Review of Spectre (2015) by Starbeast — 03 Dec 2015

In Spectre, as in The Dark Knight Rises, here is a film as much anticipated as it was doomed from the outset. For Bond's latest outing and in reference to The Batman's most recent adventure, Spectre follows directly on the heels of, and was perhaps unfairly expected to top a series best.

Skyfall, like The Dark Knight, delivered the knockout punch critics, audiences and the box office were all screaming for. After the success of both films, their respective studios and the film makers involved were tasked with what must've seemed like mission impossible; recreate that same magic whilst giving audiences something they had never seen before.

Cut to 2015 and Spectre arrives, much like The Dark Knight Rises did back in 2012, to mixed reviews, diminished expectation and division among it's series fans.

But is it all doom and gloom? No. While the film itself is not quite the well oiled machine it's predecessor was, and although it's stab at tying up all that has come before is thinly executed and is therefore annoyingly less than convincing, Spectre is however a worthy entry in the Bond cannon and the Daniel Craig era of Bond films. It succeeds in scope as a globetrotting action adventure, it is beautifully photographed and it's set pieces rival if not better much of what has come before, particularly it's pre credits sequence.

Unfortunately, like the film I've referenced here and for all that Spectre does have going for it, it will forever live on in Skyfall's shadow. Watchable, fun, sexy and cool but achingly and perhaps annoyingly running a close second to Craig's best.