We're still a few days away from the release of James Bond's next adventure, Spectre, but early reviews have already begun to trickle in. Given the success of its predecessor Skyfall - which grossed a billion dollars worldwide - the new film has a lot to live up to.
Director Sam Mendes is once again in the driver's seat for this installment; which pits 007 against an old nemesis, the mysterious Spectre organization from which the film gets its title. Can Mendes and series star Daniel Craig deliver a second time? Let's find out.
The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw gave the film a perfect 5 star rating, saying that Spectre is 'pure action mayhem with a real sense of style'.
The Mexico-set Day of the dead opening sequence - which has been a prominent part of the film's trailers and marketing material - has been singled out by many reviews.
Variety says it 'ranks among the great 007 intros' while Empire Magazine had this to say about the set piece:
'The pre-credits set piece, with a skull-masked Bond in Mexico City during the Day of the Dead, opens with a Touch Of Evil-style tracking shot that's a stunner (Daniel Craig just walking briskly across precarious rooftops with style is a thrilling spectacle) and delivers a definitive struggle-inside-an-out-of-control-helicopter climax most films would save for a finale.'
Not all reviews have been as kind however. The Financial Times awarded the movie just 2 stars out of 5. Reveiwer Danny Leigh writes:
'After the sombre excellence of Skyfall, Spectre tries to tweak the formula while clearly being thrown into panic at the thought. 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.'
The Hollywood Reporter had a similar reaction, calling it a 'two-step forward, one step back' affair that fails to match the height of its predecessor.
