With its flaws, but still one of the more mature and considered Bond films of late

Rating: 9/10 (9 December 2015)

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning
After foiling an assassination attempt in Mexico, Bond learns that it was to be just the latest in a string of terrorist attacks across the globe, and that it's sparked a major disruption in the chain of the sinister organization behind it. Meanwhile, M (Ralph Fiennes) has become aware that the 00 programme is under threat in the digital age, and has to prove its worth to be kept going. In the middle of all this, Bond travels the world in a bid to foil the evil-doers in their tracks, leading him ever closer to Blofeld (Christoph Waltz), the sinister head of the organization.
In recent times, sinister terrorist organizations with global dominance in mind have certainly been dominating the headlines, which lends the latest Bond film a certain dark relevance. Thankfully, the tone and style are appropriately suited to this subject, which is a recommendation in itself. Having enjoyed a lot of success with the last outing, Skyfall, Sam Mendes has seen fit to return this time around, and delivered a film in pretty similar tone.
Opening with a genuinely impressive and exciting (if somewhat nauseating) helicopter battle sequence whilst everybody's celebrating down below, it has an impressive opening action sequence that sets the tone for some other great dramatic set pieces to follow, including one on board a train with wrestling legend Dave Bautista. The producers this time round have seen fit to include two Bond girls, including the older but beautiful Monica Belluci, who weirdly goes missing early on, and Lea Seydoux as a psychologist Bond tracks down to the Alps.
The downsides are an overly elaborated plot, and a script filled with loads of dialogue weighed down in a lot of meaningless exposition. Plus, while he's okay dramatically, Waltz has too much of a funny/comedy face to be taken that seriously. Still a lot to recommend it, though, and if Craig really has decided to call it a day, this ain't bad to go out on. ***