Spectre

This review may contain spoilers!

A good Bond film but if this is to be Daniel Craig's last then he's bowing out on a weak note. I would give Spectre a 7.5/10.

The general plot of this film is actually quite good, Bond as a rogue agent is always exceptionally exciting and it made for a really enjoyable first half of this film. The cinematography in this film was extraordinary, the imagery was really good and the way action scenes were shot was a huge selling point. The fight choreography and stunt work gives the film it's intensity, you are hooked upon the action from the very start. However what makes the film is the wonderful score and Sam Smith's 'Writing's On The Wall'; this is probably one of the best film scores I've heard this year.

Daniel Craig, who played James Bond, continues to bring a powerful performance as the franchise's protagonist; he really delivers one liners well and he has a presence that makes you believe he is truly a lethal agent. Ralph Fiennes, who played M, has really made the role of M his own which is no mean feat following Dench; his wry humour and strong sense of righteousness really make him Craig's equal in this film. Dave Bautista, who played Mr Hinx, was able to play the best antagonist of the film even though he only spoke a single word; he was an incredibly dangerous threat onscreen and had a really strong presence. Andrew Scott, who played C, was another enjoyable antagonist; I think Scott was perfect to rival Fiennes in this film and he really delivered the motive to control information a lot better than Waltz did. Jesper Christensen, who played Mr White, was a brilliant cameo in this film; in fact his scene was one of the best in the film.

However the best performance came from Ben Whishaw, who played Q. Introducing Whishaw as Q back in Skyfall was one of the best things to ever happen to the Bond franchise. Whishaw was made to play this technical wizard, he can ramble off the information about his gadgets at an astonishing rate. I love the humour we get from this role as well, his wit and many of his lines really stand out for me in this film. Whishaw and Craig share some fantastic chemistry onscreen, one of the best moments of the film is when Bond visits Q for the first time in this film.

Spectre is a long film, sadly it's too long and suffers from a poorly written second half, a weak villain and tired subplots. If anything the film will make you think of Quantum of Solace; for the second time the plot revolves around the control of a resource and the major villain claims direct responsibility for all the villains in the past film.So already the story lacks originality but then it tries to do what Skyfall did; it attempts to include old references that feel cheap such as the classic 'Bond. James Bond' or the Blofeld reveal (honestly who thought that was a good idea?). James Bond has always seduced women but in this film women and romance are treated as a commodity that Bond can receive without very much effort. Beyond all these plot flaws I also thought the editing had some flaws, specifically the cutting in dialogue scenes was boring and at times quite jarring.

Christoph Waltz, who played Blofeld, plays one of his worst roles in this film; not only is he quite predictably Bond's adoptive brother but he doesn't seem to have much purpose and if anything he feels like far too weak of a villain to be behind all the actions of the past few films. Lea Seydoux, who played Madeleine Swann, is one of the worst female protagonists in a Bond film to date, she has no chemistry with Craig and you are never really convinced by their romance. Monica Bellucci, who played Lucia Sciarra, was in this film for a very sloppy sex scene; it felt demeaning and cheaply written. Naomie Harris, who played Eve Moneypenny, is a performance I didn't like in Skyfall and I still don't like her in Spectre; Harris has no presence or chemistry alongside the rest of this talented cast. Rory Kinnear, who played Tanner, doesn't really do anything in this film; he lacks screen presence and I question why he hasn't been killed off yet.