Spectre (2015)

Prior to her death, the previous M (Judi Dench) orders James Bond (Daniel Craig) to "unofficially" track down and kill a man (Alessandro Cremona) in Mexico. But this is merely the start of a journey where Bond must confront his past and deeply buried secrets. SKYFALL was a high point in the Bond franchise and it would be too much to expect SPECTRE to equal it much less top it. That being said, despite a weak third act which can't fulfill the promise of the first two acts, it's still a worthy successor. The film maintains the dark and complex issues that faced Bond in the last entry but as its title indicates, it also makes a connection to the earlier classic Bonds. Indeed, I couldn't help but break out in a grin when the white cat makes its first appearance since FOR YOUR EYES ONLY. Lea Seydoux (BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR) makes for a welcome addition to the gallery of Bond women, more flesh and blood than a male fantasy. Christoph Waltz as the Bond villain seems to have used up his bag of acting tricks or maybe I've become too used to him. Thomas Newman's score is a big improvement over SKYFALL, he seems to be more comfortable in the Bond universe this time around and Sam Smith's title song works a lot better in the context of the film's opening credits. Directed with style by Sam Mendes. With Ralph Fiennes as the new M, Monica Bellucci, Ben Whishaw (proving to be a welcome  inclusion to the series), Naomie Harris, Dave Bautista and the drab Andrew Scott.