Got what I wanted - really liked it

Rating: 9/10 (4 November 2015)

I have been a fan of the James Bond movies since I was a teenager. Three years ago when the franchise celebrated its golden anniversary I was really looking forward to Skyfall. When the movie came out, it split opinion. Although I thought the movie was good, I was a bit underwhelmed by it. It was quite slow, the plot borrowed from other movies and a lot of the action sequences were too brief. I felt Sam Mendes was partly to blame because he is an artistic director, not a mainstream one and not the right person to direct a Bond movie.
So I was disappointed to hear later on that Sam Mendes will be directing this Bond movie as well. Nevertheless my excitement was still high. Then the movie was released and once again, having read all of the comments here on IMDb, it has split opinion. I was getting worried about how this movie would be like following my views on Skyfall. This evening I watched the movie in IMAX and I'm glad to say that I really like it.
First of all the gun-barrel sequence is back where it should be: at the beginning of the movie. I know a lot of people don't like Sam Smith's "Writing's On The Wall" for the theme song but I absolutely love it. I can't tell you how many times I've listened to it now. The song also accompanies an always visually exciting opening credits sequence. The storyline was a better one than in Skyfall and also incorporated characters into it by exploring the backgrounds of Bond and the villain. Other regulars, M, Q and Moneypenny are utilised more. I'm also glad to say that the action sequences are considerably better than in Skyfall, and when I say better I mean longer. Christoph Waltz did a decent job as the villain playing it cool and cerebral. There were also great captures of the sceneries, a couple of thrills, links to Craig's previous Bond movies and good humour as well.
I will admit there are a couple of flaws with this movie. I know a lot of people have complained that it takes things from other movies. Well, yes it does but the references to other movies aren't as bad as in Skyfall. Others have said that parts of the score was the same as in Skyfall. I did also feel that there were some parts in the movie where score should have been used. Also some more substance about the organisation would've been nice.
Overall my wait and excitement had paid off. I thought this was a great movie. It was better than Skyfall and I do feel that Sam Mendes has improved although I'm still not sure if he should direct Bond again.
A Bond fan is left satisfied.