When Spooks burst onto TV screens in 2002 it was ground breaking television, like nothing the UK had ever seen before. Unafraid to push boundaries and challenge its audience right from the very first episode (that deep fat fryer scene!!!) it was still going strong, when it ended ten series, and multiple cast changes later. And while I will admit I have only seen the first two and the final series, a big screen version seemed like the natural progression for a show that always seemed bigger than its small screen origins.

Spooks: The Greater Good doesn’t do the TV series justice! It feels like the team behind it were playing safe. I understand that transferring something from the small screen to the big is always a gamble, especially when the source material has been off air for 4 years! But I think that here they have made the mistake of playing it too safe, and as such have lost some of what made the TV show so popular in the first place.

For a start the plot feels like something I have seen before, probably because I have. The central elements have been taken from various spy thrillers, including John le Carré’s Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. I don’t have a particular problem with one thing being inspired by another, but the real problem here, is not just feeling you have seen it before, but that you have seen done better.

This could have been forgiven if the characters had been stronger. One of the strengths of the TV series was that even with its changing cast, the characters all had depth. Here, for the most part, they come across as one dimensional and, if I am being completely honest, bland! Even Kit Harrington’s protagonist, Will Holloway,  feels lacking, a disappointment made worse by the fact that an intriguing back story involving the mysterious death of Will’s father during an operation with Harry is wasted, seemingly forgotten about by the writers for the majority of the film. Admittedly not all the characters are bad, Tuppence Middleton in particular shines as loyal MI5 operative June, but not enough time is spent on her character and again it feels like potential wasted.

I’m not saying that the film is bad; in fact there are some very good elements. The decision to make the terrorist an American, albeit with a Pakistani background, is brave and taps into societies fear about the radicalisation of westerners by ISIS. While the true strength of the film, lies with Harry Pearce, played brilliantly by Peter Firth. Taking the beloved character, who had been Spooks‘ continuing, stabilising presence during its 10 series run and throwing him out into the cold is a stroke of genius. His old school spy craft and improvisational skills, keeps the audience not only guessing at his plan, but entertained.

As a spy film Spooks: The Greater Good is an enjoyable watch, but given the strengths of the TV series, it feels like a film didn’t deliver on its potential, as it was a film that could have been so much more!

E