donegalcat Reviews

Cyrano (2021)

Flat and lifeless

[4/10 · 20 August 2023]

I had high hopes for this film as its a classic tale but it is such a flat and lifeless film. This adaptation really doesn't work well as a musical with the songs performed so perfunctorily. Haley Bennett sings well although there is only one or two songs where her talent really comes through. The rest of the main cast struggle badly with the songs. Kelvin Harrison Jr's singing is weak while Peter Dinklage is completely out of his depth. Ben Mendelsohn is a better singer but his acting talent is wasted in his small role. Dinklage does better with the emotion of the role and his characters witty wordplay.

The film also looks cheap and ugly with poor set design. This is surprising from a director of such gorgeous period pieces as Atonement and Anna Karenina. But the dull colour palette and the small scale of the sets do not make the film an enticing watch.

Overall, a big disappointment.

Tenet (2020)

Convoluted mess

[5/10 · 8 April 2023]

Tenet too often feels like an overly long gimmick because the film lacks the plot, the characters or the acting to hold the attention otherwise. The film shows technical accomplishment in depicting action in reverse but that is about it.

The plot is a convoluted mess and long before the end I lost interest in trying to follow it.

There may be multiple timelines and versions of the characters, but the film doesn't make them interesting enough to care. John David Washington in the lead role lacks charisma and isn't strong enough to carry the film. Branagh's accent is all over the place as the weak Russian villain. Pattinson does better as the stereotypical shady fixer while Debicki is solid as the damsel in distress.

Going into this I was hoping for something along the lines of Inception but instead Tenet just continues the long decline from Christopher Nolan since that 2010 hit.

John Wick (2014)

By the numbers action

[5/10 · 11 March 2023]

Disappointing film that wants to be an arthouse thriller but is just boring and pointless. Keanu Reeves plays John Wick, a character seen so many times before - a retired hitman. There are plenty of films where a retired hitman/mercenary/special agent/detective/superhero comes out of retirement for one last job/revenge. John Wick does nothing to stand out from the crowd. The action scenes are well choreographed. But the plot is predictable and derivative. And John Wick is too brilliant, too superhuman, that there is no tension to the action scenes. Apart from some decent choreography and a fantastic albeit utterly wasted cast, there is nothing to really recommend this film. Better off watching the Bourne films which did this story much better.

My Policeman (2022)

Dull and staid

[5/10 · 7 February 2023]

There is a powerful story at the core here that isn't given justice by this poor adaptation. It is an unfortunately too common story of forbidden love repressed by the homophobia of the state in the 1950s, a story which bears some similarities with The Imitation Game which was a far more compelling and effective film.

There are good performances by David Dawson and Emma Corrin. The older actors are given far too little to work with though with fantastic actors Gina McKee and Rupert Everett utterly wasted in their roles. Harry Styles has top billing but is clearly unpolished as an actor.

The denouement also leaves a bitter taste as the villain of the piece rides off into the sunset happy while leaving their victims to rebuild.

Its a shame as the film had potential.

The Starling (2021)

Slow, boring, pointless film

[3/10 · 15 September 2022]

When I saw the cast I was intrigued and decided to watch it before I saw the negative critics reviews. Big mistake. The talented cast are wasted on this pathetic film. The story is derivative and lazy, the dialogue hackneyed. The starling itself is an incredibly ugly use of CGI. The whole film is utterly boring with nothing to hold the interest as any attempts at jokes fall completely flat. Melissa McCarthy, Chris O'Dowd and Kevin Kline are always watchable but they deserve so much better than this. Timothy Olyphant barely features and shouldn't have bothered. Its hard to fathom that this film had the same director as Hidden Figures, a vibrant and hugely entertaining film. Avoid this film at all costs.

Wild Mountain Thyme (2020)

Excruciatingly awful twee rubbish

[2/10 · 2 July 2022]

An excruciatingly awful romcom set in a false American view of the west of Ireland. There has been plenty of media commentary on the terrible accents, but they really truly are the worst Irish accents in film. Other than Jon Hamm as the sleazy American, a role he plays so often, the other actors are woefully miscast. The dialogue is atrocious. Despite being set in the present day, the characters talk and behave like they're in the 1950's. There is no chemistry between the two romantic leads. There is no dramatic tension leading up to the conclusion. Much of the film is given over to advertising major Irish corporations. This is a truly awful film and everyone involved should be absolutely ashamed.

Sicario: Day of the Soldado (2018)

Flawed and troublingly racist film

[4/10 · 26 May 2021]

What was strange about this film is the distinct lack of dramatic tension throughout. For a film with such a story and themes, such a lack is curious. The set pieces are too short and inert.

The strong cast is wasted. While Josh Brolin is on form, Del Toro and Keener in particular are on autopilot while Donovan, Modine and Whigham barely feature.

But what was particularly troubling about this film was its message. It portrays everyone who isn't American as a terrorist or gangster. And its terrorist plot turns out to be inconsequential to the rest of the story. But the depictions fit in with the American racist narrative of demonising Muslim people as terrorists and Mexicans as drug dealers and gangsters. There is no nuance to these characters while the film is at best ambivalent about if not on the side of its real villains, the American government and its agencies who engage in murder, torture and terrorist atrocities.

The Boys in the Band (2020)

Outdated play gets an outdated remake

[4/10 · 23 October 2020]

This film feels like a missed opportunity. There was an opportunity to take the play and update it for a modern audience but instead it is a direct remake. A strong cast is wasted on cliches that were outdated even when the original film was released fifty years ago. The film offers nothing new while retaining all the worst elements of the original. Keeping offensive racial slurs in the film seems particularly odious. Overall a waste of time.

Justice League (2017)

Shoddy effects, boring story, rubbish dialogue

[4/10 · 19 August 2020]

Disastrous effort. Took three attempts to watch it all the way through as it kept putting me to sleep. The story is so by the numbers. The attempts at quips and one liners fall flat. But the worst thing about this film is the CGI, for a film with such a high budget and investment, the poor quality of the special effects are truly shocking. This film tries to lay a challenge to the Avengers films and doesnt even get close.

The King (I) (2019)

Dark and gritty take on Shakespeare

[8/10 · 4 November 2019]

The King is a suitably dark and gritty adaptation of Shakespeare's Henriad play's, Henry IV Parts 1 and 2 and Henry V. Avoiding the warlike triumphalism of some of the previous adaptations, King Henry V is portrayed here as a reluctant monarch and quiet pacifist forced into a war he doesn't want. The film is probably more accurate to actual history than the sanitised version presented in Shakespeare's plays. The battle scenes are bloody, brutal and dirty. The key battle of Agincourt is presented as a muddy quagmire of hand to hand combat rather than the heroic battle of legend. The film shows the brutal reality of medieval warfare and ultimately its futility.

Timothee Chalamet as Henry V and Joel Edgerton as Falstaff both put in strong performances while there are good cameos from Robert Pattinson, Ben Mendelssohn and Lily-Rose Depp. And the film is visually impressive.

The one downside are the accents. French-American actor Timothee Chalamet struggles with the English accent while English actor Robert Pattinson makes a laughable attempt at a French accent in playing The Dauphin. One can't help but wonder if they might have been better off switching roles.

Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

Incomprehensible Mess

[4/10 · 12 May 2019]

The weakest of the Avengers films that I have seen. It is an absolute mess. The plot is all over the place and impossible to follow. Action scenes roll into endless action scenes. Too many characters are thrown in and discarded again almost immediately. Characters change motivations with almost no explanation. All this combined to make the film a boring chore to watch as I struggled through it. The fact that this film made so much money and was universally loved says much about the gullibility of most Marvel fans who will swallow anything as long as all the characters are in it.

Nocturnal Animals (2016)

Beautifully shot, but cold and lifeless

[6/10 · 28 December 2018]

Nocturnal Animals is beautifully shot throughout but at the same time it is cold and lifeless. The characters fail to elicit any sympathy, particularly the central character played by Amy Adams. The camera adores Adams with its languorous shots of her, but her cold character, and Adams lack of emotional range as an actor leaves the viewer cold and unsympathetic.

Amy Adams plays Susan Morrow, a wealthy art gallery owner whose ex-husband, Edward, a writer, played by Jake Gyllenhall, sends her a draft of his new novel. The plot of the novel plays out in parallel with Susan's present while reading the novel and past scenes from her relationship with Edward.

The story within a story, the novel, is diverting in its early stages and grips the viewer. Early scenes in it, with Gyllenhall also playing the role of the novels protagonist Tony, as he and his family come across a group of violent thugs, are powerful. Aaron Taylor-Johnson, as Ray Marcus, the gang leader is particularly terrifying.

But the film slows after that as Michael Shannon's cop gets involved in helping Tony while Susan's story struggles to find a decent conclusion. The film is left without any real substance beyond the first half-hour and peters out.

The film has strong performances by Taylor-Johnson and the ever reliable Shannon. But Adams and Gyllenhall are too weak in the central roles to carry the film. While a whole series of strong actors including Andrea Riseborough, Michael Sheen and Laura Linney are wasted in throwaway roles.

Apart from its cold beauty and the performances of Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Michael Shannon there is nothing to recommend this film which is a major disappointment after director Tom Fords excellent debut film A Single Man.

Black '47 (2018)

Poorly made horror western famine tragedy

[4/10 · 9 September 2018]

The film details a soldier, Feeney, returned home to rural Connemara in 1847, after fighting in the British army in Afghanistan. Connemara, like the whole of the west of Ireland in 1847 was going through the worst year of the famine. Coming to terms with the evictions and deaths of his family, Feeney sets out to get revenge on the local landlord and his agents. The film has been compared to others such as Django Unchained and The Outlaw Josey Wales but while there might be similarities in theme and story there is no similarity in quality. There is a level of authenticity with the widespread use of the Irish language but much of the dialogue is risible. It is unrealistic and unnatural. The tone of the film is uncertain as it veers between horror and tragedy underlined by a soundtrack that varies between typical horror and diddly-aye. While vague almost supernatural elements to Feeneys fighting prowess add to the horror element but detract from the attempts at gritty realism. And despite the bloody violence, the film shies away from showing the actual horrors of the famine. The people look remarkably healthy even while dying of starvation. As for the characters, many of them are so thinly written that we end up with stock characters, with no understanding of their motivations. Most obvious in the characters played by Stephen Rea and Barry Keoghan. And its a shame that such a strong cast, who put in some excellent performances are let down by such poor characterisation and dialogue.

It is surprising that there hasn't previously been a film made about the Irish famine as there is a compelling story to be told there. Unfortunately this film fails to deliver on such potential.

The Party (I) (2017)

Limited and stagey satire

[6/10 · 1 September 2018]

An excellent ensemble cast fail to lift the film from its limitations. The film comes across very much as a theatre play. There is nothing to suggest it benefits from being filmed rather than staged. The satire, while acerbic is a very obvious commentary on a post-Brexit, post Trump world with clear reference to British politics. But the satire has a cynical edge to it that makes the film unpleasant viewing as all of the characters compete for nastiness. While none of the supposed twists and turns come as any surprise. The plot such as it is concerns a newly promoted politician who hosts a dinner party to celebrate. Things turn sour almost immediately as the guests start to arrive. The film moves straight into the drama with no build-up and the film is noticeably short. It could have benefitted from a slower pace and more character development. As it is, the characters are rather crude stereotypes who fail to elicit any sympathy. Its all quite a shame as the film had potential. As expected from such a heavyweight cast, the performances are all strong. And the current political climate offers plenty of material for satire which the film fails to fully exploit.

Bridge of Spies (2015)

Competent, unspectacular but enjoyable

[7/10 · 24 March 2018]

A well-made and acted but understated cold-war drama about the exchange of prisoners between the USA and the USSR in Germany.

Tom Hanks is reliably good as the insurance lawyer James Donovan, drawn into cold-war intrigue, representing a Soviet spy Rudolf Abel in court. Mark Rylance gives a quiet, understated performance as the spy. Rylance is competent, but the performance is rather a surprising nod for an Oscar.

After an American spy pilot is shot down over Soviet air space, much of the film is set in Berlin as Donovan negotiates with Soviet and East German authorities for the release of the pilot and an American student captured in East Berlin in exchange for Abel.

The scene where the pilots plane is shot down, is poorly filmed with cheap special effects.

But otherwise the film is well shot with excellent period detail and atmosphere. Although some of the scenes in East Berlin verge slightly on absurd, a hint of the Coen brothers influence as screenwriters for the film.

Amy Ryan is largely wasted as Donovan's wife while the early scenes detailing Abels court case feel a bit short and underdeveloped. And the final scenes fall prey to Steven Spielberg's usual twee sensibilities. But overall, the film represents a decent notch in the well worn and capable partnership between Spielberg and Hanks.

The Shape of Water (2017)

Fantastical but gritty romance

[9/10 · 18 February 2018]

The Shape of Water is a new take on a very old story as a lowly cleaning woman falls in love with an unusual creature and must protect it from the authorities who wish to destroy it. While the story is not original, harking to films as diverse as Beauty and the Beast, ET and Free Willy, the film is still a delight to watch. Written and directed by Guillermo DelToro, the film is similar in style to much of his work, combining his usual magical fantasy with gritty, sometimes violent social realism.

Sally Hawkins is delightful as the mute cleaner working in a secret government facility where the water creature is held. Her performance is wonderfully expressive and there is great interplay between her and co-stars Richard Jenkins as her neighbour and Octavia Spencer as her colleague. Michael Shannon growls and bites devilishly as the villain out to kill the creature and anyone who gets in his way.

The film wears its 1960's setting well with frequent references to cold war politics, the space race and contemporary culture. While the film also pays adoring homage to older cinema including a lovely dance scene evocative of early musicals.

Alexandre Desplat's soaring score beautifully underlines the film.

Overall, despite the weak story, the film is a joy to watch. Well acted by a fantastic cast and visually sumptuous, the film is one of Del Toro's best.

Handsome Devil (2016)

Dead Poets Society does Rugby

[7/10 · 17 August 2017]

The age-old story of an unlikely friendship between the athlete and the outsider with a large dose of Dead Poets Society thrown in.

Its not original but the film is heart-warming and full of charm. Well acted throughout with many well known names in cameo roles. The most well known is Andrew Scott who plays the unconventional English teacher who tries to encourage the outsider while helping the developing friendship with the schools star rugby player. The film is emotionally manipulative at times, pulling familiar tricks to get the viewers sympathy but its easy to forgive when the characters and dialogue are so charming. The use of voice-over and split screen are not always effective and detract from the film at times. And the lead characters could have been developed more. But overall Handsome Devil is a charm and an easy pleasure to watch.

Stonewall (2015)

Massively disappointing and revisionist

[4/10 · 12 May 2017]

I was reluctant to watch Stonewall as I had read much of the criticisms regarding the whitewashing of the historical events. And the criticisms were born out. The Stonewall Inn in the film is overwhelmingly populated by young white men with the lead role going to a white, Midwesterner, new to New York, escaping his small homophobic town. The narrative of this character is a worthwhile story to be told and could have made a decent film. But it does not fit with the story of Stonewall. The film sidelines the trans people, the drag queens, the lesbians, the Latinx and African Americans who played the central role in the actual events of Stonewall. They are given tokenistic roles, in a sop to history, presented there to be mocked and beaten while given no agency in the events of Stonewall.

But even beyond the whitewashing of history, this is a poor film. The film, despite is 129 minute length feels far too short as there is no depth to any of its characters. They are merely tokens and plot devices. The plot piles on cliché after cliché. It feels like almost every LGBT film we have ever seen before.

But almost worst of all, is that the Stonewall riot barely features in the film. The film is over two hours long, yet its central event lasts just a few minutes near the end of the film. And there is no real build-up to this climax in the way of say 'Do the Right Thing' which is a great film about life in New York.

The only good things about this film are the acting performances of Jeremy Irvine and Jonny Beauchamp and a decent soundtrack.

Other than that, it is predictable, clichéd and boring on top of whitewashing history. A shameful effort at portraying Stonewall.

Arrival (II) (2016)

Decent premise let down by weak ending

[5/10 · 18 November 2016]

The film starts out with a good premise. A linguistics professor is asked to help communicate with aliens whose ships have appeared at 12 locations around the world. Amy Adams as the professor, along with a theoretical physicist played by Jeremy Renner enter one of the ships and make attempts to communicate with the aliens on board. This is the most interesting part of the film as the pair try to decipher the aliens communications.

But having established this interesting premise, one that is rarely explored in alien films, Arrival doesn't seem to know where to go next. It ends up with a weak and deeply unsatisfying climax with a cod-philosophical message about language, communication and world peace. And in a blatant piece of western propaganda, Russia, China and Sudan are marked out as belligerents willing to resort to violence as opposed to the Americans who just want to talk.

Amy Adams gives her usual one-note performance, with the same emotion she shows in all of her films. While Renner lacks the charisma or presence to step out of her shadow. Forest Whittaker and Michael Stuhlbarg are mostly wasted in supporting roles playing typically clichéd characters.

The film does look impressive with good visuals and excellent cinematography. There is a decent soundtrack and the film feels well put together. But scratch beneath the glossy surface and the film is vacuous and forgettable. The premise is ultimately wasted and cast aside towards the end leaving this viewer hugely disappointed.

The Killing$ of Tony Blair (2016)

Well informed documentary on the crimes of Tony Blair

[8/10 · 27 September 2016]

A well made, low budget documentary produced and presented by George Galloway, former Labour MP and scourge of Tony Blair's New Labour.

The film obviously focuses on Blair's role in the invasion of Iraq in 2003 and its aftermath, followed by his role as a Middle East 'peace envoy'. Blair's actions in supporting George Bush's drive for war in Iraq are well known and documented already and so most of the footage or analysis offers nothing new.

What is more interesting is the details of Blair's other exploits both during and after his time as British prime minister. These include his relationships with banks such as JP Morgan who employed Blair as an adviser or big business, such as Rupert Murdoch's media empire who Blair cosied up to.

The documentary's strongest point is in detailing the vast amounts of money Tony Blair has made since leaving office through various speaking engagements and advisory roles.

Tony Blair is a man who has made vast wealth from speaking to and advising all sorts from big businesses to violent dictators. All the while he benefits from taxpayers money paying for his security detail to protect not just him but also his many properties.

Various talking heads including politicians, journalists, diplomats and political activists are on hand to provide analysis including strong contributions from former minister Clare Short and writer Will Self.

The film is let down somewhat by George Galloway's ego which sees him feature prominently throughout the film. And at times he gets carried away by his sense of his own importance.

But if you can tolerate Galloway, it is an otherwise very strong documentary on Tony Blair, a figure who will live long in history as a pariah and war criminal.

Bobby Sands: 66 Days (2016)

Revisionist propaganda

[5/10 · 10 August 2016]

A documentary detailing the hunger strike by IRA member Bobby Sands in 1981 which led to his death. The film centres around the writings of Sands himself while he was on the hunger strike at the Maze Prison. Around that, we have a number of historians, former IRA members and politicians giving their views, interspersed with archive footage of scenes from the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

The dominant interviewee in the film is the Irish journalist Fintan O'Toole. He espouses, at great length, the idea that Bobby Sands was an artist, who in dying, was making the ultimate sacrifice for his art. O'Toole completely separates Sands actions from the political context of the time. Sands was in prison for a second time for IRA activities. He had joined the IRA in 1971, having grown up in a time of violence, discrimination and oppression of catholic people in the 6 counties. This is the context behind Bobby Sands' actions but it is barely mentioned.

The violence perpetrated by loyalists and the British army, against nationalists is never mentioned in this film. Only violence by the IRA is mentioned. The film even mentions the upsurge in violence in 1972, without mentioning the biggest reason for it, Bloody Sunday which occurred in January of that year.

And therein lies the biggest problem with this film. It is determined to present a very one-sided picture of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, where the IRA were the sole aggressors and everyone else, including the British were victims. At the same time, Bobby Sands is separated from the historical context by the constant positing of him as some kind of artist. The film disrespects Bobby Sands and all the hunger strikers by removing their actions from the political context of the time.

And while some of the animated sequences are well done, the editing is poor. Scenes are juxtaposed together which jar against each other. Thus the film doesn't flow very well and can be hard to watch, while certain scenes are unnecessarily repeated.

Ultimately, the film is revisionist propaganda, serving a particular political line. Decontextualising the hunger strikes from other events in Northern Ireland does not do the story of Bobby Sands justice.

Star Trek Beyond (2016)

Poor camera-work destroys the film

[6/10 · 25 July 2016]

As a fan of the Star Trek reboot films I had high hopes for Beyond. But it certainly doesn't live up to the standards of the previous two films.

After a very slow start, the film develops into an almost non-stop action film. The problem is that the terrible camera-work renders most of the action scenes unwatchable. The jerky camera just left me with a headache while its almost impossible to tell what is going on at times.

The plot is lazy and rehashes much of Into Darkness. The villain Krall, is very similar to Khan in his actions and motivations, while the climactic scene is almost an exact copy of that in Into Darkness.

There are some nice moments, Sulu meeting his husband, tributes to George Kirk and Leonard Nimoy. And Jaylah is an interesting new character, hopefully she is kept on for the next film. Although I would also hope that Scotty manages to stop calling her 'lassie'. Its sexist and got very tiresome.

Overall, the film feels lazy. Not enough thought or care went into the film, it feels like too many people were on auto-pilot in making it.

The Big Short (2015)

Witty expose of the banking crisis

[8/10 · 31 January 2016]

The Big Short focuses on four individuals who predicted the banking collapse of 2008 and so bet against the banks. Christian Bale plays Michael Burry, a hedge fund investor who in 2005 predicted that the housing market would collapse and bring down the banks. Other investors, played by Steve Carrell, Ryan Gosling and Brad Pitt soon get wind of Burrys prediction and decide to follow him. When they bet against the banks, the bankers laugh but take their bets thinking its easy money. But of course, as we know, these people were proved right as a mortgage crisis led to several banks collapsing while others were given huge government bailouts. The film does very well to explain the jargon behind the banking. Although the idea of getting celebrities such as Selena Gomez and Anthony Bourdain to give the explanations does wear thin. The film is very well acted, particularly Carrell who is on top form. Unfortunately the film does descend into Wolf of Wall Street style excess at times which can be wearying and seems to be a desperate attempt to add a bit of thrill to what is otherwise very dialogue heavy film. Women have a very small role in the film, other than when they are strippers being objectified. By the time Marisa Tomei reappeared near the end of the film, I had forgotten that she was in it. And while there is some mention, certainly more so than in WoWS, there could have been more about the consequences of the banking crisis for ordinary people who lost their homes and jobs. Overall though, the film is enjoyable and informative.

Oblivion (I) (2013)

Stylish but unoriginal

[5/10 · 6 November 2015]

Oblivion is a generally well made and entertaining film. The cinematography is very good, the sets, gadgets and special effects are all top notch. The film also features strong performances by Tom Cruise, Andrea Riseborough and Olga Kurylenko.

Unfortunately the plot is a disaster. At times it is incomprehensible, while also managing to blatantly rips off a number of other sci-fi films, in particular The Matrix and Moon while the Scavengers even look like Predator.

The film is good to look at, but brings nothing new and is ultimately a disappointment.

Spectre (I) (2015)

Formulaic, boring Bond!

[5/10 · 1 November 2015]

SPECTRE contains all the famous elements of a James Bond film - fast cars, beautiful women, explosions, dastardly villains in secret lairs. The problem seems to be that the director and writers seemed more concerned with including all these elements than creating a coherent plot or memorable characters.

The film begins with a superlative tracking shot following James Bond through downtown Mexico City during the Day of the Dead festivities. The sequence shows great technical skill but it is brought to a shuddering halt. Too often in the film, good sequences are ruined by jarring moments that don't fit. Later, a car chase in Rome, contains moments of attempted humour that jar against the overall dark tone of the film. And SPECTRE is certainly dark, almost all scenes take place at night, and often in the dark of abandoned buildings. At the same time, the car chase lacks the tension of a classic Bond chase scene, seeming more like an advert for the beauty of Rome than Bond escaping with his life.

This chase follows a largely unnecessary diversion to meet Monica Belluci's gangsters moll. Her role is completely inconsequential to the film other than to send Bond to a meeting with the films main villain, Franz Oberhauser.

Too quickly, the meeting is over, and overall, Oberhauser features far too little in the film. Of course, this could just be a set-up for appearances in later films, but it leaves SPECTRE lacking in villainy. This isn't helped by the fact that Oberhauser's dastardly plot is incoherent, and not a particularly frightening prospect. Oberhauser's plot is to take over global surveillance systems which suggests the films desperate attempt to appear relevant in a world following the revelations of the NSA and Edward Snowden. Oberhauser's plan doesn't appear any worse than the reality of what is actually going on in the world. Furthermore, Oberhauser's intentions are complicated by his seeming desire for revenge against James Bond over old family connections, a plot point borrowed from Skyfall and Silva's desire for revenge on M.

And as has become de riguer for Bond films, there is a mole within MI5 who is working for the villain, but its obvious from the start who it is so there is no surprise in the reveal.

The film borrows heavily from earlier Bond films with references to From Russia With Love, On Her Majesty's Secret Service and You Only Live Twice amongst others, as well as tying up loose ends from the previous three films.

This determination to pay homage detracts from the film as there is little original on show. Its a shame as the film has an excellent cast but in particular Christoph Waltz and Monica Bellucci are wasted. Lea Seydoux is good, but at times falls into the tropes of the Bond girls of old instead of the more nuanced female characters of the more recent films. It was nice to see more of Ben Whishaw as Q, but Ralph Fiennes is a huge step back from Judi Dench as M, while Moneypenny played by Naomie Harris fails to justify her larger than usual role in the film. Most worryingly Daniel Craig is on autopilot, seeming disinterested, no longer the perky young Bond of Casino Royale.

Overall, the film then is a disappointment. Sam Mendes brings nothing new here, hopefully the talk of him signing on for Bond 25 comes to nothing as the series needs a new direction.