Spectre (2015)

Rating: 8/10 (8 November 2015)

Coming after a film as good as Skyfall as well as this summer's Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation is going to be difficult for the next Bond film. There are some impossibly high standards that will have to be met for people to be satisfied. Spectre obviously isn't going to be the franchise's next "masterpiece," but it does offer a suitably engaging and action-packed thrill ride. In Spectre, M must fight political forces to keep the secret service in operation, while Bond must use a message from his past to find the truth behind SPECTRE. Spectre is much more like the classic Bond films updated for a modern audience. A nail-biting action sequence in a helicopter opens the film in gloriously absurd fashion. Unrealistic? Many scenes in the movie will surely stretch reality, but Spectre is too entertaining and well-directed to really have a negative impact. I also have to mention the beautiful cinematography, which is pretty typical of the Daniel Craig Bond flicks. Spectre, however, has some of the best cinematography out of all the Bond movies I've seen. The film employs a rugged look to fit its locales like Mexico and Rome as well as some shots that look like they were taken straight out of the great Sean Connery Bond films. Spectre is an entirely satisfying, thrilling, beautifully-shot spy film that should entertain most James Bond fans.