Not shaken but a little stirred

Rating: Null/10 (26 October 2015)

If Spectre does prove to be Daniel Craig's final outing as 007, it's a fitting conclusion to his tenure.
The opener is probably the most audacious we've seen in years, harking back to Brosnan's more seat-of-the-pants set pieces. This is solid Bond, well paced and requiring just a little suspension of disbelief.
Even the opening title sequence was a breath of fresh air, with visuals the strongest since GoldenEye. Shame about the opening track, though. Sam Smith wins the award for most inappropriate Bond song since Rita Coolidge's All Time High ("all time worst" would be more accurate).
Spectre has familiar ingredients but it's delivered in a modern (and, at times, surprisingly brutal) manner. Enthusiasts will recognise many tips of the hat to Bonds of old but Sam Mendes has, perhaps, managed to top Skyfall. This is not the best 007 movie, not by a long shot, but it's a great yarn and has moments of true gold sprinkled throughout its epic running time.
If I had reservations, I think Christoph Waltz was underused but his early scenes are ripe with atmosphere and menace. Dave Bautista's Mr. Hinx is the most physical baddie since Jaws and is guaranteed to give children around the world bad dreams.
8 out of 10. Worthy of a cinema outing.