When Skyfall, the last James Bond movie to hit screens, was released I suppose I did not know what to expect. I certainly wasn’t expecting the emotional gravitas, or very well enacted action sequences which accompanied the final product. Not only was it one of the best Bond movies (of the ‘Daniel Craig’ era) it was simply one of the best action movies of 2012 period. Which, after the boring Quantum of Solace, is saying something. Yet, here we are with Spectre a film that has almost entirely the same cast of characters (minus a very key Javier Bardem – another reason Skyfall excelled) and Sony even managed to snag Sam Mendes to direct this follow-up, which I assure was no easy feature. Still, with all the correct ingredients in place, a few well timed stunts, and a very game Christoph Waltz, Spectre still feels like a drag. The film doesn’t completely boggle down the mentality of the audience (although) a severe suspension of disbelief is required, as this Bond adventure detours into mere obscurity (more so than any of the other 23 films).

The film opens with a very petite five minute sequences (without much time to breathe) where we see our hero, Bond, set amidst the backdrop of a “Day of the Dead” celebration in Mexico city. We first see James dressed as a skeleton – but soon he lingers in a perfectly tailored suit, taking aim at bad guys everywhere. Bad guys who are plotting to to blow up a stadium filled with thousands of people later in the evening.

With Judi Dench’s M gone, replaced by Ralph Fiennes’s own take on the character M – however, Bond’s late mentor has left a message from beyond the grave. She wants Bond to kill a man and make sure to attend his funeral. Meanwhile a snotty uptight bureaucrat named C (Andrew Scott) has taken over British intelligence and is moving forward with an audacious plan to inject the world with high-tech surveillance cameras. Of course, the events in Mexico city left M a little frigid, which leaves him no choice but to “ground” 007.  So what does he do? he goes on an international scavenger hunt from Rome to Austria in an effort to track down a global syndicate known as SPECTRE.

There is a supervillain in this adventure, but it takes A LONG time for us to get there. Christoph Waltz (two time Oscar winner) does get his moments or two to shine, but hardly anything worth rooting for. Franz Oberhauser is a name only a mother could love, and a chillingly refreshingly nod to the Dr. No for this generation. Sadly, his screentime is probably reduced to only about twenty minutes when all’s said and done. I mean sure he gets into a tussle with James (ehh – not really) that’s Drax the Destroyer’s, I mean, Dave Bautista’s job as Franz overly muscular henchmen, who only says one word the entire movie (to reveal ‘said’ word would constitute a spoiler alert – so I won’t). BUT EVEN his showdowns with Bond aren’t up to par of past adventures. So it left me to wonder where this all fit into the universe? my answer: It really doesn’t.

Moneypenny (Naomie Harris) and Q (Ben Whishaw) characters that were so prominent in the other installments are reduced to fodder, as only a tool of progression – rather than characters worth caring about. Then there is another useless Bond girl in the form of Monica Bellucci (ANOTHER character who has about five minutes of screentime). It’s the simple basic formula we see all the time. Bond shows up – he gets information – seduces the broad – and leaves her like a sack of potatoes. Yawn.

I thought Sam Mendes was above using the cliche formulaic approach (as with Skyfall he turned all those on their head) – here it just feels rushed. Equally, the climactic battle is also not nearly as satisfying as it should be, leaving the option for, what is sure to be, more adventures. On a side note: I’m not a huge fan of Sam Smith, so his opening song “Writings on the Wall” didn’t move me.

There is some good with SPECTRE as Waltz and Craig have some fine moments of banter and prove effective in the game of what is being done. Bautista is fun to watch, especially when he is throwing Daniel Craig around like a rag doll. And the supporting work from Lea Seydoux is enticing to watch as well, even a small cameo from Jesper Christensen is a treat.

In general, the first act is typical with good exposition that starts to find balance only to stumble with too many off the wall jab plot twists in the third act. That, along with too many dastardly mishaps that fail to maintain momentum. Spectre also runs at a franchise long of two hours and twenty seven minutes, and trust me, you feel it. Perhaps it was the pressure of following the best 007 film in over a decade that hindered Spectre. That being said, those shortcomings should never stop you from being ambitious. Grade: C