Spooks: The Greater Good

It does not has the Jason Bourne standard, but I really liked this movie. I didn't expect too much but it has a good spy-story with a great final.

MI-5
Original title: Spooks: The Greater Good
2015

I loved this TV series (MI-5 in the UK, Spooks in North America), so, tonight, when I saw it listed as a new release in Netflix I watched the movie (Kit Harington of Game of Thrones fame was no small draw). It seems I've watched it before because in IMDB I had rated it 8 out of 10. The difference between a 7 (good) and 8 (great) is that I would re-watching an 8. Now that I have, I think I'll settle into a 7 for the movie, and a 10 for the TV series, which I've probably watched and re-watched a few times.

An enjoyable film, nice to see some of the cast from the TV show in it, would recommend it to any fans of the TV show

"Spooks: The Greater Good" delivers a solid espionage thriller that, while not reaching the heights of franchises like Bourne or Bond, succeeds in entertaining with a plot full of twists, betrayals, and action. The film benefits from Kit Harington's charisma, as he effectively conveys his character's urgency and vulnerability, although his role is somewhat constrained by a script that often prioritizes spectacle over narrative depth.

The pacing, though relentless at times, can feel uneven, which might unsettle viewers unaccustomed to such shifts in intensity. However, the chase sequences and confrontations are well-executed and manage to hold the audience's attention, compensating for the occasional inconsistencies in the storyline. For fans of the Spooks series, the movie works as an extended tribute, but for those unfamiliar with the original material, it might come across as somewhat shallow and contrived.

Overall, it’s a decent piece of entertainment that doesn't break new ground in the genre and falls short in emotional and narrative depth. It's ideal for those looking for a light dose of intrigue and action without significant expectations.

The violence is a bit too graphic for my taste. And the story perhaps a bit too predictable. Some scene of [spoiler]getting into the back door of MI5 seems taken from the James Bond movie where the bad guys go into MI6[/spoiler]. Though perhaps that James Bond movie got its idea from this, not sure which was first :)
Quite good acting from most players. Not too big a fan of the Harry character. His motivations [spoiler]of helping a muslim terrorist[/spoiler] are strange and not very well gotten into. Not sure if that is due to his stone cold acting, or just bad writing.
I suppose most people get to this movie because Kit Harington is in this, but I actually got here because of Tuppence Middleton who plays the adorable Riley Blue in Sense8.
Not a bad movie. Dont expect anything too special though.

The decision of the filmmakers to essentially pick up where the TV show left off instead of rebooting with completely new characters, leaves this film with a difficult task and unfortunately anyone who has not seen the show will no doubt feel somewhat underwhelmed by it all. Much of the character development and some of the twists rely on audience awareness of characters and elements from the show to have their greatest impact and without that, it is likely to leave some viewers cold. That being said, it is easy to understand why the filmmakers stuck with this model as it allows them to ensure the series' greatest asset, Peter Firth, is front and centre throughout and for fans of the show (like myself) it is great to see him again, not least because he is the best thing about the film. It also does what Spooks often did so well, providing surprises in its willingness to show the murky choices Firth's character has to make - the tagline "The Greater Good" could be one that is equally applied to the show as a whole. Disappointingly however, whereas the TV show left us with a satisfactory sense of closure, the filmmakers are hoping for future instalments, and make the mistake of leaving Firth's character and the story, open-ended.

If you miss the TV show this is great, think of it as a series finale double episode and you'll love it. To make it a great film though it needed more

This would have been an interesting tv show

Don't expect too much, this is a long tv show episode. if you have 90 minutes to spare you can watch it but nothing that important