Spectre

Director: Sam Mendes
Writers: John Logan, Neal Purvis
Stars: Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Léa Seydoux
Strengths: Action sequences, Acting
Weakness: Long runtime, Weak Story
Runtime: 148 minutes
Rating: 4/5

Plot: A cryptic message from Bond's past sends him on a trail to uncover a sinister organization. While M battles political forces to keep the secret service alive, Bond peels back the layers of deceit to reveal the terrible truth behind SPECTRE.

Review: If there is such a thing as "James Bond's Greatest Hits," then Spectre is it. The 25th Bond pays homage to all that was great and grand about the long running franchise. This film also firmly establishes Craig as one of the best to have portrayed the titular character. 

The film starts off in downtown Mexico City during the riotous Day of the Dead festivities. After a spectacular demolition and helicopter fight leaves a trail of carnage, James Bond is grounded by his jittery bosses. But he defies their orders as he races to Rome, the Austrian Alps, and the Moroccan desert in search of Franz Oberhauser, the shadowy mastermind behind an all-powerful criminal cartel called Spectre, reviving an iconic piece of 007 folklore dating back to the Sean Connery era.

Meanwhile, back in London, M, Moneypenny, and Q are fighting for survival against an ambitious government mandarin called C who plans to shut down the 00 agent program and replace it with his own sinister high-tech surveillance network.

Sam Mendes, who directed the critically acclaimed Skyfall, returns here as well, although, it seems he hasn't been able to pull of the same magic again. Spectre, as I said before, can be taken as a Bond's Greatest Hit, but that's not necessarily a good thing. There are many elements of the old Bond franchises which should have been left behind in the era they belonged in. After Bond's thorough character building and reinstating to the modern era in Skyfall, it just feels like Spectre took 3 steps back by trying to plug it in with the old classics.

Despite this shortfall however, the movie is still enjoyable, and the action scenes and locations are to die for. Craig has really managed to shine in this latest outing as Bond. Plus, Bond's new chariot is a sight to behold and of course, Monica Bellucci is one of the Bond girls, and that alone should be worth the watch.  

Reviewed by Intisab Shahriyar