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James Bond (Daniel Craig) is forced to go rogue when British intelligence falls under questionable new leadership. M (Ralph Fiennes), Q (Ben Whishaw), and Moneypenny (Naomie Harris) aid and abet to help unroot who’s behind the power-grab, unearthing an infamous villain and a dastardly organization that go all the way back to Sean Connery’s seminal days in the franchise. Spectre is a full-blown return to form for the Bond franchise. Your enjoyment of the film may depend on whether or not you’re a fan of that form — one with exotic locations, sexy Bond girls, cool gadgets and cars, and the ever-dashing agent 007 front and center of it all.

Spectre may feel disappointingly conventional compared to Skyfall, which dug into character and backstory to bring the franchise to a remarkable zenith. But where do you go from there? I think returning director Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Road to Perdition) decided it would be better to go ‘old school’ than to try and top the novelty of Skyfall. But Mendes also manages to give remarkable continuity to the film, drawing on characters and incidents from Craig’s previous Bond films that have considerable bearing on a continuing storyline — something no other actor ever really had in the franchise.

Daniel Craig carries his fourth entry reliably well and Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds, Django Unchained) is a natural choice for a Bond villain. And not just any villain, but the most infamous of all Bond villains — Ernst Blofeld, the leader of the crime syndicate Spectre. And, yes, he still has his white cat. Lea Seydoux (Dune: Part Two) plays the ‘Bond girl’ this time, the daughter of a former foe who also wants to bring Blofeld down. Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy) plays Blofeld’s strongman in a largely mute performance that’s reminiscent of Odd Job from Goldfinger or Jaws in The Spy Who Loved Me. Locations and specific sets may also remind you of films that have come before — whether it’s the snowy mountain tops from On Her Majesty’s Secret Service or the train fight from From Russia With Love. Thomas Newman even blares the old James Bond theme music a few times. Old villains and conspiracies are new again. And you know what? It works. It’s not groundbreaking. It’s a James Bond film. And I need one of those every couple of years.

But Spectre doesn’t just cash in on nostalgia. I always enjoy when M, Q, and Moneypenny get to join in on the action and they get plenty of screen time here. The opening action sequence joins the ranks of the franchise’s best, featuring Bond bringing down a helicopter in a crowded town square during a Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City. There’s also an elaborate airplane and truck chase at the mid-point, where the plane becomes a wingless land vehicle sliding down a snowy mountain.

The third act doesn’t flow as organically as it should, and Hoyte van Hoytema’s cinematography is sometimes too dark for my taste, but Spectre still delivers all the goods we expect from a James Bond movie. If you can temper your expectations after the exceedingly brilliant Skyfall and Casino Royale, you might find it a fun tribute to the series.

With Monica Bellucci, Andrew Scott, and a strong title track performed by Sam Smith.

Oscar Nomination: Best Song (“Writing’s On the Wall”)