Disappointing Sequel, but Still Entertaining

Rating: 8/10 (14 November 2015)

As the direct sequel to Skyfall, no doubt that Spectre generates a lot of hypes but all high expectations are brought down to a moderate level after the theme song opening. The story starts off at Day of the Dead parade in Mexico, which is beautifully shot and the impressive cinematography remains till the end thanks to cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema and editor Lee Smith, who both served Christopher Nolan's Interstellar previously. Director Sam Mendes and three screenwriters did a great job for Skyfall, but Spectre which appears as Part II of Skyfall proves that their repeat collaboration is lacking fresh ideas in which the whole structure of the plot, not only slightly overlong but also exactly similar to Skyfall. Daniel Craig still looks awesome as James Bond, the potential of Christoph Waltz as the villain is let down by limited appearance while the chemistry between Bond's girl Léa Seydoux is slightly awkwardly developed. The scores from Thomas Newman are great, the theme song "Writing's on the Wall" by Sam Smith which sneaks at the very beginning is solid but generates underwhelming feel if compared to "Skyfall". Overall, Spectre is still an entertaining and visually engaging spy action flick even if the rushing production may have dragged a lot at plot wise.