Bond is staying strong

Rating: 9/10 (1 April 2016)

After the hit success of Skyfall fans of the suave British spy were waiting anxiously for the follow up to Sam Mendes' smash hit. Spectre is the follow up that fans of James Bond have been waiting for. Sam Mendes returns to direct Spectre, a very rare occurrence for recent Bond films which tend to get a new director for each installment. Spectre does live up to expectations making it one of the best Bond films in recent years.
This 150 minute Spy Action film takes place right after Skyfall and follows James Bond as 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. This has been the first time in 44 years where the famous evil organization SPECTRE returns to the big screen. The film is very reminiscent to Bond films like On Her Majesty's Secret Service and (of course) Skyfall.
The film also adds more actors to its illustrious cast. Christoph Waltz from Inglorious Basterds and Django Unchained plays the villain Oberhaus, who has a special connection with Bond, gives a great performance but doesn't give a lot to go on. He is just there to be evil and menacing, which Waltz does well, but feels a bit wasted. Léa Seydoux plays Dr. Madeline Swann who does a great job and becomes one of the best Bond girls in a Bond film. She shows that she is not just a sex object and can take care of herself. Monica Bellucci also appears in the film but is in the film for only 5 minutes which disappointed me because of how talented she is. Dave Bautista plays the strong henchman, Hinx, and is great at playing a strong bad guy that challenges Bond physically. Overall the only problem with Spectre's characters is that the villain is under used. But with the return and expansion of characters like Q, M, and Moneypenny which I loved because it gives the film a more of a team aspect that films like the Mission: Impossible series have.
The story is very well paced and action packed. Older Bond films in the Connery era were very slow and dreadful to watch. The Craig films have more intrigue and are more serious. Spectre is a big change from Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, and Skyfall because Bond feels more traditional which really isn't a bad thing. I loved how it opened like older Bond films with the Gun Barrel sequence happening at the beginning instead of the end. Nothing felt slow or rushed. It's such a technical marvel to look at. The cinematography is brilliant. the opening shot is a one take that follows Bond through Mexico City. I couldn't look away!
Spectre is an amazing Bond film that had me worried it couldn't live up to Skyfall or Casino Royale but ended up as being one of my favorite Bond films! The story is well paced, it's cinematography is almost as good as Skyfall (but I give the edge more to Skyfall because it looks crisper than Spectre), the acting is top-notched and is a great entry into the Daniel Craig Series. I cannot wait for Bond 25. A must see for Bond fans! I thought it was Awesome.