Once again, SPOILER ALERT. If you haven't watched the movie don't read further. As a James Bond hardcore fan, I can't help but putting down my thoughts extensively so don't blame me if you get spoilers from reading this. You have been warned. SPOILER ALERT. See, I have warned you again. SPOILER ALERT.

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SPECTRE is a good movie, but that's it. It is not Casino Royale or Skyfall. With such a strong cast, Sam Mendes and Daniel freaking Craig, it still leaves a lot to be desired. What I found far from satisfying is the script, especially the third act, as expected from the Sony leaks last year. It irks me that talents like Christoph Waltz (my favorite fictional Nazi all time) and Andrew Scott (so entertaining as Moriarty in BBC's Sherlock) are quite wasted because of this.

Here is an alternate version of the script that I come up with. It does indeed break a lot from the 'classic' Bond formula, and perhaps if I got hired as the scriptwriter, the studio would never accept this due to various reasons. Well, as Lea Seydoux says in this movie, 'you always have an option'.

BACKGROUND STORY

James Bond, the best 'blunt instrument' that British intelligence has ever had, is once again at a crossroad in his career after the death of his boss, the legendary matriarch 'M'. It has been a long time coming ever since he got promoted to the 'Double-O' status.

On his first big mission, M sent him to foil an elaborate terrorist-funding scheme by defeating a high profile criminal named Le Chiffre in a poker tournament at Casino Royale in Montenegro. While Bond managed to win big, he fell in love with and lost a fellow MI6 treasurer named Vesper Lynd, who committed suicide after her betrayal was exposed.

Bond, devastated, went on a rampage to discover the criminal network which caused Vesper's death. His primary trail, the enigmatic Mr. White, escaped in the middle of interrogation but it was enough for M and Bond to identify a secretive organization named 'Quantum', who had infiltrators inside major intelligence bodies. Bond tracked down one of Quantum's operatives, a businessman named Dominic Greene, and revealed his plan to monopolize Bolivia's water supply by supporting a military coup. As expected, Bond destroyed Greene's operation and managed to find out more about Quantum. On a personal note, Bond found his closure by proving that Vesper was blackmailed by Quantum, using her ex-boyfriend as bait.

Many years and missions later, Bond was sent to Turkey to recapture a hard drive containing vital information from a freelance criminal named Patrice. Bond was shot down by his fellow agent by mistake and presumed dead, only to return to London when he saw the news of MI6 under cyber-terrorist attack. M rehired Bond and sent him to chase Patrice further to Macau, while Bond actually failed all his re-entrance tests. Bond's investigation led him to Raoul Silva, a former MI6 operative who was imprisoned by the Chinese and abandoned by M. Silva was arrested and brought back to London, but he hatched a ultra-brilliant (and ridiculously unrealistic) plan to escape and almost kill M at a court hearing. Bond took the initiative to 'kidnap' M and retreated to his childhood house, Skyfall Lodge in Scotland, while turning the house into a big trap to combat Silva. Silva arrived with his army as expected and Bond managed to defeat them all despite his serious disadvantages. However, Bond could not prevent M's death.

The conclusion of the Skyfall episode leaves Bond in a difficult place. He has managed to stop a terrorist attack on MI6 and is seen as a 'hero', with his privileged status restored under the leadership of the new M, an ex-officer named Gareth Mallory. However, MI6 has not made any advancement with regards of uncovering the trails behind Quantum and the terrorist attacks. The espionage world around Bond is also changing, with many bureaucrats preferring the use of skilled IT technicians, drones and automation to human operatives on the field. And Bond is still living alone, unable to trust anyone and helplessly dedicated to the cause of Her Majesty's government.