There is no doubting the fact that this has been one of the most eagerly anticipated films of the year so far. Very little about this latest James Bond outing has been given away – even if you have watched the clever trailer released a few months ago. But now fans don’t have to wait any longer – so what have the critics made of it?
The Guardian: Peter Bradshaw awarded the film five stars describing it as: “a terrifically exciting, spectacular, almost operatically delirious 007 adventure”.
The Telegraph: Robbie Collin also awarded the film five stars saying: “Spectre pulls it off in the grand old Fleming style”.
The Independent: Geoffrey MacNab gave the film four stars feeling that the end result is: “a very vivid and tremendously well-crafted action thriller, seeped in 007 history and tradition.”
Variety: Guy Lodge commented: “A wealth of iconography — both incidental and integral — from the series’ founding chapters is revived here, making “Spectre” a particular treat for 007 nerds, and a businesslike blast for everyone else.”
The Daily Mail: Brian Viner gave the film four stars saying: “It is a neat nod to 21st century espionage and warfare. Yet this film is very much a throwback.”
NME: Olly Richards felt the audience’s enjoyment depends on how they felt about Bond: “f you miss the old days, with the world in elaborate peril and everything done with a big wink, this is a solid example of that. If you preferred the lower stakes but tighter storytelling of the new era, Spectre may feel like your dad’s Bond.”
But the Financial Times wasn’t so convinced with Danny Leigh giving it two stars and commenting that: “Everything feels so reliant on its business-class sheen, the grooming, tailoring and tie-pins, that anything other than gunmetal and a scowl unbalances the tone.”
Digital Spy felt the same to a degree, awarding it three stars with Simon Reynolds saying: “Spectre is bigger, louder and longer than its direct predecessor – sadly, it isn’t any better”.
While What Culture gave the film three stars, with it’s film editor Alex Leadbeater saying: ” Spectre isn’t a bad film. It just isn’t really a great one. Whereas its predecessor was a truly brilliant movie that happened to be a Bond flick, this is a solid Bond outing in an average movie”.
So although the critics have mixed opinions about the success of the film in comparison to Skyfall (which doesn’t seem fair as each film in the franchise should be judged on its own terms not by its predecessor) it is still guaranteed to pull crowds into the cinema.