--- title: "Spectre" year: 2015 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/spectre" fi1m_score: 58 critics_score: 57 critics_reviews: 27 published: "2026-09-16T23:01:44.038960+00:00" updated: "2026-09-16T23:01:56.436767+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Spectre (2015) Directed by Sam Mendes · 2h 28m · MPA PG-13 · Action, Adventure, Thriller **Fi1m score: 58** · Critics 57 from 27 reviews *In a sentence:* A Bond film that has seen all the other Bond films and would like credit for it > Sam Mendes’s second Bond opens with a tracking shot through Mexico City that is as good as anything in the series, then spends two hours reassembling old parts. Craig is still worth watching, the pictures are handsome, and the story under them barely exists. ## Synopsis Mexico City, the Day of the Dead. James Bond (Daniel Craig) is in the crowd in a skull mask, following a man named Marco Sciarra (Alessandro Cremona) with orders that did not come from anyone still at MI6. The job ends with a helicopter spinning over a packed square and Bond grounded by M (Ralph Fiennes) the moment he is home. In London, a new man, C (Andrew Scott), is merging the intelligence services and wants the double-0 section shut down in favour of a global surveillance network. Bond ignores the ban, borrows a car from Q (Ben Whishaw) and, with Moneypenny (Naomie Harris) covering for him, goes to Rome for Sciarra’s funeral, where the widow Lucia (Monica Bellucci) points him towards a meeting nobody was meant to see him attend. ## Review Sam Mendes’s second Bond film, after [*Skyfall*](https://film.one/film/skyfall) (2012), sets out to tie the whole of Daniel Craig’s run into one story. Every villain since [*Casino Royale*](https://film.one/film/casino-royale) (2006), it turns out, was working for the same organisation, and the organisation has a chairman. Four screenwriters are credited, John Logan, Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and Jez Butterworth, and you can feel each of them adding a room to the house. It opens with a shot that follows Craig through a Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City, into a hotel, up in a lift, out of a window and along the rooftops, apparently without a cut. It is the best thing in the film, and it happens in the first five minutes. Hoyte van Hoytema shoots it beautifully throughout. Mexico is amber and dust and painted faces; London is a cold blue-grey with the rain on the windows; Rome at night is nearly black, lit by headlights and the odd lamp; the Alps are white to the edge of the frame. Dennis Gassner builds the film’s one properly sinister room, a palazzo hall in Rome with a table long enough to seat a board of directors, the man at the head of it kept in shadow so we get only a shape and a voice. Jany Temime puts Craig in a cream dinner jacket on a night train and Léa Seydoux in a silver gown, and for ten minutes the film looks like the Bond it is trying to remember. That train is where it works. Dave Bautista’s Hinx, an assassin with silver thumbnails and no dialogue to speak of, comes through the dining car and simply starts breaking things. Thomas Newman drops the music altogether. Lee Smith holds the shots long enough that we hear the glass, the panelling and the breath, and the fight has a weight the rest of the film’s action never manages. Seydoux gives Madeleine a stubbornness the script does not always write for her, and Ralph Fiennes and Andrew Scott have a good running argument about whether a drone or a man with a gun is the more honest way to kill someone. Ben Whishaw’s Q is funny in a way the film could have used more of. Here is the honest account. We were thrilled by Mexico, properly leaning forward, delighted that a series this old could still show us something. By the time the film reached the desert we realised nothing since Rome had frightened us, and that we had spent the last forty minutes admiring hotels. Christoph Waltz arrives with the soft voice and the amused patience he is hired for, and then the script hands him a grievance so small and so personal that the entire architecture of four films is made to rest on it. We will not describe the reveal. We will say that when it came, we laughed, and it was not the reaction the film wanted. The tying-together is the trouble. Making every death since 2006 one man’s doing does not make this film larger; it makes the earlier ones smaller, and it turns Craig’s Bond from a man with a past into a man whose past needs explaining to him at length. Monica Bellucci is in the film for about two scenes. Jesper Christensen’s Mr. White, back from *Casino Royale* and *Quantum of Solace* (2008), gets the one conversation in the middle stretch with any regret in it. The last half hour, back in London, is where we were bored, and then irritated, because it is chase, countdown and a building coming down, and the film had already done all three better in Mexico. The in-jokes do not help. The dinner jacket, the gadget car with the ejector seat Q has not finished, the henchman who will not die: each is a nod to a film we liked more, and each is a reminder that we are watching an inventory rather than a story. Newman’s score leans on cues from *Skyfall* whenever it needs to tell us the stakes have risen, and by the second hour it has told us so many times that we stopped believing it. See it for Mexico, for the train, and for Craig, who is still doing the heavy lifting with his jaw and his shoulders and very little help from the page. It runs 148 minutes with a 12A, and you will notice the first number long before the end. *Fi1m score 58, published 16 September 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics call Spectre a competent Bond film rather than a good one; mixed verdicts outnumber the positive and negative ones together. Nearly every review measures it against Skyfall and finds it bigger but thinner. Praise clusters on the Mexico opening, a long single take that even the coldest notices admire, on the train fight, and on the locations and photography. Daniel Craig is generally liked, with Whishaw, Fiennes and Seydoux picked out in passing. The reservations are just as consistent: too long, a sagging middle, a plot overstuffed with nods to earlier Bonds, and a villain who does not convince. Several critics miss the emotional weight of the last film. The spread is wide. The Guardian gives it five stars and Eye for Film ranks it among the best Bonds, while The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times find it formulaic and exhausted. The warmest reviews are British and early; the American notices are cooler. ### Reviews we read (27) - **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (5/5): The critic finds the film a terrifically exciting and stylish Bond adventure that endorses old-fashioned derring-do while taking a pro-Snowden stance against surveillance. Craig's performance is singled out for its flair and sang-froid. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/oct/21/spectre-review-james-bond-is-back-stylish-camp-and-sexily-pro-snowden) - **Sight and Sound**, Kim Newman (75/100, inferred): SPECTRE lets some light back into the series after darker entries, with Craig's Bond enjoying himself more amid high-living escapism. The critic praises the parade of imaginative action sequences, lush cinematography and Craig's grit-and-charm performance while noting a thinner plot and wayward elements. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/film-week-spectre) - **Total Film**, Neil Smith (75/100, inferred): Spectre is described as a sleek, energetic entertainment that delivers on franchise expectations with bravura set pieces and brio, even if it falls short of Skyfall’s dramatic depth. The critic highlights the fluid opening tracking shot, atmospheric Rome sequence, and strong supporting turns from Whishaw and others while noting some pacing issues and thin character work. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/spectre-review/) - **Empire**, Kim Newman (70/100, inferred): The review finds Spectre a solid but less emotionally rich follow-up to Skyfall that successfully ties Craig-era threads together while delivering standout action sequences like the Mexico opening. It praises the return of classic Bond elements, strong performances from Craig, Waltz, and Fiennes, and visual flair, while noting some rote elements and a weak song. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/spectre-review/) - **The New Yorker**, Anthony Lane (70/100, inferred): The film is seen as a ravishing but near-despairing exercise in Bond lore and nostalgia. The critic singles out its visual beauty and cinematography for praise. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/11/16/human-bondage) - **Variety** (70/100, inferred): The film gets back to business in entertaining style after the more personal Skyfall. The critic singles out the sleek action sequences and iconography for praise. [Read](https://variety.com/2015/film/reviews/spectre-review-1201622685/) - **Little White Lies**, Adam Woodward (4/3/3): Spectre is the purest Bond experience of the Craig era, a 21st-century spectacle underpinned by reluctance to break from tradition. The critic praises the pulse-quickening stunts and set-pieces but notes the overlong runtime, derivative nature and underused female characters. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/spectre) - **Radio Times**, Jamie Healy (3 out of 5): Mendes delivers a prestige picture on a huge scale with an ambitious story arc tying previous films together and standout set pieces. The critic praises the epic pre-credits sequence and scale but complains that in-jokes and recycled thrills verge on parody. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-dv9alx/spectre/) - **Screen Daily** (50/100, inferred): SPECTRE falls back on formula to deliver a slightly flat, old-fashioned 007 by the numbers after Skyfall's emotional peak. The critic praises extravagant locations, stunts and classic ingredients but complains of over-stuffed plotting and a Dench-sized hole in emotion. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/spectre-review/5095793.article) - **Slant Magazine**, Jake Cole (50/100, inferred): The critic admires the symbolically sickly aesthetic and clearly shot action sequences, noting the film's critical view of Bond as a traumatized, destructive figure and its attempt at a redemptive arc. It excels in revisionism and some inventive highs but suffers from frustrating lows, including a hackneyed villain reveal and a climax that embraces cheesy franchise elements. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/spectre/) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, Stephen Dalton (50/100, inferred): The critic finds the first act impressive with dark portent and bravura filmmaking but the final hour disappointing with off-the-peg plot twists and characters conforming to type. It ultimately feels like a lesser film than Skyfall, falling back on cliché and convention, though it contains enough dazzle to keep the Bond brand afloat. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/spectre-film-review-2-833833/) - **Time Out**, Tom Huddleston (3 out of 5 stars): The film gathers the best and worst of the Craig cycle into a rousing but scattershot victory lap that works until it doesn't. Early praise for sleek control, visuals and Craig's charm gives way to complaints about an unconvincing villain, lost focus and absent emotional core. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/spectre) - **Financial Times**, Danny Leigh (40/100, inferred): The review notes a wobbly tone after Skyfall, with the film relying too heavily on business-class sheen and struggling to balance its elements. Spectacular set pieces are praised but overall the mood feels uneasy. [Read](https://www.ft.com/content/eec8fbde-7809-11e5-933d-efcdc3c11c89) - **Evening Standard**, David Sexton (35/100, inferred): The critic views Spectre as an overlong anthology of past Bond films that prioritizes sly references and travelogue over fresh plotting or ideas. While praising the opening sequence and some set pieces, he finds the villain unconvincing, the origins story redundant, and the whole exercise underwhelming despite strong production values. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/spectre-film-review-no-license-to-thrill-a3097166.html) - **Los Angeles Times**, Kenneth Turan (30/100, inferred): The film comes off as exhausted and uninspired after too many similar entries. The critic singles out the overlong runtime and lack of freshness as complaints. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-spectre-review-20151105-column.html) - **The New York Times**, Manohla Dargis (30/100, inferred): The film offers nothing surprising in its formulaic Bond plot and globe-trotting action. The critic singles out the technically impressive opening sequence for praise. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/06/movies/review-in-spectre-daniel-craig-returns-as-james-bond.html) - **Eye for Film**, Jane Fae (*****): Calls Spectre one of the best Bond films ever, possibly topping Skyfall, for tying together the Daniel Craig era's plot threads and exploring Spectre as a corporate surveillance threat rather than an outsider organization. Highlights strong casting and nods to classic entries while raising questions about Bond's relevance. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/spectre-2015-film-review-by-jane-fae) - **Den of Geek**, Ryan Lambie (4 out of 5): The critic praises the spectacular opening sequence, strong performances (especially Daniel Craig), and entertaining action set pieces while noting the plot meanders, feels overstuffed and too long compared to Skyfall. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/spectre-review-2/) - **HeyUGuys**, Stefan Pape (4): Praises director Sam Mendes for innovative set pieces like the long opening shot and the music-free train fight, and for making Spectre work as a contemporary blockbuster with a humanized Bond. Notes it suffers from mid-film tedium and an underused villain, falling short of Skyfall. [Read](https://www.heyuguys.com/spectre-review/) - **Deadline**, Pete Hammond (65/100, inferred): The critic concludes that while Spectre is no Skyfall and feels a bit tired and predictable, it remains stylish, intense, and entertaining enough for Bond fans with strong action set pieces. He praises the sensational opening tracking shot and locations but wishes for more wit in Craig's portrayal. [Read](https://deadline.com/2015/11/spectre-review-daniel-craig-james-bond-24-1201605607/) - **NME**, Olly Richards (3/5): The critic lauds the grand operatic scale, inventive direction, cast performances and action flourishes but criticizes the baggy middle, lack of substantial female roles and shift toward old-fashioned Bond tropes over tighter modern storytelling. [Read](https://www.nme.com/reviews/reviews-various-artists-16306-309465) - **Consequence** (C): The review calls it frustrating and messy despite a strong start with beautiful pacing, action sequences, and visuals. It squanders its potential in the final act with unfocused chaos and predictable revelations. [Read](https://consequence.net/2015/11/film-review-spectre/) - **Digital Spy**, Simon Reynolds (55/100, inferred): The review finds Spectre bigger, louder and longer than Skyfall but not better, with strong action highlights and performances undermined by thin character development, weak emotional payoff and an overstuffed script. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a674869/spectre-review-daniel-craig-embraces-bonds-classic-formula-but-it-doesnt-pack-skyfalls-emotional-punch/) - **Collider**, Matt Goldberg (C-): The critic finds Spectre a disappointing imitation of Skyfall that retreats to safe fan service instead of moving the character forward. It praises the adept direction and some set pieces but criticizes the bloated, lethargic storytelling and lack of innovation. [Read](https://collider.com/spectre-review-james-bond-24-daniel-craig/) - **The Playlist**, The Playlist Staff (C-): Finds the film starts impressively but ultimately disappoints as a successor to Quantum of Solace rather than Skyfall, with uninspiring action sequences and a patched-together story lacking suspense or cohesion. Singles out Léa Seydoux's performance and the train fight for praise amid broader criticism of the bloated runtime and weak plot. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/review-sam-mendes-spectre-starring-daniel-craig-christoph-waltz-lea-seydoux-ralph-fiennes-20151103/) - **Polygon**, Philip Kollar (40/100, inferred): The critic views it as the most disappointing Craig-era Bond film, failing to compellingly blend past and present elements despite strong direction and an impressive opening. It criticizes the script, nonsensical villain, and compromised emotional core. [Read](https://www.polygon.com/2015/11/4/9671634/spectre-review-james-bond-daniel-craig/) - **The Wrap**, Wendy Ide (35/100, inferred): The critic finds the film a frustratingly unsatisfying experience that prioritizes empty set pieces over character development or emotional depth. She singles out the opening tracking shot for its bravura execution but notes the thrills feel hollow overall. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/spectre-review-007-james-bond-daniel-craig-christoph-waltz/) ## Details - **Director:** Sam Mendes - **Director:** Sam Mendes - **Screenplay:** John Logan, Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, Jez Butterworth - **Cinematography:** Hoyte van Hoytema - **Editor:** Lee Smith - **Music:** Thomas Newman - **Production design:** Dennis Gassner - **Costume design:** Jany Temime - **Producer:** Barbara Broccoli, Michael G. Wilson - **Cast:** Daniel Craig as James Bond; Christoph Waltz as Blofeld; Léa Seydoux as Madeleine; Ralph Fiennes as M; Monica Bellucci as Lucia; Ben Whishaw as Q; Naomie Harris as Moneypenny; Dave Bautista as Hinx - **Runtime:** 2h 28m - **Certificate (MPA):** PG-13 - **Release (the US):** 6 November 2015 - **Genres:** Action, Adventure, Thriller - **Budget:** $245 million - **Box office:** $881 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4UDNzXD3qA ## Where to watch in the US - Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, hd - Apple TV: rent $3.99, hd - Amazon Prime Video: buy $14.99, hd - Apple TV: buy $14.99, hd *Checked 2026-09-16.* Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HU, ID, IE, IL, IN, IT, JP, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, TH, TR, UA, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## Awards - European Film Award – People's Choice Award for Best European Film 2016: European Film Award – People's Choice Award for Best European Film (nominated) ## If you liked this - *Skyfall* (2012), Fi1m 81: The Bond film this one keeps quoting, and the one that earned its grief. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/skyfall.md) - *Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation* (2015): The same year, the same shadowy cabal, and a great deal more fun about it. - *Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy* (2011), Fi1m 84: Spying as grey rooms and long silences, with a mole worth the wait. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/tinker-tailor-soldier-spy.md) - *OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies* (2006): A French send-up of sixties Bond that loves the thing it mocks. - *The Ipcress File* (1965): Michael Caine’s anti-Bond: glasses, supermarket shopping and a headache of a plot. --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/spectre