It's time to shake up the franchise and add some FUN!

Rating: 5/10 (1 March 2016)

007 is back, hunting for the head of sinister criminal organisation SPECTRE, which plans to use an international intelligence network to further its nefarious activities.
Spectre opens in fine form with a thrilling pre-credits action sequence that sees James Bond (Daniel Craig) narrowly escaping death when a building collapses around his ears before leaping on board a helicopter to do battle with a baddie above the crowded streets of Mexico City; then Sam Smith begins his godawful caterwauling, and the film never recovers.
This latest instalment in the long running British spy series is another overly sombre adventure that once again lacks the excitement and thrills that I remember from the Bond films of my childhood. People love to scoff at the Roger Moore movies, but at least they were hugely enjoyable slabs of blockbuster entertainment, full of exotic locations and colourful characters; in contrast, Sam Mendes' movies are drab and largely boring. I don't blame Craig—he actually makes for a great Bond—it's the overall tone, overly elaborate plots, and the film-makers' absolute refusal to have any fun that are to blame.