Bond sheds some charm as he returns

Spectre
English (U/A) Director: Sam Mendes
Cast: Daniel Craig, Ralph
Fiennes, Christoph Waltz, Monica Bellucci, Lea Seydoux

Bond is back with a vengeance in this toned-down version of the spy-thriller series.
This edition has Bond (Craig) as a revenge-seeking spy who wants to hunt down the people responsible for his mentor M’s (Judi Dench) death.

His quest leads him to an organisation ‘Spectre’ led by Ernst (Waltz), with whom he shared some unpleasant history.

Bond, however, must meet two women first — Madeleine (Lea Seydoux) and Lucia (Bellucci) — to get to him.

Meanwhile, the new M (Ralph Fiennes) who took charge in Skyfall tries to save the double-O programme from being shut down.

Sam Mendes opens the film with an impressive scene in Mexico City.  However, as the movie rolls on, even the fine cast fails to help the bloated plot. There is no doubt about Seydoux, Waltz, Fiennes and Bellucci being stars in their own right, but they have little chance to shine. Bellucci is wasted in just a couple of scenes. Ben Whishaw and Naomie Harris as ‘Q’ and ‘Moneypenny’ are boring.

There are times when action sequences offer some thrills, but the movie stretches far too long — in fact two-and-a-half hours to finally reach the climax.

By the time you are told who is the man responsible for all of Bond’s pains, you would have stopped caring about the climax.

The scriptwriters also messed up Bond’s image and his adventure. He has been made to shed his reputation of being a sophisticated playboy and a ruthless spy.

Still, Spectre has style and Craig, but lacks lustre and adrenaline — the trademark of a Bond movie. If you can digest the meandering screenplay and some flaws, you can still have fun.