Spectre

Daniel Craig is back (for the last time?) as Bond, James Bond. Of course, he is chasing bad guys around the globe, starting with his own rogue trip to Mexico as he attempts to uncover a terrorist organization with a sinister secret.

While Bond goes off the grid, M (Ralph Fiennes) is up to his nose in political drama as a new rising star in the British intelligence community, C (Andrew Scott), is merging MI5 and MI6, with the intent of destroying the secret agent program.

Does this mean our hero is about to get downsized?

Will Bond get to the truth?

What will it cost him?

If this is the last time Craig plays James Bond, he will be able to say he went out with his head held high.

As was started in Skyfall, Spectre plays out as if it is a reimagining of the Bond world, much like the latest Star Trek movies. Director Sam Mendes and the writing team throw in constant allusions to previous Bond stories and characters, and fans get the familiar (and loved) Bond attitude full of machismo, some humor and lots of stuff exploding into massive fireballs. There might even be a few fast cars and beautiful women, too.

However, all of that fun and those stock Bondisms are needed to prop up a story lacking in detail and clarity. Mendes wants to keep it all mysterious and shock the audience with the big revelation later in the movie, but it’s a long time to wait and a twisty road to get there.

For most of Spectre, you might think you missed the first 10 minutes or some portion of the movie is missing. Was it bad editing? Was it a desperate attempt to include a surprise many might have already figured out or heard about?

Once the big secret is revealed, the audience gets the sense Spectre is a neat and tidy way to tie up all of the Craig-era Bond movies. While it might be a little forced, the nostalgic among us will be left a bit sad inside as we watch the second best Bond leaving the series (Connery always will be number 1).

Craig brought equal parts traditional Bond-style and a modern, rougher take on the type of secret agent who would be needed in the 21st century.

He was the Bond of his generation, and Craig should be proud of that.

Spectre is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action and violence, some disturbing images, sensuality and language.