Film review: Spectre

It starts in Mexico City. The tracking shots of 007; swerving through the crowds, leading a mystery woman up the stairs into the hotel room, walking along the rooftops. Explosions grip us from the start, the storyline yet to unfold.

Bond is most definitely back.

Charming and courageous, Daniel Craig’s performance is everything you imagine it will be. Capturing the essence of Bond time and time again, 007 uncovers the secrets from the previous three films in the series in one thrilling masterpiece. With gadgets and humour, girls and cars, Spectre plays on the iconography of Bond, but with an edge. The wondrous performance from Craig leaves you with hope for the next film, surely they won’t get rid of him?

Every scene in Spectre is anticipated, but with twists and turns that make it enthralling to watch. The thrill of a fight-scene, Bond’s determination and forward thinking which Craig portrays wonderfully. The typical sex-scene, heart racing and expected. But, in the shadows of a boardroom, Bond is lurking. The eeriness and quietness from the scene make it one of the most tense, yet, intriguing scenes from any of the Bond films.

The exotic locations are typical to James Bond films, and these certainly did not disappoint in Spectre. The ancient city of Rome, the bitterness of Austrian mountains and the familiar backdrop of London all serve their own purpose and certainly bring a glamorous, luxury element to the film.

Music is a huge component for any film, especially James Bond. The anticipation of ‘Writing’s on the Wall’ gave us the first glimpse of what the film would be like and alike any Sam Smith track, was outstanding. Throughout the film, the music is brilliant; carefully selected and paced, building up tension or slowing it down, it is evident that Mendes’ selections for every second of this film were thoroughly pondered – something that definitely doesn’t go a miss.

The writing is as always, brilliant. Using the humour and sarcasm that, in the last film, made the Bond series’ really come alive worked just as well again; carefully placed and brilliantly delivered. As well as the humour bringing Spectre to a new era, the scripts don’t hold back on the one-liners that we all know and love. Together with incredible performances from not only Daniel Craig - but Christoph Waltz, Lea Seydoux, Naomie Harris and Ben Whishaw - just to name a few, the 24^th film in the series is no doubt the greatest film of the year so far.

This is the perfect end to a much-awaited sequel, one that I can’t wait to watch again.