“What took you so long?” —Franz Oberhauser
Today’s quick review: Spectre. Following a lead left for him by M (Judi Dench), James Bond (Daniel Craig) uncovers the existence of Spectre, a criminal organization that has been manipulating global affairs from the shadows. To hunt down Franz Oberhauser (Christoph Waltz), the leader of the organization, Bond will need the help of Dr. Madeleine Swann (Lea Seydoux), the daughter of an old enemy.
Spectre is a spy action thriller and the fourth entry in the rebooted Bond series starring Daniel Craig. Spectre picks up in the wake of Skyfall, as Bond investigates Spectre on his own while Gareth Mallory (Ralph Fiennes), Eve Moneypenney (Naomie Harris), and Q (Ben Whishaw) fight off a hostile takeover of the disgraced MI-6. Solid direction, a satisfying build-up, and a strong cast are offset by some questionable plotting decisions.
Spectre’s strengths lie with the cast and direction style that made Skyfall as success. Daniel Craig slips deftly back into the role of bond, while his supporting cast of Fiennes, Harris, and Whishaw work like a well-oiled machine. The early film has a nice sense of atmosphere as Bond picks up the trail left by M. And while the action does not have quite the same success rate as Skyfall, it is enough to make the film a fun watch.
Unfortunately, Spectre does not share its predecessor’s sound judgment. Although the film opens well enough, it misplays its hand later on. Much of the story’s power comes from playing up Franz Oberhauser as a brilliant mastermind, yet the events of the film do not bear this out. Christoph Waltz does a fine job with the role, but his encounters with Bond are poorly motivated and hardly as methodical as he is made out to be.
The result is a film that goes through the motions well but ultimately fails to impress. Give Spectre a shot if you are a fan of Daniel Craig’s take on Bond. Though not as impactful as Skyfall, it still has its moments, and it marks an interesting continuation of the series’ status quo and its themes. But be aware that Spectre misses the opportunity to be much more than it is.
For a classic clash with SPECTRE, try Thunderball. For a spy-themed superhero movie that throws even more action at a similar premise, try Captain America: The Winter Soldier. For a more grounded spy thriller that deals with a similar threat, try Jason Bourne. For a better use of Christoph Waltz, try Inglourious Basterds or Django Unchained.
[6.8 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2379713/). I give it a 7.0 to 7.5 for good fundamentals hurt by some plot issues.