SPECTRE Review (No Spoilers)

After the groundbreaking success and reaching the climactic heights of 2012's Skyfall, the people behind the 007 franchise had quite the hill to climb when setting out to bring Bond back to audiences in a refreshing and entertaining way. With Spectre facing the monstrous reality of following up one of the greatest Bond movies ever, it packages in some new ideas that give the movie much more meaning than other entries in the series, albeit with a few missteps in the overall conflict.

The main story revolves around James Bond, as a message from his past prompts him to take his own course of action and discover the secrets behind the newly-revived evil organization SPECTRE. Bond will go from Mexico to England, from Italy to Austria, and these locales are the perfect backdrops for some intense action sequences. As a matter of fact, the opening scene that takes place in Mexico City's Day of the Dead celebration is one of the best openings of any Bond movie, and it perfectly encapsulates both the high-octane action outlook of the film while also lying nuggets of humor to assure the audiences that it's okay to have fun at a Bond movie. Concurrently with Bond's quest is newly-appointed M having to deal with the backlash of Skyfall's events and Bond's new roguish nature, as MI-5 and MI-6 are being merged to more effectively control their surveillance operations both in the homeland and worldwide. These stories are a good contrast from one another, as Bond's own quest of discovery actually reveals more into who he is as a character than Skyfall ever did, and the question that perhaps spies aren't needed in a world full of cameras really drives the movie thematically, bringing Bond into a truly modern age.

The acting in this movie is superb. Daniel Craig returns as Bond in his finest moments ever, partially I fell because he has more to do this time around. The character's story is fleshed out in this movie and isn't there just to seduce the woman or blow up the car. The character has a clear purpose and his motives are genuine, rather than simply following the orders of MI-6. Ralph Fiennes returns for his debut commanding role as M, and he really brings his A-game as a man trying to keep the values of a long-forgotten age a reality. Other returning characters like Naomi Watts as Moneypenny and Ben Whisaw as Q are also given more to do this time round, and the film makes them more team-oriented rather than staying on the sidelines as Bond does all of the stunts. Newcomer Lea Seydoux as Madeleine Swann is the series' definitive Bond girl, as she portrays both an intelligent and headstrong woman to juxtapose Bond's rugged and concealed nature. The banter and chemistry that Craig and Seydoux share is actually really fun to watch, and probably the best chemistry Craig has ever shared with anyone in his Bond career. And it's clear that Lea has fun with the role, as she brings out a new angle of Bond audiences might not have seen before. Swann is the character that brings out Bond's humanity and it's an absolute joy to watch unfold onscreen.

What about the villainous characters though? The biggest name out of this list is Christoph Waltz, but the fact that Dave Bautista and Monica Bellucci are also on this list is nothing to shake a stick at. I've kept them separate because they actually have some issues with them, some that hinder the movie as a whole. While these actors all deliver fantastic performances themselves, the script didn't give them much to work with. On the antagonist side of things, it seemed as though the writers were trying to have all of the answers wrapped up in a nice little bow for the audience, but this is ultimately what took me out of the movie. Christoph Waltz's Franz Oberhauser is used as the connective tissue of the Bond universe as a whole for some reason, and this actually diminishes the gravitas of past movies in ways I won't spoil here. Dave Bautista's Mr. Hinx (who is actually never referred to by name) only serves to beat Bond up about every other 15 minutes. While these fight scenes are absolutely magnificent and intense, the fact that Mr. Hinx brings nothing but size with him makes him a lesser Bond henchmen rather than the likes of Jaws or Oddjob. It is a bit nitpicky, but it's a letdown to see a personality like Bautista not actually have any personality for the character. Finally, looking at the highly-anticipated Bellucci's appearance into the Bond series, don't get your hopes up. She's in the movie for 15 minutes, tops, and is completely underutilized.

And therein lies the problems with this movie: the story and villains are really underutilized. Most of the film focuses on the progression of Bond as both a spy and a man, yet forgets to provide any substance for the people around him. The returning characters only benefit because we as the audience have seen them before so the movie doesn't have to waste time letting us get to know them in any great context. However, when all is said and done, Spectre is a fantastic action movie and an awesome character study of James Bond and the world he lives in. If you're a fan of Agent 007, you shouldn't have a hard time enjoying this movie, but newcomers might have a hard time enjoying this movie on its own.

Rating: 7.5/10