The Name's Craig. Daniel Craig.

Rating: 6/10 (9 November 2015)

Spectre is written by John Logan, Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, and Jez Butterworth and it is directed by Sam Mendes. It stars Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Lea Seydoux, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw, and Naomie Harris.
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.
I left this movie with horrendously mixed feelings about the whole affair. Nevertheless I was thoroughly entertained and rather satisfied.
Though this movie is " reliant on established 007 formula," Rotten Tomato's verdict, that is the primary reason why it was so engaging. Daniel Craig's 007 movies usually start off with an epic chase scene and this movie is no less. Set in Mexico City during the Day of the Dead, this scene is as intense as it is realistic. The chase was brilliant but even I had no idea how great the opening credits would look. With detailed, rich symbolism that links all the previous Craig 007 movies together and another winning song, performed by Sam Smith, I can say with great confidence, this is the single best James Bond opening, I've ever seen.
With that said, however, the dark and cold world shown in the opening credits was extremely misleading when watching this movie. Instead of a serious entry like Casino Royale or Skyfall, my personal favorite Bond movie, we get a bloated mess that squanders MOST of its potential. Gliding off the heels of the past three entries, Spectre's plot feels recycled and extremely forced. Lacking the intricate banter of the characters in Casino Royale or even Quantum of Solace, all the relationships in this movie feel as forced and fake as its plot.
Nevertheless this generic plot leading up to its generically predictable ending is elevated by sprawling action scenes, especially one train sequence that is truly extraordinary. Director Sam Mendes once again brought his A-Game and once again directed another movie spectacularly. Speaking of that train sequence, the movie finally becomes its own movie right after it. The whole gimmick, if I may call it that, was to connect all of the entries together in an emotional thrill-ride that won't let up. If this said gimmick had worked this would've been by far the greatest Bond movie put to the silver screen.
This angers me since the movie really becomes epic around the last hour or so. After that point Spectre became a almost perfect, with a consistent malicious tone and a serious purpose to be engaged with some surprising twists and turns, something the rest of the movie was lacking. Christoph Waltz and Daniel Craig give it their all and redeem this movie.
Oh my God, Christoph Waltz was perfect in his role. His part in the movie was small, in terms of run time, but his impact on the series was humongous, helping the series go full circle. His role in the movie as the mysterious figure who lead Spectre was absolutely breathtaking, offering some of the most devastating lines in an Oscar-Worthy fashion to poor, old 007, solidifying himself as one of the greatest Bond villains ever.
Daniel Craig was stellar as ever, proving once again that he can hold his ground against all-star actors like Waltz and Bardem. He was particularly dazzling in one white room scene, nearing the end of the movie, as was Waltz and surprisingly Seydoux,
Lea Seydoux was a tad bit miscast in her role and didn't seem to have a lot of impact till later on in the movie, when she truly dawned her role. The same could be said about Ralph Fiennes as M but that might just be because it took me some time to warm up to him, especially because Judi Dench did such a stand up job.
As side characters go my personal favorite was Q portrayed by Ben Whishaw. I loved him in Skyfall and I love him Spectre. Though I did enjoy Eve Moneypenney portrayed by Naomie Harris, Q genuinely feels human. Though at times too technical, his witty remarks and his fear and confusion towards the Spectre organization perfectly matches the audience's.
In its entirety Spectre is a well made entry into the 007 franchise with a stand out Villain portrayed by Christoph Waltz, even if it does soar a little too late. Spectre gets a B or a 6/10.