BY DAVE WORRALL
No spoilers
The
hallmark of any James Bond film has been the opening gun barrel sequence. It
sets the tone for what's to come, and always sends a shiver up the spine in
anticipation of what is about to unfold. However, since Die Another Day this tradition has been revoked and (much to the
annoyance of millions of fans around the world) relegated to the end of the
films. Not with SPECTRE. It is now
back in its rightful place. Yes, folks, James Bond is back - and how. The
customary pre-title sequence is a stunner, and quite violent. There's no messing around. A lot of people die in this film.
Once
again, Sam Mendes has brought us a film full of excitement, tension and
sexuality that retains a freshness and
vitality in a similar vein to what he did with Skyfall. Although there are many spectacular chases and set pieces
(the stunts and SFX by regulars Gary Powell and Chris Corbould, are well up to
standard), Mendes maintains a sense of reality and plausibility, even though
there are visual 'nods' to the films of the past. It's clever, but not pastiche.
There is just the right level of humour, too, which Craig handles really well.
Refreshingly, I didn't once notice any over-the-top references to products
either!
The
casting is impeccable, and Craig, as usual, is superb. This really is his film. Christoph Waltz makes for a
perfect villain - a complex character who is equal (or even superior) to Bond,
which is as it should always be. As for the "Bond Ladies", Mendes has
triumphed once more. Monica Bellucci, who is mature in her years, is (for me)
the sexiest woman to ever grace Bond's on-screen adventures. Then again, I've
always been a sucker for a woman in a basque and stockings and suspenders. Sadly,
her part is woefully short. Lea Seydoux
is equally engaging and attractive, but not in a drop-dead-gorgeous superficial
way that we have come to expect from earlier Bond films, and thankfully her
character is integral to the plot, and not just eye candy. David Bautista, who
I assume the producers wanted on board as an Oddjob-type villain, does an
admirable job, and has a sinister and mean on-screen presence, although his
role was totally unnecessary. Likewise, all the ballyhoo surrounding Bond's
Aston Martin DB10 was wasted on me. The chase through the streets of Rome is not one of the
series best by any measure. Mi6 'regulars' Ralph Fiennes, Ben Wishaw and
Naomie Harris really come to the fore in this film, but I cannot comment
further without revealing plot details!
On the
technical front, the cinematography by Hoyte van Hoyetema (shot on 35mm film,
not digital) is as good as Roger
Deakins' efforts on Skyfall, and the
vistas of Rome, Mexico, Austria and Morocco looking stunning. London also plays a major 'role' in
the exciting finale where Bond races against the clock whilst dealing with
ghosts from the past. Brilliant! Editor
Lee Smith (director Chris Nolan's regular cutter) has creatively paced the film
, and easily justifies the film's 148 minutes running time, which seemed to fly
by.
Finally,
the music. Sam Mendes' composer of choice, Thomas Newman, returns. Whilst his
score for Skyfall was excellent, he
didn't 'arrange' enough subtle cues of the James Bond theme throughout. This
time around he rectifies that, with a superb score that also revisits Skyfall as well as using an instrumental
rendition of Sam Smith's title song 'The Writing's on the Wall' .
So there
you have it. Mendes' second Bond film, the 24th in the series, is top-notch
entertainment that will thrill audiences around the world - and also please the
'die hard' OO7 buffs who are so critical of their favourite secret agent's
on-screen antics. Oh, and there is a
'money shot' at the end of the film which totally threw me. I'm still reeling.