SPOOKS THE GREATER GOOD

SYNOPSIS –After a dangerous terrorist escapes Mi15 Custody a former agent is contacted by his mentor to find a traitor lurking within their midst It is a rare thing for a television series to make the leap to the big screen. This does not mean, of course, that is unheard of, the Mission Impossible franchise has proved to be more successful than its makers thought. On this side of the pond things are rather less exciting with the Avengers (no not that one) flopping badly (and no wonder!). On the one hand it’s easy to see why Spooks is a good choice for the big screen adaptation; the TV series, which ran from May 2002 till October 2011 on the BBC, told an exciting story of MI5 agents /spies which, in the current climate can certainly be said to hold resonance. Having not watched the tv show I was naturally curious to see whether I would be able to get interested in the story and characters or become hopelessly lost. I wasn’t lost; the film is accessible to a new audience although some backstories could have been fleshed out. The problem with Spooks is that it tries far too hard to prove its film credentials and, in the process, veers into the silly zone at some critical points. Indeed the ending seems so rushed and frantic that it looks like a misguided attempt to imitate that other tv series, 24, which does not match the tone of the rest of the film in the slightest. This is a pity because for much of the film the restrained tone, with a few action scenes here and there, works to the film’s advantage. The cloak and dagger intrigue is much more interesting than a clichéd gun battle (although we do get the constantly recycled plotline of a hunt for a mole inside the organisation). What we get then is a mostly effective spy thriller that sadly goes off the rails slightly towards the end, although to be fair the action scenes are still effectively shot. An open ending leaves it interesting to see if a future sequel might correct the missteps of this original attempt. FINAL VERDICT 7/10 a good thriller that successfully translates the world of the TV shows to the big screen.