Daniel Craig returns, once again, as James Bond in “Spectre.”(Google Images)

By Emanuel Velez

Three years after Skyfall, James Bond returns in his 24th film, Spectre. It once again stars Daniel Craig, his fourth time as Agent 007 with Sam Mendes returning as director for the second time.

In this movie, the cryptic organization known as SPECTRE is trying defeat Bond by destroying his past. It’s also been a while since SPECTRE was mentioned in a Bond film due to copyright reasons. With the amazing success of 2012’s Skyfall, Spectre now connects loose ends of Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, and Skyfall.

First of all, it is amazingly to see the return of the gun barrel at the start of the movie. The flow from the opening credits to the opening scene set in Mexico City is reminiscent of the older classic Bond films, and a welcome return. The visual effects in this movie are best yet for the Bond franchise. There aren’t any shaky cameras at all!

Furthermore, Spectre now holds the record for the largest explosion without CGI effects ever. As expected there are the traditional Bond rules: M gives Bond a mission to go to a foreign place, Bond meets (and gets to know) a girl that may give him information on the villain, Bond meets the villain and finds a way to stop him/her. These are not spoilers, these are the Bond rules in the movies.

However, despite the phenomenal performance Daniel Craig does as James Bond, the movie does tend to drag in some parts. This is aided by the fact that this is also the longest Bond film ever, with a length of 2 hours and 28 minutes. The longer duration does not translate into a more complex 21st century Bond.

The romance is still more funny than serious, like in the previous three Bond films. However, Monica Bellucci as Donna Lucia, is very impressive and convincing at age 50, making her the oldest Bond girl in history. But the villain, Oberhauser, isn’t as memorable as Le Chiffre or Silva.

Despite this, Daniel Craig has still managed to be the best Bond since Sean Connery, the original James Bond. Craig has done well as a modern Bond in Casino Royale and Skyfall, and as a more classic Bond in Spectre.

Even with this crazy story, it’s still better than the terrible Quantum of Solace. It’s still a good Bond movie to enjoy, but not a great one. The final verdict for Spectre is a 7/10.