Not Quite Spectaculre, But Close

Rating: 7/10 (8 November 2015)

Pardon the play on words in the title, it had to be done. Coming off of Skyfall's success, I knew that Spectre would have a hard time topping it. But there were many things to be excited about here. For one, Sam Mendes was returning to direct and Christoph Waltz was being brought in as the villain. What could go wrong?
To start, Spectre is more action-heavy than Skyfall making it effortlessly entertaining. The movie seamlessly moves from one action set piece to the next. It is also a more old-fashioned take on the franchise. After reinventing James Bond with Skyfall, Sam Mendes takes a step back by using the established Bond formula to blend the older goofiness with the newer grittiness.
The movie is nearly flawless from a technical standpoint, especially the opening scene. The direction is fantastic along with the editing, and the music will be stuck in your head for the rest of the day. All actors do excellent work, particularly Lea Seydoux, at portraying their character. Daniel Craig continues to solidify himself as one of the best Bond ever, and Ralph Fiennes and Ben Winshaw are equally compelling. Dave Bautista is very convincing as the greatest physical challenger Bond has to face. Lastly, Christoph Waltz is magnificent, despite being severely underused.
The movie begins to break down when looking deeper at it. Not necessarily at a plot level, the surveillance 1984-esque subplot was intriguing to me. The movie faults in regards to its emotional core. What made Skyfall so compelling for me was the humanity that was brought to Bond with the ending and Judi Dench. The personal story is continued in Spectre, however, the script feels as though it is trying to dig deeper than it actually can dig. While the chemistry is definitely there between Seydoux and Craig, I didn't fully buy into their relationship by the end. Furthermore, there were points where the movie felt a little unfocused when in regards to its villains. The movie kept shifting focus between Andrew Scott's character back in England and Waltz's with Bond.
What makes up for these faults is the beautiful cinematography from Hoyte Van Hoytema, who always finds the perfect shot to capture the viewers attention. Whether it be a Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City or the snowy terrain of Austria, he does masterful work behind the lens.
Overall, Spectre is a perfectly watchable, hugely entertaining James Bond spectacle. It lacks in terms of its deeper substance, but not too much where the enjoyment in general is taken away. I am still very excited as to what's in store for James Bond next.
"You're a kite dancing in a hurricane, Mr. Bond."