I've been putzing through the Bond 50 collection for the last year and this past friday I finally got caught up to Die Another Day. I'd seen the 3 previous Craig bonds at least once each so I figured it was high time I go watch Spectre.
It should be noted that Skyfall left me rather cold, I'm not sure if I'd appreciate it more now having watched all of the classics but I was hyped like crazy to see it back in 2012 , I found the action flat , the story kind of dull and the lead up to the "defend the house" bit that makes up the final act just a bit ... ehh.
So because of that I looked forward to Spectre with some trepidation , I knew going by it's namesake that they'd be bringing back the classic connery villains at long last and I knew from reviews and leaks and such that it was tied into everything that came before it (well all 3 Craig entries anyway) but nevertheless I was expecting some level of under delivering.
I'm happy to say for my own sake that Spectre was the followup to Casino Royale I've been waiting 9 years for , where quantum felt rushed and haphazard thanks to the writers strike limiting the plot in a few ways and skyfall felt overcooked , Spectre was just what I wanted. It feels tonally the same as Casino Royale while also dropping in nods to the classics here and there and it genuinely felt like they played with some of the long standing bond tropes but made them work in a way that benefits the Craig Bond universe. Skyfall always felt like it got too hokey at some points and went too serious at others , Spectre is a much more balanced and logical film.
In terms of where I'd rank it - Casino Royale , Spectre, Quantum , Skyfall is my personal opinion for the Craig series.
On the whole for the entire franchise -Casino Royale, Thunderball,Dr.NO,Goldeneye,Spectre, Spy Who loved me,License to Kill, from russia with love, OHMSS,Spectre, goldfinger,Quantum of Solace, Skyfall,Living Daylights, you only live twice,Tommorow never dies, man with the golden gun,For your eyes only,die another day, moon raker,View to a kill,World is not enough, Octopussy, live and let die, diamonds are forever