Spectre

James Bond is back. Daniel Craig returns, yet again, as Ian Fleming's infamous spy. Spectre is a continuation of Craig's previous appearances in the series and follows him on a journey across the world to discover and defeat an enemy organisation, Spectre. The film has several references to the previous Daniel Craig Bond films and features an interesting scene where Bond walks through a derelict MI6 building and is confronted by pictures of enemies and loved ones from previous films. This format, of continuing a story line instead of having stand alone films, has come at a time when the Bond films are moving towards a more accurate representation of the character and themes seen in the original books. 

Honesty time! Daniel Craig has never been my favourite Bond... I've been very vocal to fans of the films in the past about how the actor has never captured my attention and how I lost interest after his first appearance in Casino Royale. Even in a film that is arguably one of the best written Bond instalments, supported by brilliant actors and shot by brilliant creative minds - Craig was the least interesting thing in the film for me. I kind of wish he'd kept his mask on from the beginning of the film (which was an opening sequence that was shot beautifully and should be the envy of many filmmakers in the industry). It is an unpopular opinion but I cannot help but feel like Brosnan would have been more convincing. I'm looking forward to the regeneration of the Bond films when they eventually cast a new lead. This may re-ignite my love for the character and his adventures.

One of the things I was thoroughly looking forward to in this film was that the 'Bond girl' was going to be an appropriate age. For years, we've been watching this womanising spy lure and seduce younger women who become his companion for the duration of one film before he quickly discards them. However, for a change, Spectre was said to heavily feature Monica Bellucci. A woman who is actually four years older than her male co-star. All of the promotional material, from magazines to television interviews, suggested she would be a Bond girl and that James Bond was turning a corner towards more appropriately aged Bond girls. Even Craig himself spoke about how it was high time his character was with someone who was age appropriate in an interview with The Red Bulletin. But the reality is, Bellucci's character was simply another notch in Bond's belt. Appearing on screen for no more than 10 minutes, Bellucci provides information (and her body) to Bond before he disappears and becomes romantically attached to Madeleine Swan. Swan is played by Léa Seydoux, a beautiful woman - 17 years Craig's junior. The costumes, particularly those seen on Léa Seydoux, made me envious and gave us moments of what felt like 40s Hollywood glamour. The scene in which Bond and Swan are waiting for Oberhauser to collect them in the desert, is perhaps a perfect example of the aesthetics within Spectre being inspired by 1940s fashion and Hollywood glamour.

Andrew Scott was a surprising but welcome addition to Spectre. Playing the role of Max Denbigh, or 'C', Scott is a watered down version of his Sherlock character. With the same devious smile and mannerisms as Moriarity, C doesn't quite kill anyone himself but he is certainly responsible for many deaths worldwide. Partnered with Bond's enemy Oberhauser, he's taken over MI6 and plans to take control of the world's surveillance systems to help benefit the Spectre organisation. I find Andrew Scott's choice of roles to be limited - from what I've seen of him thus far - but excellently executed, which suggests that if Scott wanted to, he really could play a multitude of diverse roles. I do enjoy him as the sinister, smartly dressed character that he portays in both Spectre and Sherlock, and would love to see him develop his talent and choose more challenging roles.

The film has received astounding reviews and is already a huge hit with fans of both the films and the books. Admittedly, the plot was smart and I enjoyed the references to previous films. I thought that the opening sequence in Mexico city, shot in one continuous take, was captivating and a wonderful opening to a film that clearly attempts to adopt more artistic cinematography than its predecessors. Spectre moved at a steady pace without boring the audience which was helped by moments of comedic relief inbetween the high octane fight scenes. However, despite an otherwise wonderful film, I am still struggling to find Craig convincing as Bond. I cannot help but groan when he's seducing his many women and feel disinterested when he is supposed to be compelling. It seems that my days of enjoying Bond films are over unless I can some how get over my distain for the current Bond, James Bond.