It is really, really, hard not to be disappointed by Spectre after the many advancements the franchise made in Skyfall, it's even more disappointing when you're someone like me who considers Skyfall to be the best film of the entire franchise - and yes, before you ask, I've seen every entry of this franchise multiple times (okay well not the Roger Moore era because fuck that). Maybe it was asking too much of this movie to live up to Skyfall, but certainly I didn't think I'd be returning to the safe Bond formula so soon. But really that wasn't what disappointed me the most, really it all starts at the title for me. For anyone familiar with the Bond franchise you know who Spectre is and Ernst Stavro Blofeld is. Now then I'm not sure if this is a sentiment shared among the fanbase but personally I've always felt that the franchise has never handled these two things well - all culminating in one of the Roger Moore movies where they kill - at least allude to killing - Blofeld in the first 10min to allow them to promptly ignore the character for the rest of the franchise. Now imagine my excitement when I see that the new Bond movie is titled Spectre. I mean finally! we're finally getting back to Spectre in what is easily been the best era for the title character - in terms of character development. Unfortunately what I got with Spectre was a rather painfully average experience. Certainly one I expect from this franchise but also one I wasn't quite ready to return to. I mean everything here feels so wasted and lackluster. Christoph Waltz is a fine actor but his Blofeld feels restrictive and does very little to build or understand the character in anyway, with the only thing added is some rather flimsy motivation that is silly for even a Bond movie - and it certainly doesn't help that he has to follow Javier Bardem's Silva, who imo is the best villain the franchise has ever had. And you know what? Maybe that's the problem. For anyone who really enjoyed Skyfall it's to easy to play the comparison game and just say that Skyfall did this and that better. Spectre is a fine Bond movie on its own but it no doubt comes at a wrong time. And now that I think about it, it's kind of like Quantum of Solace in that regard. Both are follow ups to stellar entries that don't quite live up the predecessor and have their fair share of problems that hold them back. In the case of Spectre, it just feels to safe, to familiar, for its own good - the stakes just don't feel quite as high as the film thinks they are . Also if this is to be the end of the Daniel Craig era I cannot help but feel disappointed, personally this just isn't the way I'd want it to end at all - if this is of course to be the end.

Also one more thing... I'VE WAITED THIS LONG FOR MONICA BELLUCCI TO BE IN A BOND MOVIE AND THAT IS ALL I GET?!?!?! ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS KL;AFSDJKLANLKJDAIFAREJKIFUOAJERJLKAJRIOPEWJFKDJIUHRTDJA... okay I'm calm now.