Spectre (2015)

*** out of ****

Back in the Sean-Connery-as-Bond era, there was a villain that kept popping up time and again – one Ernst Stavro Blofeld, the head of the criminal organization Spectre. The very definition of a “super-villain”, Blofeld is the character that “Dr. Evil” was based on in the Austin Powers films. But other than a brief comic appearance in “For Your Eyes Only (1981), Blofeld suddenly vanished from the Bond franchise 45 years ago, not to be seen since.

So when “Spectre” was promoted to be the return of Blofeld, I was excited to see what they were going to do with him. Daniel Craig's first three Bond films have given us two fabulous movies and one really good one, so it seemed that this had the chance of being another great film. And while it's a darn good one, it doesn't quite measure up to the last few installments.

As usual, MI6 (the “double 0 division”) is under the gun with the British government. Thanks mostly to Bond, it is seen as outdated and archaic, using brutal 20th century techniques despite the new world order. This puts M (Ralph Fiennes) in a precarious position, though thankfully it gives him much more to do in this film. He has to battle against “C” (Andrew Scott), the new head of MI5 who is trying to take down MI6, and ends up participating in the field with Bond against a criminal conspiracy. In all honesty, it is great to see Fiennes with a more prominent role this time around, as he adds greatly to the film.

Bond discovers the criminal conspiracy Spectre, which he finds is run by Blofeld (the as-always-wonderful Christoph Waltz). And in what I thought was a pretty shocking move, they actually steal some Dr. Evil background and incorporate it into the movie, making Bond and Blofeld foster brothers. Turns out that Blofeld killed their Dad as vengeance for the man's preference of Bond over himself, and he has been working to destroy every aspect of Bond's life ever since. I found this copying of Dr. Evil's background to be INCREDIBLY weird.... but it's presented in a light where it isn't toooooo hard to swallow. It was a plot twist I think the film would have done better without though.

Bond finds that Spectre has sent an assassin to take care of a former associate, Mr. White. Bond finds him first, and in return for information Bond promises to protect White's daughter Madeleine (Léa Seydoux). She is stunningly beautiful, and of course leads to sexual tension with Bond, but as he “protects: her she becomes central to the plot of finding and bringing down Spectre. Seydoux looks familiar in the role, and I finally figured out why - she played the French assassin in "Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol".

There are a lot of things about this film that are really good. The action sequences are spectacular, and the combination of CGI and pryotechnics are a real treat. After his introduction to American audiences in two Tarantino films, each of which he gave performances that were almost perfect, I have found Christoph Waltz to be one of the finest actors I have ever seen. He doesn't disappoint here. Easily the best Blofeld ever, he isn't a gleeful villain – he is cold, ruthless and businesslike. His hatred for Bond, though never presented as a spit-through-the-teeth vengeance, is single minded and relentless. I hope we see him in the role again.

“Spectre” is unquestionably worth seeing. With the heights Bond has hit since Daniel Craig took over the role, particularly “Casino Royale” and “Skyfall”, it seems a bit of a disappointment, but if you look at it as a stand-alone film it is still far superior to any Bond film made by the previous three Bonds. Action packed and fun, if perhaps a bit overlong, it's still one of the 5 or 6 best Bond movies, and sure not to leave fans of the franchise with anything but a good feeling.

And let's hope Blofeld shows up again, and lets hope even harder that it's Waltz in the role.....