James Bond - Spectre

For his latest adventure, James Bond mixes the personal drama of Skyfall with the vintage globe-hopping action of the previous 23 movies. The result is an epic thriller packed with exhilarating set-pieces and dark surprises. Again directed by Sam Mendes, the film has a meaty tone from the astounding pre-titles sequence in Mexico City to the climax in North African. And it takes its time to build the suspense, mystery and drama in ways few blockbusters bother to do.

After the calamitous events at Skyfall, Bond (Daniel Craig) has gone rogue, following a videotaped message from his late boss (Judi Dench) to track a villain to Mexico, then continuing to Rome, where he woos the grieving widow (Monica Bellucci). Pursued by relentless goon Mr Hinx (Dave Bautista), he travels onward to Austria, he confronts an old nemesis (Jesper Christiansen), whose daughter Madeleine (Lea Seydoux) joins Bond to travel to Morocco to face the shady top boss Oberhauser (Christoph Waltz) in his secret lair. Meanwhile in London, the new M (Ralph Fiennes) is fighting to to keep MI6 in operation as new boss C (Andrew Scott) works to restructure British security as part of a global conglomerate.

Mendes stages this on a massive scale, with huge action sequences that are never rushed or choppy, beautifully shot by ace cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema. And it's all underpinned by darker personal drama between the characters, so every sequence features thoughtful conversation, witty banter, more clues to the larger mystery and then thrilling action. And as 007 hops from location to location filling in the bigger picture, the film feels like all of the classic Bond movies rolled into one.

Craig once again finds the balance between the callous spy with a licence to kill and the troubled man working out the secrets of his own past. He feels more relaxed in the role, even with suits tailored to within an inch of his life. And while he's still able to seduce any woman he meets, the truths he uncovers shake him to the core. Seydoux is smarter and steelier than the usual Bond girl, nicely keeping 007 on his toes while going weak at the knees. Bellucci is excellent in an oddly brief role, and Waltz is riveting but muted as the super-villain connected to everything in the past four 007 films. And the superb Fiennes, Ben Whishaw (as Q) and Naomie Harris (as Moneypenny) get in on the action a bit more this time.

There's also plenty of current resonance to balance the old-school spy antics. This is a movie about cyber-terrorism, nano-technology, surveillance operations and remote-control warfare. But the film's real power is in its punchy personal touches, as Bond goes off the rails to discover unwanted things about himself. Yes, there are still gadgets, flashy cars and lots of helicopters in perilous action mayhem, but this is also a continuation of the introspective story that began with Craig's franchise relaunch in Casino Royale: an earthier, more engaged Bond who feels every physical and emotional punch. And where he goes from here should be fascinating.

Watch 'Spectre' Trailer