Spectre: 5 Awesome Things (And 8 That Sucked) In The New James Bond

Ups

5. Mr White Is Brilliant

One of the key problems with Spectre is that it's incredibly kack-handed in its attempts to establish connections between itself and the previous Craig Bond films - more on this point later. Many of the connections ring false, but the one that absolutely sings in the stellar use of Mr White, previously seen causing Bond no end of trouble in Casino Royale and Quantum Of Solace. White, played with haunted relish by Jesper Christensen and looking like Jeremy Irons with 50,000 volts running through him, serves as the grim portent of Bond's doom, informing him, with a wisp of fear in his voice, "you're a kite, dancing in a hurricane." White's physical presence throughout much of Craig's tenure is the connecting thread that feels organic, earned. His decayed presence serves as another rich symbol of death amidst the skulls and crows and ruins that are scattered throughout the film. The audience even get to see a slightly softer side to the sinister former-puppetmaster, much-needed backstory fleshing him out from a sneering cipher to a fully-realised, even pitiable character. It's marvellous work, and an example of why you need directors like Mendes helming blockbusters.