I’ve been a huge James Bond fan starting in early childhood catching the reruns of Dr. No on TV. The release of a new Bond flick is a major event. Thanks to finishing up writing on Revenge, I put off seeing Spectre, the latest in the franchise, until last night.

Daniel Craig returns as the deadly assassin for MI6, as do Ralph Fiennes as M, Naomie Harris as Moneypenny and Ben Whishaw as Q. There are the requisite  gadgets and femme fatales, including Lea Seydoux and Monica Bellucci, and a new love to hate bad guy in Mr. Hinx played by Dave Bautista nearly unrecognizable from his role in Guardians of the Galaxy. Not to mention Christoph Waltz as the head of the mysterious Spectre. The movie is once again directed by Sam Mendes.

The plot revolves around James Bond on a rogue mission, the reasons for doing so and what it means when he discovers a secret organization named Spectre. Long time Bond fans will recognize the name Spectre from the days of Sean Connery and Roger Moore. I’m not going to go into detail on the plot, so no worries on major spoilers. I will, however, give my impression of the movie: meh.

The plot is either too predictable, or Bond makes leaps and connections to move along the plot which are flimsy at best and contrived at worst. The action scenes do receive a high marks, from the opening sequence during the Day of the Dead celebration in Mexico City to a car chase in Rome. But it’s the rest of the movie which left me feeling underwhelmed. I would have loved to have seen Bellucci have a larger role. The movie is beautifully filmed, matching Skyfall in that regard. Craig and Seydoux show good chemistry and Waltz is excellent, as always. What let them down is the screenplay. It didn’t grab me.

All and all, I would give the movie a *** our of *****. Worth the effort, because it’s Bond. Daniel Craig has hinted this might be his last go round as the man with a license to kill. I hope that’s not the case because he has become my favorite 007. Either way, I will be in line opening night the next time Bond graces the big screen.