Spectre (2015)

I've had mixed feelings about the post-reboot James Bond series, just as I've had mixed feelings about the series as a whole. Casino Royale had a lot going for it, but not the story; I could've done without the extensive poker. Quantum of Solace was more Bourne than Bond, mainly for the worse. Skyfall became one of my favorites thanks to Javier Bardem's intelligent villainy, but it still dispensed with a number of elements we've liked about the franchise.

A title referring to the organization that Bond most frequently opposed during the Cold War seems promising for a return to the old ways. Here Bond (Daniel Craig) and his associates on Her Majesty's Secret Service gradually discover the existence of an even more secret yet powerful group, even as its influence on the government threatens to disband theirs. (Reminds me a bit of another movie from 2015.) And once again, the enmity gets personal.

You've probably seen a trailer in which rebooted main villain Blofeld (Christoph Waltz) calls himself "the author of all your pain." That's an exaggeration, of course, but Spectre apparently had a hand in the traumas that Bond experienced during the last three movies. For that reason, you'd do best to watch them before sampling this one. I don't consider the network of misdeeds quite as far-fetched as some reviewers do, but it would account in part for the relatively lukewarm reception. And I must warn you: Bond gets an arguably worse physical torture than in CR.

While the series was always designed for men first and foremost, I lament that the employment of female characters has declined a little in this segment. Ralph Fiennes makes a fine M, but he's no Judi Dench. Eve Moneypenny (Naomie Harris), who rocked in Skyfall, doesn't get much to do, in contrast to Q (Ben Whinshaw), finally taking the field in desperation. The most prominent woman is Dr. Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux), involuntarily linked by family to Spectre, followed by one-scene enemy widow Lucia (Monica Bellucci).

Does it evoke older Bond flicks? Now and then, probably more so than the last few. Sometimes it teases us, like when Bond tries to use the guns installed in the rear of a car but finds them unloaded. There are no tasteless wisecracks in the wake of a thug's death; the closest we get is the thug swearing when he realizes what's about to happen. The biggest trope defiance comes in the end, when Bond...basically refuses to be Bond. It looks less like the start of a new chapter and more like a finality. Well, Craig did want out, but did his character also have to exit -- right after the introduction of Spectre?

I look forward to the next installment, simply because it will have no choice but to be different. Those who want closure may check this out, but don't expect one of the better efforts.