The Bearded Trio

Daniel Craig as agent 007 and Lea Seydoux as Bond girl Madeline Swann SPECTRE Starring Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Lea Seydoux, Naomie Harris,  Ben Whishaw and Ralph Fiennes Screenplay by John Logan and Neal Purvis & Robert Wade Directed by Sam Mendes Rated PG-13 (violence, profanity, sexuality) Reviewed by Paul Gibbs and Patrick Gibbs Perhaps the greatest danger in making a great franchise movie is that if the next one is merely good, it will be seen by many as a major disappointment. It happened to Joss Whedon earlier this year with Age of Ultron,  and it's happening to Sam Mendes now. If  Spectre  had immediately followed the disappointing  Quantum of Solace  it probably would have been seen as a triumph. Following  Skyfall,  it may be tempting to go too hard on what is in its own right a very entertaining, solid franchise entry that just doesn't hit the same level of inspiration. We first encounter James...

PRODUCTION NOTES SPECTRE Production Information **Possible Spoilers ahead** A cryptic message from the past sends James Bond on a rogue mission to Mexico City and eventually Rome, where he meets Lucia Sciarra (Monica Bellucci), the beautiful and forbidden widow of an infamous criminal.  Bond infiltrates a secret meeting and uncovers the existence of the sinister organisation known as SPECTRE.  Meanwhile back in London, Max Denbigh (Andrew Scott), the new head of the Centre for National Security, questions Bond’s actions and challenges the relevance of MI6, led by M (Ralph Fiennes). Bond covertly enlists Moneypenny (Naomie Harris) and Q (Ben Whishaw) to help him seek out Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux), the daughter of his old nemesis Mr White (Jesper Christensen), who may hold the clue to untangling the web of SPECTRE. As the daughter of an assassin, she understands Bond in a way most others cannot. As Bond ventures towards the heart of SPECTRE, he learns of a c...