Everybody’s favorite British secret agent is back. Daniel Craig (“Skyfall”) returns as James Bond in another installment of the Bond series. “Spectre” is a 2015 action thriller and is the 24th film in the series. “Spectre” is directed by Sam Mendes, who’s directing his second consecutive Bond film, following “Skyfall.” Christoph Waltz (“Django Unchained”), Léa Seydoux (“The Grand Budapest Hotel”), Ben Whishaw (“Cloud Atlas”), Naomie Harris (“Southpaw”), Dave Bautista (“Guardians of the Galaxy) and Ralph Fiennes (“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2”) join Daniel Craig in another adventure with 007.

The main plot focuses on James Bond going on a mission to uncover a secret evil organization that turns out to have been haunting him his entire life.

The plot surprisingly adds more detail and information to previous Bond films starring Craig. It’s not required to see “Casino Royale,” “Quantam of Solace” or “Skyfall” beforehand, but it would add to the experience seeing as multiple references and characters are mentioned throughout.

Craig plays Bond once again with flashes of suaveness, torment and resourceful. Craig showed another side of humor. Bond’s humor throughout the film was filled with smart, quippy remarks. He seemed more charming and romantic like previous Bonds. Other comedic scenarios came from Q (Whishaw). Q’s nervousness balances well with Bond and the overall tone of the film.

At no point does the humor undercut the tension and action set pieces. It doesn’t detract, in fact it might have helped since Bond can be heavy on the serious side at times.

Another member of Bond’s supporting team is M (Fiennes), Bond’s superior. M had his own little subplot involving a character named Max Denbigh (Andrew Scott, “Sherlock”). Denbigh goes by the code name C. This part of the film is what dragged on and slowed down. C wants to initiate a program called “Nine Eyes” that will surveillance nine countries and replace the ’00’ agency altogether. It gave an objective for M but fell flat and wasn’t as interesting as the main plot.

Dr. Madeleine Swann (Seydoux) is a new character and a wonderful addition. She was a good partner that wasn’t just the typical damsel in distress and was more of a respectable and smart love interest. Her being the love interest doesn’t mean she was the famous Bond girl. The Bond girl was played by actress, Monica Bellucci (“The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”).

Bond villains are always a delight to watch grace the screen. Ranging from diverse characters such as Dr. Julius No, Ernst Stavro Blofeld, Auric Goldfinger, Alec Trevelyan, Le Chiffre and Raoul Silva.

The film’s main villain is Franz Oberhauser (Waltz). A huge problem was the lack of Waltz overall. When he’s on screen, Waltz chews up the scenery every chance he got. His motivation wasn’t the greatest but it does enough to move things along.

Mr. Hinx (Bautista), Oberhauser’s henchman and assassin, fell in the same problem as Waltz did. Mr. Hinx was rising to be a great henchman in Bond lore but doesn’t get a lot of time devoted to him. Hinx was a physical beast with rage and power that even Bond wasn’t able to match at first. Both did the best they can do with the little they had.

The action was choreographed well and set pieces were entertaining. There were multiple chases throughout the film that took place all over the globe. The fights ranged from hand to hand combat, guns and cars, giving a distinct broad range to choose from.

As mentioned before, the locations made it feel more global and the cinematography was filled with gorgeous wide shots of mountains, buildings and well-crafted costumes, especially the costumes in the very beginning in Mexico, resembling the theme of Day of the Dead. Displaying the beautiful designs of the film paid off in the alarming budget.

One last thing to focus on is the main theme of “Spectre.” Pop, soul and R&B singer Sam Smith wrote and performed “Writing’s on the Wall.” Listening to the song beforehand, the song lacked engaging lyrics and the tone of voice wasn’t ideal for the film. But with the song playing in the beginning of the opening credits, it definitely worked better and fit more into context. While still not one of the best, it’s also not one of the worst.

“Spectre” is a very good film that captures the essence and heart of what Bond is suppose to be. There are just a few twists and turns to keep the audience and die hard fans pleased. While Mendes currently isn’t returning to direct another installment, he left on a good note for someone else to steer the ship and start a new chapter.

Rating: 4 out of 5