Quintessential Bond.

Rating: 10/10 (10 November 2015)

An excellent follow up to Skyfall. This is the polish, where Skyfall's blemishes of missing elements were fully covered. SPECTRE emitted the "Bond" feel, where Skyfall seemed to lack in some areas. Watching SPECTRE throughout, there was no doubt at any moment that there was any break in the "gentleman spy" character. In terms of other characters, Madeleine Swann was a great portrayal of a strong Bond girl, where she is an easy contender as a life partner for 007. Christoph Waltz played a very menacing villain, and given some time in British custody, his character would make for a great return with an even greater vengeance. Dave Bautista as Mr. Hinx was an incredible henchman; while not competing with the iconic characters of Oddjob and Jaws, he stands on the pedestal alongside the close second place candidate, Xenia Onatopp. Monica Bellucci delivered as an enigmatic and passionate widow, and even in a short amount of screen time. Andrew Scott played as a fine weasel of a character, as the head of the CNS.
Overall, the action was satisfying, and I was never bored at any given time. Granted I am a very big Bond fan, I still find it more entertaining than some of the old films of the 60s, where some parts of those films were dragged out in unnecessary ways. I loved this film. Saw it two days back-to-back, and enjoyed it both times. There was an aura of elegance, high society and danger that ate through my Bond-loving heart throughout (Can't help but imagine how Pierce Brosnan or Sean Connery would do with this script).
This film, however, makes me hold a VERY high expectation for Bond 25, even more so than I did following Skyfall. However the fate of Bond falls in the next two or so years, the story nonetheless ought to be good, casting flawless, and cinematography near perfect. Whether or not Daniel Craig returns, or let alone Sony continues to have the rights of distribution, 007 should have enough leeway to do what he does best.