Spectre
Director: Sam Mendes
Stars: Daniel Craig, Monica Bellucci, Christoph Waltz, Léa Seydoux
Duration: 150 mins
Class: 12A
KRS Releasing Ltd

With 2012’s Skyfall, Bond incumbent Daniel Craig and director Sam Mendes created one of the best 007 outings ever – a slick action thriller co-mingled with some honest-to-goodness emotional drama and a terrific if sad send-off for Judi Dench’s formidable M.

It proved to be one of the most lucrative films in the 40-year-old franchise. It was loved by audiences and critics alike, the actor-director duo setting for themselves and their exceptional filmmaking team a very high bar to reach with their return with this latest venture, the eagerly-awaited Spectre.

Let’s cut to the chase: if the resultant film doesn’t quite reach Skyfall’s heady heights, it skims close enough to merit a solid four stars, proving a more than commendable 24th entry into the franchise and will undoubtedly perform exceptionally well.

The plot pretty much carries on from where Skyfall left off. Proceedings kick off with a rather explosive sequence, which has our hero causing some mayhem in Mexico City against the colourfully macabre backdrop of the celebrations of the Day of the Dead.

Once the passable theme tune by Sam Smith is over, we get to the story proper which has Bond carrying out an unauthorised investigation on his own while the new M (Ralph Fiennes) battles bureaucrats in the form of the new head of the new Centre for National Security, Max Denbigh (Andrew Scott), a man out to terminate the 00 programme, deemed no longer relevant.

And so Bond deals with foes both within and without MI6 and an encounter with an old nemesis leads him to the latter’s daughter, Dr Madeleine Swann (Lea Seydoux), and the unveiling of a conspiracy involving Spectre, the shadowy organisation hell-bent on world domination, this time by acquiring the currency of the 21st century – information, acquired by means legal and illicit by not just nefarious entities but also by governments themselves.

Where the film falters slightly is in its emotional side

So far, so Bond, and it can be argued that Mendes and his screenwriters (John Logan, Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and Jez Butterworth) have created a typical Bond. The tropes are all there, from the sensational action scenes involving the requisite vehicular hardware, the stunning global locations – Mexico City, Rome, the Austrian Alps, Tangiers and of course good ol’ London – the Bond ladies (a smouldering Monica Bellucci and the alluring Seydoux), the gadgets and cars courtesy of loyal Q (Ben Whishaw), Moneypenny’s (Naomie Harris) invaluable help and M’s solid leadership while the plot features subtle ties to Bonds past.

And so, the audience will find themselves in exceptionally familiar territory. Yet with it comes the steely intensity Craig has brought to the character in his four rounds playing the role; with the lighter tone of many a pre-Craig Bond giving way to a more dramatic and serious one. Not that it is devoid of humour, mind you, the barbs coming often to elicit a quiet chuckle here or a hearty guffaw there.

Where the film falters slightly is in its emotional side. Skyfall dipped into Bond’s past and here hints at more. Here, Bond’s relationship with his adversary Oberhauser (Christophe Waltz – charmingly evil yet keeping it real) offers unexpected complications on a personal level for the spy, yet I felt this tantalising development was given short shrift.

Furthermore, while Seydoux is a worthy entry in the Bond lady annals, being much more than just a pretty face and effectively coming to Bond’s aid when he finds himself in some distress, their romantic subplot proves to be the weakest link in the film.

And while Craig and Seydoux do share some chemistry, the depth of their relationship isn’t convincing enough, especially given the importance it has to the film’s denouement.

That said, Spectre charges along at a bracing pace and the 150-minute running time whizzes by easily. The action sequences do exactly what they are supposed to do with the expected dynamism while the plot unfolds efficiently and effectively. Craig is now wholly comfortable in the role, and if the rumblings that this is his last Bond are true, then his shoes will be difficult to fill. As rough and tough as he can be suave and smooth he has always added interesting layers to the character.

Dench’s M is sorely missed, but in Fiennes we have an M who has always played by the rules but recognises they can be broken if they go against his principles.

Harris makes a welcome return as Moneypenny but could have had more to do and it’s great to see Whishaw’s bookish Q getting in on the action.