His name is Bond, James Bond, and he’ll have his drink shaken and not stirred, please. James Bond is back in the new film “Spectre,” — although he does not end up with his signature martini in this outing. We all know the popular super spy from exciting outings such as “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” (1969) and the well-received “Skyfall” (2012), so how does “Spectre” stack up to the renowned lineage of James Bond films?

The story begins in Mexico City during a Day of the Dead celebration where Bond (Daniel Craig) has ventured out on a solo mission without the permission of his superiors at MI6. His goal is to carry out a mission given to him by his superior, M, (Judi Dench) posthumously through recorded messages. After a successful assassination, Bond comes to own a ring, which leads him to the discovery of a global organization that seems to be just as dangerous as it is secretive. By spying on one of its meetings, Bond discovers the man at the helm is someone thought to be long dead and also somebody Bond has a long history with.

Some of the best parts about this movie were techniques that had been perfected since “Skyfall.” The cinematography was great with frequent focus shifts taking place in a single shot. Choreography for the driving scenes was fast-paced and fun and included enough wide shots to remind viewers just where the action was taking place.

Although the plot seemed convoluted at times, it did do a nice job of tying together Craig’s Bond filmography and gave him an incredibly proper sendoff — this is Craig’s final performance in the franchise. By far the best aspect of the movie was Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux), who filled the shoes of the new Bond Girl for “Spectre.” Some reviewers have actually called her the first Bond woman due to her commanding nature and immunity to Bond’s womanizing charm. Even in scenes when the focus was on the men talking in their suave spy-like ways, Swann was in view with her empowered stance, listening. She was obviously able to hold her own in dangerous situations, even saving Bond at one point. She becomes the franchise’s best female lead of recent memory.

“Spectre” at its worst is dull and cliche, one of which is easily overlooked while the other is harder to forgive. A few moments in the film get tired and I can tell that the desired effect was to build tension. Scenes like when Bond is spying on the secret meeting or while he and Moneypenny (Naomie Harris) meet at his place seem to fall short of the suspense and just end up as quiet, slow sequences. Usually, they are followed by moments of quick action that pull the disillusioned viewer back into the world of espionage and spies. The writers obviously had quite the feat ahead of them when they decided to create a plot that would effectively pull together and explain plot holes from all four of Daniel Craig’s films, and it shows in the final product. The identity of this mysterious organization’s leader is one of the most lazily written and obvious characters in the series’ history. If you don’t believe me, just watch the movie and then read any fanfiction on the internet. You will know what I mean.

As with most films, “Spectre” is not without its faults, and this is clearly shown throughout the 148-minute run time. Despite its slow moments and cliche plot points, the film prevails above all. The pros outweigh the cons, with exciting vehicle sequences, beautiful settings, impressive cinematography and the best Bond girl in the series yet. Plus, I love seeing Daniel Craig and Ben Whishaw (Q) on the same screen, so that’s always great. “Spectre” opened Oct. 26 and is still showing at RC theaters in Kill Devil Hills.

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