Director: Sam Mendes
Starring: Daniel Craig; Christoph Waltz; Léa Seydoux
★★★★
By Nicola McFadyen
I’ve never made a secret of the fact that when I’m older, I’d actually quite like to be James Bond. It’s always been something my Dad and I have done together, watch old Bond films on a Saturday afternoon while my Mum goes to the shops. I’ve watched and loved them all, and despite the slight blip of Quantum of Solace, I’ve by and large enjoyed Daniel Craig as Bond also. Skyfall rates in one of my top ten films of all time, so the run up to the release of Spectre for me was similar to waiting for Christmas as a very small child.
The first thing I noticed about Spectre was, while it was a classic Bond film, it was a classic Bond film that didn’t take itself too seriously, a factor which made the whole production more enjoyable. The film follows Bond as he is dismissed of duty, but naturally goes off and gets himself into all sorts of trouble; it’s difficult to describe the plot without giving too much away, but for people who have seen the last three, it ties up a lot of loose ends and leaves the viewer with a strange sense of satisfaction.
Aside from Craig, obviously playing Bond, Spectre sees Ben Whishaw, Ralph Fiennes and Naomi Harris reprising their roles as Q, M and Miss Moneypenny respectively, all of whom add depth and humour to the film as a whole. The film also sees Lea Seydoux take on the role of the “Bond girl”, something she does incredibly well, even if she is incredibly dislikeable to begin with. The film also features the usual wealth of amazing cars, (in this case the Aston Martin DB10) action scenes and spectacular scenery, as well as Bond getting himself into, and then back out of, some incredibly tricky situations. Christopher Waltz is a deliciously unhinged villain, and Andrew Scott is fantastic, as the new head of national security. Fans of Sherlock will be delighted to see him transferring his talents to the big screen.
The plot moves along at a fast pace, but is reasonably easy to follow, unlike some of the previous Bond plots, and has enough humour, romance and action to keep all viewers happy. Perhaps the only downfall of what is an otherwise marvellous film for me, is the truly tragic title music, supplied by the bleak Sam Smith, a piece of music that goes on for about three and half minutes longer than it absolutely has to. Classic cars, classic action, classic Bond, definitely a Bond film that’s going to go the distance.
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