Film Review: Spectre (12A) (U.K./U.S.A. 2015) (Director: Sam Mendes), VUE (OMNI), Screen Four, Edinburgh, Tuesday 27.10.2015, 18:30

This is obviously the latest of the 'James Bond' films. It is by the same director who had helmed 'Skyfall' (2012) and I would say that it is of equal quality. Having said this, I do feel 'Spectre' to be better paced and more playful than the previous effort. I would say that this film, in terms of it's acting and storytelling, has subtleties that feel uncommon when considering the 'Bond' cannon.  

I was going to this with the sense of this being potentially the last Bond for me. This is due to finding the character of Bond a tad rapey and the films generally far too male. I was then very pleased to find that the female lead character of Madeleine Swan, performed by Lea Seydoux, is the most equal to Bond of any of the female characters from the 23 films. The film is also, in my mind, the least misogynistic of all 'Bond' films.

The story is a good yarn and there are no parts that sagged or were uncomfortable. I found this to be genuinely mostly harmless fluff. There are a couple of scenes which cause me to question the wisdom of a 12A certificate. I think it should have been at least a 12, as though couple of scenes are not for the eyes of young children. 

The film also ends in a way unlike any other 'Bond' film. I agree with what Simon Mayo said on Radio 5 Live, that with how the ending is, that it makes sense for Daniel Craig to now step aside. The film also nicely brings all of the previous Daniel Craig 'Bond' films into the same greater narrative, which was a nice touch, considering that 'Skyfall' had previously always been talked of as being a stand-alone story.

As I said before in regard to 'The Raid 2' (2014), I think action films are a curious thing in that you cannot really consider them alongside other genres of film. Though within the field of action films this is another top-notch effort and a perfectly enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours (and a bit). 

Rating: 10/10.