Spectre (2015)
Certified: 12A
Duration: 148 minutes
Directed by: Sam Mendes
Starring: Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Léa Seydoux, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Dave Bautista, Andrew Scott, Monica Bellucci, Ralph Fiennes, Rory Kinnear,Jesper Christensen, Alessandro Cremona, Judi Dench
KRS Releasing Ltd

Daniel Craig returns for the fourth time as James Bond in Spectre – the longest and most expensive of the James Bond franchise. He’s a mix between the Sean Connery and Roger Moore versions of the spy: a spy who is sure of himself, comfortable with the gadgets but not overreliant on them, a Bond who can deliver the quips and live the high life and yet is down to earth and not afraid to get his own hands dirty in the harshest of ways.

Craig also brings out a different side to the character by depicting a deeper understanding of the character’s psyche.

The audience will feel that they have been both shaken and stirred with just the right touches

The film brings back the evil organisation of Spectre which was originally seen in the Ian Fleming novel Thunderball and the film Dr. No.

The octopus-tagged evil organisation will feel very relevant today as the film itself makes references to modern-day realities and how such a nefarious organisation could be the puppeteer role behind what we see on the news.

A main advantage in what makes this film work is that James Bond is balanced by an arch-enemy that is smarmy and evil. Christoph Waltz takes on the role of Ernst Stavro Blofeld and as continues on his excellent screen performances.

Léa Seydoux brings a silky beauty also lined with a certain intelligence that makes her very different from the usual Bond girl as she portrays the psychologist Dr Madeline Swann.

Daniel Craig, right, and Christoph Waltz (enemies on screen) share a moment at a Spectre event.

Ben Whishaw is once again excellent in his role of Q and he really insets himself well in the role of the hi-tech geek with all the gadgets.

Meanwhile, Ralph Fiennes as M, James Bond’s senior, delivers with all the British self-righteousness that he can muster and in his lines one can read a lot of subtext about the state of things in society and government.

Monica Bellucci’s role as the widow of a hit man killed by James Bond is a clear throwback to Bond’s attitude to women in the past. She handles it with a sensual presence that very much sets the mood. Sam Mendes has managed to deliver several stand out elaborate sequences that keep the plot tied together nicely. A sequence set in the Day of the Dead in Mexico City is shot in a way so as to leave one hanging on the edge of his seat as too is a car chase in Rome. Hoyte Van Hoytema brings a cinematography that has a tangible sense of strong, clear and focused beauty.

The way he shoots the locations makes for a crisp and lush viewing that gives the audience a sense of the here and now. This is especially felt in a sequence in Austria and also in a battle that Bond has while on a train.

The film’s duration may be daunting but the balance between action and intrigue for the most part is well-handled and continues nicely in the same mode and style of Skyfall. The plot can get to be a tad complicated but Mendes goes through the film with tight choreography and strong editing and thus keeps us on our feet. The balance between gritty and fan pleasing is well kept with references to the James Bond mythos inserted cleverly into the film.

By the end of this unusual spy epic the audience, especially James Bond fans, will feel that they have been both shaken and stirred with just the right touches.