Spectre mines rich vein

IT matters not that James Bond is the least secret superspy in the world. It's hard to be anonymous when every half-crazed megalomaniac with delusions of world domination knows you by name. But 007 always gets his man - and his woman too. Audiences readily accept that a Bond movie is less about the suspense and more about the ride - exotic destinations, cool gadgets and hot girls included in the price of admission.

It's a deal that was first brokered 53 years ago by Dr No and renewed each time a new instalment arrives. A Bond film starring Daniel Craig is a Mega Event, with viewers expecting to be shaken and stirred. Lately, they haven't been disappointed.

The makers of Spectre - all too aware that 007 Fever is at an all-time high - have thrown in everything including the kitchen sink in the effort to make Bond 24 a memorable mission. The result is the longest (148 minutes) and most expensive (reported to be US$300 million) film in the series, complete with a checklist of elaborate action sequences - planes, trains and automobiles all present and accounted for - and a storyline that calls up ghosts of Bond movies past.