Daniel Craig's Swansong, Sam Mendes art project complete.

Rating: 7/10 (28 October 2015)

I liked this film, I like Daniel Craig as Bond and Sam Mendes shoots very fine scenes and makes every set and landscape look wonderful.
But this is the problem for me, it's all a little too stage managed and even when it goes wrong for Bond, It somehow does so in an organised and easily recoverable way.
Casino Royale showed a grittier more determined Bond who was not afraid to get really down and dirty and grind out a result. Skip to Spectre they are trying to give that impression but it all comes together too easily.
We go from one scene to the next a little too smoothly without the impression that the main character is making the real difference and putting together the moves to bring down Spectre.
I also like long films that take time to put together a complicated story so the runtime of 150 Min's was no issue and I was entertained throughout.
To move forward MI6 needs to be a robust organisation again, beyond question. Bond needs to be put in real jeopardy and under real pressure to make the difference and put together the puzzle.
Let's not allow style to overtake substance: Bond needs to look great in a suit, a tuxedo and have fantastic cars and fastidious taste in drink, food and other things to be Bond, no question, but when he is in the mountains make him look like a mountaineer, then he goes to a gunfight make him look like he is in a fight and not on the firing range with targets popping up at various ranges, fire, maneuver, use of cover, intelligent enemy to defeat etc.
Bond needs to be stylish, but Bond also needs to be the man making the difference i.e. not just joining the dots, but gathering and deciphering them also.