Spectre review: Daniel Craig’s Bond is good but not the best

Spectre begins with Daniel Craig's James Bond in an incognito mode as he joins the revellers in Mexico's famed Day of the Dead parade. And, you get your money's worth in those first 15 minutes. As always, Bond is pulled up for flattening up buildings in Mexico. And this time, an embattled M (Ralph Fiennes) has a special reason for being captious over 007's methods: a young upstart C is trying to replace the double-0 programme with drones and big data, and Bond has just given him ammo. But, at two-and-a-half hours length, the film is far too long and the climax has been dragged beyond patience. For those who are going to compare it to Skyfall, this simply isn't as good. There is neither the emotional connect nor the sweet melancholy that inhabited the last film, but it is a joyous ride nonetheless. And for what he made out of Bond, we owe this to Daniel Craig as he dons the tux for the very last time.