It’s my favorite James Bond movie and this year marks its 10th anniversary, find out the reasons why it is still great. Hello, cinephiles, hope you’re doing well. Be welcome to my 11th post of 2025 and my last movie post of this year.
“You're a kite dancing in a hurricane, Mr Bond.” – Mr. White to James Bond in Spectre (2015)
On October 26, 2015, Spectre, the 24th entry in the official James Bond film series, was released. It was the sequel to the successful Skyfall of 2012 and the fourth film to star Daniel Craig as MI6 agent James Bond. Sam Mendes directed again after the previous film, marking the first time a director made two consecutive films for the everlasting franchise. Actors Christoph Waltz, Léa Seydoux, Dave Bautista, Monica Bellucci, and Ralph Fiennes, completed the cast. Hoyte van Hoytema was in charge of the cinematography and the whole movie was shot on 35mm film.
Spectre was praised for its production, action sequences, and the performances of the actors, although some fans and critics alike commented that it wasn’t as good as its predecessor. Spectre also proved to be a real blockbuster; it was the sixth-highest-grossing film of 2015 and the second-highest grossing James Bond film after Skyfall.
After receiving a recorded video of former M, James Bond must follow a member of a criminal organization in Mexico City. Later, his search for the secret organization will take him to Italy, Austria, Morocco, and finally back to London for a climatic resolution.
Spectre won an Academy Award and received several other nominations for other awards. It was the first time also that James Bond’s arch nemesis Ernst Stavro Blofeld appeared again in the movie series after For Your Eyes Only released in 1981.
Find out the ten reasons why I think it’s still great after all these years:
10- It has one of the best opening scenes of the franchise
Mexico City, Dia de los Muertos. A criminal named Marco Sciarra is watching the celebrations unbeknown that another man is following him. The camera follows the unknown man who is in the company of a hot Mexican girl. We see them through the streets, into a hotel, the elevator, and his room, and there are no cuts, it’s a killer sequence shot. The man, who is none other than James Bond himself, goes through the window, passes a few buildings, and shoots the fat guy who toasts with Sciarra, and a building explodes. But Sciarra escapes unscathed, and goes to the Zócalo to jump into a helicopter. Again, Bond follows him, the two engage in a fight while the helicopter does some amazing stunts. In that airborne melee, Bond will find a clue the will help in his search for a criminal organization.
The whole opening scene is amazing, it took 6 months of preparation, and is still one of the best opening scenes of the entire Bond franchise, heck, one of the best in cinema in general.
9- It has a killer music theme
English singer Sam Smith had expressed his desire to sing the James Bond theme, and wrote the ballad Writing's on the Wall with another guy in just half an hour. It’s a wonderful theme, dramatic and lovely at the same time. It was released in September 2015 and became the first Bond theme to reach number one on the UK music charts. The next year, the song won the Oscar for Best Original Song, making it the second consecutive Bond theme to win after Adele’s Skyfall. Billie Eilish theme for No Time to Die would also win the Oscar in 2022.
8- It has a great henchman
At a secret meeting of a criminal international organization, a very tall, burly, and mysterious man makes his entrance. Impeccably dressed and with a brutish face he doesn’t need to say a word, but with a swift attack he proves himself to his peers. This is Mr. Hinx, played perfectly by Dave Bautista, retired professional wrestler turned actor, born in 1969. Hinx will chase James Bond through the streets of Rome, the Austrian mountains, until their final showdown in moving train in Morocco.
After retiring from professional wrestling, Dave Bautista starred in minor roles in TV series and several films. Although he was in the first part of Guardians of the Galaxy, his big break came in 2015, when he was cast as the silent but effective and lethal Mr. Hinx in Spectre. Since then he has starred in Blade Runner 2049, the other parts of Guardians of the Galaxy, and more recently in the Dune movies. In Spectre he played one of the best henchmen of the 21st century, and probably the best henchman of the James Bond franchise since Richard Kiel’s Jaws in both The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker.
7- It has the best car of the Daniel Craig era
The magnificent DB10 in Spectre (via: 007.com)
The partnership between James Bond and Aston Martin started in 1964 with the introduction of the iconic DB5 in Goldfinger, starring the great Sean Connery as agent 007. Since then several more Aston Martin cars have been driven by five of the actors who have played the Bond character over the years, with only Roger Moore never driving one.
At the bequest of the producers and director Sam Mendes, Aston Martin created the DB10 concept car exclusively for James Bond to drive in Spectre, marking the first time a car has been created specifically for the film series. The stunning car boasts a 4.7-litre V8 engine, has an estimated top speed of 190 mph and can go from 0-60mph in 4.7 seconds. The sleek design features a shark-inspired nose and several new gadgets that remind you of the Sean Connery era. You can see James Bond driving this one only in the Rome scenes in the film.
Only ten of these concept cars were built. Eight were employed to film key scenes in Spectre, while the other two were manufactured for promotional use. According to Reuters, only one of these babes has been sold to the public, at a price of $3.5 million.
6- It has the biggest explosion in film history
After escaping capture in the villain’s lair in Morocco, James Bond has a shootout with the members of Spectre and then a great explosion will destroy the state of the art facility built in the middle of a crater.
For this explosion 8,418 liters of kerosene and 33 kg of explosives were used. The whole climatic scene was shot in one take and lasts an intense 7.5 seconds. It holds the Guinness World Record for the largest film stunt explosion ever. The producers could have opted for a stupid CGI version of this, but they thankfully chose to do the whole the for real. This amazing scene shows what the James Bond franchise can do and secures its legacy in cinema history.
5- It has great fashion
If there’s one thing I think the Daniel Craig era has made better than the previous Bond eras is the fashion, especially regarding the casual part. For Spectre, Craig was dressed to the nines in Tom Ford suits, a Brunello Cucinelli jacket and cap toe Oxford black shoes. Yet, his style remained understated, comfortable, a little bit generic, but stylish at the same time. Daniel Craig was accused of bringing too much informality to the character and, since the release of Skyfall, some have expressed criticism about the suits becoming too tight.
But Spectre also has the best fashion of the Craig era; both James Bond and the other characters are dressed accordingly to the occasion they’re in and at the same time in outfits that represent their personal taste. The fashion designer made sure Bond wore some of the colors that represent him the most, such as blues, camels, whites, greys, and blacks. My personal favorite of the James Bond outfits here are the ones in the Morocco part: the classic navy polo shirt, the suede jacket, the J. Crew desert boots and the Brunello Cucinelli blazer. The knitted tie and the navy windowpane suit he wears in the Mexico action sequence, are also good additions. You can try these outfits and add your own personal style, they’re timeless and pretty affordable.
4- It has Léa Seydoux
Léa Seydoux as Madeleine Swann in Spectre (2015) (via: jamesbond.fandom.com)
Beautiful an introverted, Léa Seydoux was born in Paris, France, in 1985. She stared acting at the age of 21 and has started in over 40 films. She has worked with directors such as Woody Allen, Wes Anderson, Ridley Scott and David Cronenberg. She asked for a second audition for Spectre after failing on her first attempt and, although the producers were looking more for a blonde, Scandinavian actress, she got the part beating other beautiful European actresses who were also vying for that role.
In Spectre, Léa Seydoux played Madeleine Swann, a quiet Medicine Doctor who works as a psychiatrist at the Hoffer Clinic in Austria. She happens to be the daughter of the enigmatic Mr. White. After a failed first meeting with James Bond and a dramatic rescue, she will take Bond to Morocco in the next part of his search for the leader of the unknown criminal organization. She will also become romantically involved with Bond.
Léa Seydoux received praised for her role as Madeleine Swann, and would repeat the part in No Time to Die.
3- Daniel Craig is brilliant
Despite the ending he gave us in No Time to Die, Daniel Craig is, after Sean Connery, the actor that has best portrayed the very essence of who James Bond really is. I remember back in 2005 when he was chosen to play 007 the backlash and criticism that came after that decision. But there was something about him that made him the right fit for the part, and I was really curious about what the unknown blond actor of independent cinema had to offer. When Casino Royale premiered in 2006, Daniel Craig shot down those stupid critics, played a terrific Bond, and was even nominated for a BAFTA award.
In the four subsequent films, he continued playing the role to perfection. In Spectre he gave an impeccable performance as James Bond. We got to see the character’s background and even his rarely ever seen apartment; Craig even bought props for that apartment, do you know of another actor who does something like that? He might have taken the role just for the money, and the egotistical ending of his fifth film may have shocked some fans, but you can’t deny he’s a really good actor whose career is still going strong.
2- It is the only real Bond film of the Craig era
After the huge success of Skyfall in 2012, Daniel Craig wanted to make his real James Bond movie with those amazing gadgets and where he does not despair nor have his hair messed. Released three years later, Spectre follows James Bond in his search for a criminal organization no one has even heard before. Bond drives here an Aston Martin DB10 which has a few cool tricks, and Q gives him has a special Omega watch which “the alarm is rather loud... if you know what I mean.”
Spectre is the first James Bond movie since 2002 to feature the iconic gun barrel sequence at the start of the movie. The superb Day of the Dead parade at the beginning was made up for the film; Mexicans loved the idea so much that Mexico City held its first parade the following year and the parade is now a tradition. Plus, Spectre is also the first time James Bond’s arch nemesis Ernst Stavro Blofeld appeared again in the movie series after For Your Eyes Only released in 1981.
Daniel Craig himself confessed that this particular 007 movie was the most enjoyable of all that he'd worked on, as of its release. And as far as I’m concerned, this film is miles better than No Time to Die.
1- It only gets better with the years
As much as I love Spectre, I remember it received some harsh criticism from both fans and critics alike despite being the second highest grossing film of the entire Bond franchise. Since Skyfall elevated the franchise and set the bar too high, fans were expecting something like it again. Nevertheless Spectre is a movie with a voice of its own, and the only real Bond movie of the Daniel Craig era where you see Bond being himself, working with a team, sleeping with gorgeous women and using some amazing gadgets.
Since the disappointing ending of No Time to Die, fans have flocked back again to Spectre for a good old James Bond movie. And don’t get me wrong, I think No Time to Die is a great movie, one of the best action movies of the 2020s decade, with incredible action sequences and was the movie that got us back to the movie theater after the “pandemic” fiasco; but, did we really need to see that ending?
In Spectre you will see a badass Bond from the beginning doing what Bond is supposed to do. Not only this is a great movie, but it’s also a movie you always want to watch again after it ends, no matter how many times you have watched before. It has the best ending of the Daniel Craig era. Both Spectre and Quantum of Solace are movies that deserve more love, and remember this: any Bond film is still a lot more compelling than the vast majority of what Hollywood puts out in theaters on a regular basis.
With that being said, now go and watch this terrific Bond film.
Bonus:
Sam Smith - Writing's On The Wall (from Spectre) (Official Music Video)
Watch the official music video from Spectre and let yourself be taken away by this beautiful and haunting song right here:
Trailer:
Watch the explosive trailer for Spectre right here:
Conclusion
There you have it, guys, my take on the 24th James Bond film and my favorite of the whole series. It was a pleasure to write this post and I want to know what you think. Have you ever watched Spectre? What do you think it’s the best of it? Or better yet, tell me about your own favorite James Bond movie in the comment section.
Since you’re here, check now another James Bond post I wrote back in 2021 after the release of No Time to Die here:
@thereadingman/10-of-my-favorite-james
Follow my blog for more content like this one.
(Image at the beginning via: jamesbondlifestyle.com)
This post is 100% human written content. No AI was used whatsoever.
Thank you for stopping by, please share this post and don’t forget to upvote!
Have a great week!
Until Next Time
Take care
Orlando Caine.