Everything about Spectre oozes class on the surface - direction, acting, music score, cinematography - and it is a hugely enjoyable piece of entertainment - and yet there is a nagging feeling that it is slightly less than the sum of its parts. There may be a sense of settled familiarity that takes off the edge, and the comfortable ease of the film's construction may make the thrills seem less compelling or urgent than in Skyfall, but it does mean that the viewer can wallow in the sumptuous design and cinematography and also admire Daniel Craig's invested and convincing realisation of Bond, the actor's sardonic wit and physicality both playing very well here. The supporting ensemble is absolutely terrific, from Christoph Waltz's wonderful villainous stillness that invests every phrase with cold menace to immensely watchable character work from Fiennes, Harris, Whishaw, Scott, Bellucci and Seydoux. The pre-title sequence is excellent, with other set-pieces working fine if somewhat smaller-scale and controlled by comparison. There is an interesting narrative through-thread from the aftermath of Skyfall that leads to a fair tying together of the preceding three Craig outings and what could be a reasonable resolution to this cycle of Bond films, but with a very obvious set-up for Bond 25 should the producers choose to follow the narrative through logically and unadventurously. Nevertheless, Spectre sees the 007 franchise still riding high, and Mendes, the producers and Craig should be credited for making another modern incarnation of Bond that is smart, relevant, high-quality and undoubtedly entertaining.
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