It's been three years since the biggest James Bond adventure yet, with audiences worldwide blown away with Skyfall and clamouring for more. Now, with the follow up almost upon us, it's time to examine what Sam Mendes has in store for us with Daniel Craig's fourth outing as the world's greatest spy.
1 - Spectre promises to wrap up a storyline that's been running in the background for the last four movies; that of Jame's past and a shadowy organisation that may be behind everything that's gone wrong in his life. If the payoff is half as good as it's shaping up to be then we're in for a huge treat.
2 - One of the biggest surprises from Skyfall was Javier Bardem's Silva, a completely original and utterly brilliant villain, every bit a match for Bond. With Spectre, Sam Mendes has turned to the marvellous Christoph Waltz, who, we already know from Inglorious Basterds does deliciously evil better than anyone else around at the minute. He may or may not turn out to to be one Ernst Stavro Blofeld, but whatever his character is revealed to be, we can be sure of a villain as formidable as anyone Bond has ever faced.
3 - Every great villain needs a memorable henchman and that's what fans everywhere will be hoping for from the hulking form of Dave Bautista, who won us all over in Guardians of the Galaxy. Bautista will be providing the muscle for Spectre as Mr. Hinx, a very well dressed and very deadly assassin who seems to be hunting Bond from the glimpses we've gotten in the trailers. Can he take his place among the likes of the iconic Jaws, Oddjob, Nick Nack or more recently Vesper Lynd? We'll find out in a few short weeks.
4 - It wouldn't be Bond film without a smart and sexy woman to keep James on his toes. With Monica Belluci, Lea Seydoux and Stephanie Sigman all featuring, Bond may have a shot at some real romance this time around...or could he finally find love with Naomie Harris' Moneypenny, aftet the great chemistry between the pair in Skyfall?!
5 - Action, and plenty of it! Spectre looks to build on the set-pieces that Mendes pulled off with Skyfall and the footage we've seen so far suggests that there will be plenty of bang for your buck as Spectre aims to keep audiences on the edge of their seats for Craig's latest outing. Car chases, gadgets, and gritty hand to hand combat will all feature in the globe-spanning adventure as Bond looks to track down at last the organisation at the root of all his woes.
6 - Sam Smith may seem an unlikely reason to look forward to a new James Bond movie, but let's not forget the impact that Adele had on Skyfall! A catchy theme-tune storming the charts and dominating the airwaves is the best type of advertising that Sony could get for their movie and Smith is hot property right now so the Spectre / Smith combo could yet prove to be a winning one for all concerned! Check out the video for the new Bond theme right here!
7 - The car. With what will hopefully be the best Bond yet, 007 is getting an upgraded motor in the form of a frankly gorgeous Aston that Q has teased will be packing a few surprises. For the sake of nostalgia alone, we honestly can't wait to see Bond behind the wheel for some insane stunts and front seat action in that sleek and powerful beast. Gone is the silliness of the Brosnan-era invisibility cloaks and in it's place we have something a little more grounded and realistic. With flamethrowers.
8 - Daniel Craig. The single biggest reason to see Spectre comes in the form of the man that some fanboys denounced back in 2006 because he was blond! Craig has made the role his own over the last decade and has given us easily the most memorable iteration of the character since Connery. Suave, charismatic, intelligent and brutally efficient at handling himself, Daniel Craig's 007 is the quintessential spy for the 21st century. Over the last few movies we've watched him grow into the role, and battle Bond's demons, and now at last Spectre promises to give us the hero we know and love for at least one more thrilling adventure. Whether or not Craig stays with the franchise is something to discuss another time; for now all we really care about is that after a three year absence from our screens, James Bond has returned.
