge to the story was Craig himself, the publicised contract issues made it feel almost a waste of time setting up spectre, they should of tied Craig-era bonds story together and just left it at that. Does the next bond have all this set-up in place? If so, why bother doing it now, why not just wait. Oh and the plot-twist (I use the term lightly) is so obvious it's hard to think anyone will have been surprised.
Finally, the action is lame, it's predictable, it's ... Boring. Pointless car chase, which IS DEFINITELY the worst in bond history. Incredibly boring, especially if you've seen Mad Max: Fury Road. The fight scene is good, but ends poorly. The scene in Mexico, looks incredible done in one tracking shot, is stupid (just shoot the guy/ turn off the laser pointer). The torture scene has a predictable outcome. The final battle, is more mission impossible, than James Bond but it's done terribly. By the end of the film you get the impression that the "big boss" doesn't even want to kill Bond.
Overall, one of the worst in the franchise. Craig's bond = 2 of the worst, 2 mediocre. Get rid (of Mendes as well)
Final gripes: Links back to old films weren't subtle or clever. £3/4million supercar and the switches are just stuck on, not built in. The old Qs would be ashamed. Links to Quantum were not planned in the other films hence it felt forced. Torture scene is terrible. Q scene in cable car is a waste of time I'm sure there are more I've forgot...