Spectre

Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz,

Lea Seydoux, Ralph Fiennes,

Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris

"The Dead are Alive"

I've always been an avid fan of the 007 Bond movies. My fascination began when Roger Moore portrayed the debonair spy with a fine combination of charm, wit and humor in the 1980s.

I still believe the Bond films are relevant and quite current even with stiff competition from other franchises like the Bourne series and the action-packed Mission: Impossible features that crop out every now and then.

This time Bond (Daniel Craig) has gone rogue after an encrypted message from the departed M (Dame Judi Dench) leads him to pursue a huge criminal syndicate named Spectre headed by his arch nemesis Ernst Stravo Blofield (Christoph Waltz) who it turns out has a deep connection with Bond.

I'd say that Spectre's nefarious aim which is to control all the information data available worldwide and use surveillance to propagate mayhem and destruction is a bit feeble. Yet it is current as we live in an information age and certainly technology has advanced since the first Bond movie was released.

The signature action scenes are abundant with car chases, helicopter crashes and spectacular hand to hand combat stunts filmed in exotic locales - those are the moments worth watching out for.

Daniel Craig, craggy faced but extremely fit both physically and mentally as James Bond still exudes the traditional suave and charming wit of the character and at the same time he still manages to remain as elusive and secretive as ever by adding more layers of mystery to his intriguing persona. 

It is also good to note that since he took over the role, he has been surrounded by strong willed Bond girls who are no longer the damsels in distress types of previous years. 

As for the villain, I felt that Christoph Waltz as the head of Spectre wasn't as menacing enough, well not only physically but as a megalomaniac as well. Granted that he and Bond share a well hidden history together, his character was underdeveloped and too one dimensional.

"Spectre is officially the 24th James Bond film and by mixing an old school Bond with modern day elements that keeps his character relevantly fresh, it still hasn't lost its touch and delivers on every point of a standard Bond flick.