The Bond franchise has always been greater than the sum of its parts, to the point where an utter disaster (here's looking at you Quantum Of Solace) does nothing to halt excitement for what comes next. And yet that doesn't stop each new movie getting intently analysed more than any other big budget Hollywood blockbuster as if one dud will spell the end of the series. And so here we are with Spectre. - what's the deal with the latest movie in the series? People are certainly shaken, but very few actually stirred (I'm so, so sorry). After the initial outpouring of five star reviews from the British broadsheets, the reaction to the film has been rather tepid. Only people who hate what Bond represents at the core of his being or are so enamoured with 007 that their ideal movie is so specific it'll never be realised will actually hate Spectre, but there's no avoiding that it's a decidedly average movie with some pretty inherent flaws. That's not saying there's not some things that the film gets really right, and as the tide seems to turn against the movie, it's time to take a look at what made Spectre broadly work and means everyone's still excited for Bond 25.
