Was Casino a fluke for this franchise?

Rating: 6/10 (27 October 2015)

This is coming from a Skyfall detractor, but I actually preferred it to this.
Spectre is to me the worst of Craig's 007 films to date. This doesn't mean I disliked it; merely that it didn't grab me, except right at the start ironically, with that mysterious uninterrupted shot through the heady fancies of a Mexican festival, all skulls and salsa, disappointingly leading to an all too obvious CGI explosion and an admittedly exciting scene featuring a helicopter (too many helicopters in this film- unimaginative).
The rest of the film felt like one long James Bond Greatest Hits reel, with scenes, dialogues and even music (most of the score is from Skyfall, though I liked that score plenty) rarely erring on the side of originality, though the film wisely eschews music for certain high- impact scenes, avoiding fatigue. The only eyebrow-raiser is all the direct references to characters in Craig's previous stories, something of a taboo in Bond where each film felt self- contained before the reboot. Spectre is every inch a sequel.
The film returns to London too much for my tastes, although twice seeing the very cinema I was watching the film in was cool. We finally see, or at least hear, it rain in a Bond film, for what that's worth. There were quite a few logical plot-holes, although the film surprised me at one point; shooting one down by having Waltz's baddie literally tell Bond "peekaboo". Speaking of Waltz, after his Oscars, well-earned with Tarantino, expectations were through the roof. His Blofeld still possesses all the charisma and vibrancy as Hans Landa and The German, but his character in general fell a bit flat for me: an anti-climax overall. Of course, the writers here could never hope to match Tarantino's trademark snappy dialogue, and so comparing Waltz's lines here to those there is unfair. All the same, the film features a lot of dull language, although a few word-puns hit the sweet spot.
The humour is definitely improved compared to Skyfall: it's less cheesy, relying less on one-liners and more on irony, and thus more in line with Craig's first two Bonds. The action also is improved: although it pales next to Casino and Quantum's brutal fights and inventive editing, it's a damn sight more impressive than Skyfall's flaccid hackneyed affairs. As before, there is a little too much CGI, but there are also some great practical shots which doubtless cost millions. There's more action compared to its predecessor too, although that's not always a good thing- quiet moments often serve as mere build- ups to the next chase or shootout.
Bond himself is handled quite well: he's not over-explained and his nature often comes through via his actions and the reactions of those around him, although the film does slip into exposition occasionally. Having built him up through three films now, we as an audience often know what he's thinking without having to be told. I liked how the only people he trusted enough to ask for help are the series regulars. Bellucci's role is a glorified cameo, but her scenes and those in Rome have a strong atmosphere, something I care more about than anything else in a film. Forget about racing exotics in Italy though: the poor thing would disappear into the first pot hole! Trust me, I know. And how did her 2015 Maybach have an outdated Roman registration?: there's no cherished plates in Italy unfortunately...
Seydoux I haven't seen much except in Blue Is The Warmest Colour, but I liked her here. She brings a welcome warmth and vulnerability that the rest of the film lacks overall. Overall, I'll perhaps enjoy it more a second time, although that's rare for me. It simply lacks those Wow moments like the whole Shanghai sequence in Skyfall, or the Opera in Quantum.
At least the gun barrel is back where it belongs... 6.5/10