Spectre
Movie Review by Brian Wezowicz
Daniel Craig is my favorite James Bond. I know it's blasphemous to even consider any one other than Sean Connery, but I don't care. In fact, Connery is my 3rd favorite Double O (I'm partial to George Lazenby, the one and done star of my second favorite Bond, On Her Majesty's Secret Service). Coming off the series high (both commercially and critically), Skyfall, the expectations were sky high for this one, and I think it's these high expectations that are ultimately leaving critics feeling disappointed. With Craig as Bond, we are constantly expecting home run efforts every time he steps out. Spectre is not a home run... but it's a solid triple that had me howling with delight.
This film picks up where Skyfall left off. MI-6 is in ruins and the future of the "Double O" program is very much in doubt. It's viewed as a relic of the past that can be replaced by a new Big Brother type computer program. Drones are the future, and sadly, James Bond is the past. Soon enough, things go haywire, and it's up to Bond to once again save the world. There is an evil organization known as Spectre that is secretly controlling the world. Bond, naturally, is the only one to pick up on this, proving that the there might be some life left in the relics of the past.
I don't want to delve too deeply into the plot. The producers clearly have surprises and twists up their sleeves that they do not want to be spoiled (even if they are a little obvious). I am not one for exposing spoilers like someone on Facebook ruining The Walking Dead for me (Sidenote: please stop with the Walking Dead spoilers!!! Not everyone watches live television anymore!). I want to focus on what I liked about this film. To me, this felt like James Bond's greatest hits. It was like going to a Rolling Stones concert. You know what they're going to play. They've played every song a million times. And yet, you leave knowing you've gotten your money's worth. Let me run down some of Bond's greatest hits for you:
- Exhilarating opening sequence? Check.
- Opening credits that look great, but don't really make sense? Definitely.
- Exotic locals and thrilling chase sequences through snowy mountains and trains? Yes and Yes. I particularly enjoyed the opening sequence in Mexico.
- Bond theme sung by a popular current singer? Yes, but I didn't particularly enjoy Sam Smith's "Writing's On The Wall".
- Silent yet seemingly indestrutible henchman? Yup! (Jaws and Odd Job would be proud of Mr. Hinx).
- Thick sexual tension between Bond and Moneypenny? Absolutely.
- Bond being a wiseass to Q? You know it! I really enjoy the chemistry between Bond and the new Quartermaster.
- Bond girls? Monica Bellucci has a brief, but incredibly sexy performance.
I could go on and on and on. At 2.5 hours long, I was worried that Spectre would drag, but I was way wrong. This film moves from scene to scene the way James Bond changes women? Fast, furious and with wreckless abandon. I think that's what I enjoyed most about this film. Director Sam Mendes (back for his second stint in the director's chair) keeps the movie chugging along at a highly enjoyable pace. He never lets the film sit and get stale. He takes all of those cliches I mentioned above and makes them feel like we're seeing them for the first time. That's what a greatest hits show should do. Even when I could guess what was coming, I still howled with amusement as I watched it. I think that's what I enjoyed most about Spectre. It's the first "fun" Bond movie of the Daniel Craig era. It was the closest thing to a traditional James Bond movie that we'll see these days. It actually felt refreshing to see this movie eschew the "gritty/realistic" nature that had become common place with Craig. Don't get me wrong... I love how they've successfully restarted a once thought for dead franchise. Craig's portrayal of Bond is the closest thing to the way the character is portrayed in the Ian Fleming novels. We are finally getting the James Bond backstory that had been missing for 45 years. However, after Skyfall, I don't think they could have gone any darker. It needed to bring some levity back. It was great to see Daniel Craig (despite what he's saying on the press tour) finally having fun with the character. If this is his last go round as 007, at least he's going out with a smile on his face.
I'm giving this movie 3 out of 4 stars. The only thing I was disappointed with in this film was the main Bond villain. Christoph Waltz is already in the hall of fame of movie villains for his portrayal of Hans Landa in my favorite Quentin Tarantino movie, Inglourious Basterds. When he was cast as the myserious Oberhauser, I was practically giddy with delight. I think my expectations may have been too high for this movie. He gives a solid, yet forgettable performance in this one. I expected more.
