Spectre (2015)

There's two things keeping the 24th James Bond movie from being a total classic: the worst theme song since The Man With the Golden Gun and a plot twist that is so unnecessary as to be pointless. That said, not only is OO7 back, his greatest nemesis is back, too. And it's about time.

Long time fans of the series will remember the terrorist organization SPECTRE and their leader Ernst Stravo Blofeld as the big bads that bedeviled OO7 throughout the 1960s. Due to a complex legal situation, the last audiences saw of them was 1983's disappointing remake of Thunderball, Never Say Never Again. Spectre updates the terrorist group for the 21st Century. Instead of trading on 55ththe 1960s fear of nuclear war, this time Blofeld and his cronies are out to conquer the world Big Brother style.

The movie starts off with a thrilling and humorous sequence with Bond tracking a terrorist in Mexico City during the Day of the Dead festival. After blowing up a building and getting involved in a fight in a helicopter that sends panicked revellers running for their lives, Bond gets chewed ot by M (Ralph Fiennes). Seems his mission was unsanctioned and touched off an international incident. Oops.

We come to find out that Bond went after the terrorist on the orders of his late boss. His major clue involves a ring with an octopus insignia on it. Guess where the ring ultimately leads to?

What follows is most of the ingredients of vintage, Bond: gorgeous women, a big silent henchman who gives Bond a hard time, wild chase scenes, impossible escapes, and some much missed humor and gadgets. The latter is highlighted in a crackerjack chase through the streets of Rome. There's also a wonderfully destructive fight on a train between Bond and the aforementioned henchman (Dave Bautista) that recalls a similar slugfest between Bond and Jaws in The Spy Who Loved Me.

All things considered, SPECTRE is a return to form for the series. By that I mean its a return to the sense of fun the movies once had. Some critics have griped that this is a Roger Moore Bond film starring Daniel Craig. That's not a bad thing, however. Bond has always about escapist fantasy and works best that way. Even the more grounded entries have a sense of humor about them. So it's great to see the series lighten up again.

In fact, except for the rotten theme song, the only thing really wrong with Spectre is the completely pointless attempt to make it personal for Bond again. The twist is a slap in the face of both Fleming and the series in general. Take it out and you have the best SPECTRE on film story yet.

Despite that, the OO7 of the 60s is back and man, is it great to see him again.