Spectre, the second collaboration between director Sam Mendes and Daniel Craig on the ever-suave Broccoli-powered super-spy James Bond, cuts to the chase. Indeed, a chase is all it is – in a movie where no less than eight cities are given beautiful treatments, the action refuses to let the viewer stop and take a tour. Bond and the MI6, knee deep in trouble, never allow their audience to take a breath; there is simply no time in the film’s weighty 148-minute run-time.

The film is a direct continuation of Skyfall and follows the trend of bringing Bond into the 21st century. Spectre, the organization from which the film takes its title, has an octopus as its symbol- all eight of its tentacles in different pockets, seemingly controlling everything. Surveillance is its tool and information its weapon. As M comments, “George Orwell’s worst nightmare”. It’s no extra brain effort to see the real-world parallel of the spying done by government agencies around the world, such as the NSA’s recent exploits. In fact, it gets to be an annoying fall-back of the film.

Plot hole? Don’t worry – it’s Spectre, it knows everything.

However, no matter the century, one must not forget that this is still James Bond. Hence cool gadgets, attractive women, one-liners and cars that do more than break the speed limit. Of course, he’s blunted for our sensitive modern age – asking for his signature vodka martini (shaken, not stirred) and receiving a sort of green, enzyme shake. But as for legacy, Spectre not only ties together Craig’s last three outings as Bond but also exceeds its predecessor in giving the older members of its audience nostalgic joys –a certain train scene calls back a similar scene of From Russia with Love.

So is the nearly three-hour run-time justified? Maybe. Spectre is certainly a treat for Bond fans, and Mendes and company continue to carefully drive an old DB5 in a modern world. By the film’s end, the ride was still fun, if a little bumpy.

The question is, though, how much gas does it still have?