Review of Spectre (2015) by Barney O — 31 Oct 2016

WHAT I LIKED: Casino Royale was emotional, Skyfall stayed true to the old whilst developing the new, and now Spectre leans towards a much more classic Bond feel. As a result, so many moments throughout this film make you grin from ear to ear at the humor, thrilling action and the cliched (but just brilliant) style in which the whole film was directed, acted and scored. There's also some great character development; principally in Craig's devoted exploration of this dark grieving Bond to bring edge, but also a sense of sadess.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: It just isn't quite as emotionally engaging or gritty as Skyfall because it feels like some of the more emotional moments were glossed over to make room for the heavy plots, which despite 'tying up' being something Mendes usually does well, feel disjointed from each other. This makes for a rather underwhelming ending overall and the sense that things could have been more interesting had they strayed a little from the classic formula.

VERDICT: If you love Bond you'll love this - and you might love it even if you don't. It's a proper classic, but that does stop it having the overall appeal that the revolutionary 'Skyfall' did.