Solid and enjoyable even if it could have used more character and spark to make it more than 'a Bond movie'

Rating: Null/10 (26 December 2015)

With all the hype around this film, it was hard to come to it as just another Bond film and not the 'event' that the release of a new one has become. However, it is best to come to it as such, because essentially this is what it is – another Bond film. Drawing a lot from the series already, and recreating very famous organizations and characters, the plot sees a continuation of the road of the previous films, with a message from beyond the grave sending Bond in pursuit of something he is not quite sure of. In doing so the film essentially delivers a lot of elements that we have come to expect from this recent run of films, and from Bonds generally.
The pre-credits sequence is not quite as thrilling as it was billed, but is still a solidly enjoyable series of stunts run together (although I suspect the technical achievement of the helicopter sequence is probably more impressive than just watching it). From this point onwards the film runs a familiar course, which is not a bad thing, but too often the film seems to forget to thrill as it should. No doubt it is robustly constructed, and the quality and crafting is evident in almost every regard, but this is not always a good thing. Bond himself feels a little bit on the rails, and pulled along by the plot. Of course an element of this is that this is precisely what the plot of the film is, but at the same time I didn't get much 'person' from him compared to previous films, and his later connections with Swann didn't remedy that. Likewise too many other characters do what they say on the tin – and it was only really Whishaw's Q that had some spark to him. Craig himself is strong as a presence, and this does bring out the feeling that he could easily have delivered more given the chance. Seydoux is a throw-back Bond girl, needing rescuing and not having a great deal of character. Waltz is a great villain because he is very good at this sort of character – so watchable in the last few films he has done, here they give him space and dialogue to be an imposing presence, and he does it well. The rest of the cast are very much supporting and doing so in defined roles – which is fine but seems a shame with so many big names.
Spectre is still a solidly enjoyable film; it doesn't live up to the hype, or the pressure put on it by Skyfall, but it is still a solid Bond. It does all the things you expect it to do, albeit with a rather workmanlike feeling that will make you wish it had been delivered with just a bit more spark and energy to it at key moments.