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What you should know before seeing 'Spectre'
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Dave Bautista in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures/Columbia Pictures/EON Productions action adventure SPECTRE. - photo by John Clyde
MI6 HQ While all the movie focus lately has been on Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens, it was easy for another one of 2015s biggest films to get lost in the shuffle. Thats right, the 24th James Bond film, Spectre is now in theaters and here are a few things you should know about it.

Its action packed

While I personally thought Skyfall was one of the best Bond films to date, there were complaints that it didnt pack enough action for a Bond exploit. Well, if that was your sentiment then get ready for Spectre, because it has more action than it knows what to do with.

Between acrobatic helicopter fights, airplanes flying through barns, car chases through Rome, and exploding buildings in the middle of bustling cities, this movie has plenty of action. Not only is it filled with action, its a lot of fun. So many times I found myself grinning from ear to ear as I watched the mayhem play out in front of me.

Its vintage

While Spectre has stayed true to the other latest Bond installments, the filmmakers also made sure to throwback to some of the silliness that made the retro Bond so much fun. While there are plenty of moments that play tongue-in-cheek, they arent cheap or misused.

Die-hard Bond fans will pick up on many of the subtle call outs to other Bond films and set ups that are reminiscent of Roger Moore.

Its no Skyfall or Casino Royale

When Casino Royale hit theaters audiences were blown away by the crisp storytelling, cool style, gritty action, and a new kind of Bond. With such a solid showing in Casino Royale, many fans were left disappointed with Quantum of Solace. It appears the Bond makers themselves were as well, considering both Casino Royale and Skyfall are heavily drawn upon in Spectre, while Quantum of Solace is mentioned, but not really focused on.

Now we get to Skyfall, which brought a new perspective of Bond to the big screen as well as one of the best Bond villains to date. Its tough to top Casino Royale and Skyfall, and I dont think Spectre quite did that, but it got close.

While the new film isnt as strong as two of its predecessors, its miles ahead of Quantum of Solace and runs close behind the other two.

Whats in it?

For the most part Spectre is much like the other Bond films. Its not as violent as Quantum of Solace, but theres still plenty of chaos and gunfire. The skin and sexiness level arent as high as Skyfall, but closer to what we got in Casino Royale. Then, the language is minimal at best, pretty much what you would expect from milder PG-13 films.

Conclusion

While Spectre isnt my favorite Bond film, it was expertly made and a lot of fun definitely worth a night out at the movies. It ties in the previous films well while setting up multiple storylines for future adventures and memorable villains.

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