Really not as bad as everyone claims!

Rating: 8/10 (4 March 2016)

When I first read the synopsis for this film, I wasn't overly excited for three main reasons: no Judi Dench, it couldn't possibly equal Skyfall's greatness and who wants another film where technology takes over the world.
However, Spectre surpassed expectations. Not only was the whole "superior technology" plot pretty much left in the background, it wasn't killer drones or something like that which I feared. It had a likable main Bond Girl in Madeleine and she could hold her own both with Bond and the bad guys, it had great action sequences (of course) and most importantly it was based quite a lot on London. I loved the idea of them blowing up the old MI6 building and using the deserted building as a setting for the finale.
What I also really loved about this film was all the throwbacks to previous Bond films, especially those of the Craig era. Plotwise I think it would have had more of an impact if I could remember the significance of all the bad guys from previous films (a rewatch needed!) but as it is, I enjoyed all the references to Eva and M.
There are a lot of scathing reviews out there for this film but let's be honest, who actually started watching a Bond film thinking that there was going to be a profound, realistic plot. Surely everyone watches it for the stellar action scenes and the cheesy one-liners and everything else is a bonus, no? Bond Theme "Writing's On The Wall by Sam Smith": 6/10