SPECTRE Review Thread

[McCrutchy]

I know what I said before, but there are things here that are bugging me, so I want to say them now, before I see the film again.

First of all, I still really, really hate how

[Show spoiler]underused Monica Bellucci is here

. It is beyond irritating to me, and will probably be the one thing that keeps me from enjoying the film in the future.

And again, I really wanted

[Show spoiler]Bellucci and Seydoux to switch roles

...badly, but as written,

[Show spoiler]the Swann character is so useless, that I really would have preferred that they dropped the whole Mr. White business entirely, gave Bond Bellucci as her character, had her as someone with partial knowledge of SPECTRE, and then have Bond turn her allegiance through the course of the film

. Of course, that's been done before, but

[Show spoiler]so has what they did with Swann

.

And another thing: Let's drop this whole "interconnected films" bullshit already. Skyfall was a perfect end to the saga, and I didn't need

[Show spoiler]SPECTRE to be so involved with the events of the previous films. Tangentially, sure, and that would be interesting, but as others have said, retroactively making previous villains and girlfriends pawns of their organization was a cheap attempt to latch onto the superior previous entries

. The first twenty Bond films, even where they had interconnecting elements like returning friends or foes, were always standalone adventures first. All of the Craig sequels have required significant knowledge of his previous entries to fully enjoy them, and

[Show spoiler]four films in, especially after how great Skyfall was, there is now too much going on, and with all the retroactive connections going on, it's starting to seem kind of pathetic, as if they have really squeezed all that they can out of the Vesper/White/M (Dench)/Bond's Childhood parts of the series

.

There were great things though. Taken individually, the Mexico City sequence is fantastic, and

[Show spoiler]my only problem with it, is that it doesn't play into the events of the rest of the film more than it does. Again, I know traditionally, the opening sequence has often been sort of a standalone or a teaser, but as I pointed out before, the rest of the film is so connected, that it was disappointing that the production couldn't find a way to recall the sequence, or return to the location

.

I really liked the use of M

[Show spoiler](including the C jokes, which were classy, but obviously, very lewd), because I was afraid that the film would put Fiennes in Bernard Lee mode and stick him behind a desk all the time. The relationship between Bond and Fiennes' M is one of the most interesting parts of the new film, and it's a textbook example of how to make the most of a supporting male character in a Bond film, without emasculating him

.

Naomie Harris' Moneypenny comes off as

[Show spoiler]the best of the three female characters in the film, and having her assist Bond, while playing up the classic relationship a bit, has been a strong point for all of her films

.

Ben Wishaw returns as Q,

[Show spoiler]but his role isn't as strong here as it was in Skyfall. At one point, it even seems that he turns into Major Boothroyd a bit, during the Austria sequence. This Q clearly belongs in safe environments only (again) and it would be nice if they could find something more substantial for him to do without being a Blofeld's favorite pet.

.

[Desk.]

Casino Royale A
Spectre C+
Skyfall C
Quantum of Solace C-

Desk

[DanTheMan]

Couldn't get this song out of my head since last night after that opening sequence:

SPECTRE Soundtrack - 01. Los Muertos Vivos Estan (featuring Tambuco) - YouTube

[imsounoriginal]

Just reserved a copy of the OST at the B&N by my office. $16.99 is a little pricey, still debating if I'll actually pick it up. Too much recycled material in Spectre's score but the new material we get is pretty damn great.

[HD Canuck]

Originally Posted by Lt. Brannigan

So what you are saying, is that Marvel might get Bond back as well?

Wait..... that doesn't sound right.

No. What I meant was the Spectre script was one of the things caught up in the hack. Would be interesting to see if there were changes from the original script. Was it better?

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Here ya go...

The new James Bond 007 film, Spectre, kicks off with one of the most spectacular pre-credits sequences of any film in the series, a tracking shot that begins on the crowded streets of Mexico City during the Day of the Dead parade. The scene is wonderful in its fluidity, where any cuts or edits to the shot are seamless enough not to be noticeable, and it sets the stage for a riveting entry to the franchise.

From there, James Bond, played with characteristic cool imperturbability by Daniel Craig, embarks on adventures that take him to Rome, Austria, Morocco, and back to the London cityscapes. Bond is embroiled in car chases through city streets, airplane chases through snowy mountains, a tough-as-nails hand-to-hand fight aboard a train, and even a shudder-inducing torture scene. For a change, he even hooks up with an age-appropriate woman, played by the forever gorgeous Monica Bellucci. Another lovely lady, an adversary's daughter played by Léa Seydoux, whom I loved in the 2013 movie, Blue is the Warmest Color, is Bond's ticket to catching up with Spectre, a ruthless underworld organization led by none other than Christoph Waltz, who is best known for his role in Quentin Tarantino's 2009 film, Inglourious Basterds. Dave Bautista, who plays Hinx, gives us one of the most awesome henchmen of the franchise, and his role conjures fond memories of Oddjob and Jaws. Meanwhile, back at base, M, played by an amazing Ralph Fiennes, works with Q, played by the endearingly witty Ben Whishaw, to counter a shady international intelligence organization that threatens to shut down the "00" operations for good.

Spectre, which clocks in at 148 minutes, is the longest Bond film to date, and it is not without its share of flaws. I would have preferred for Spectre to have worked as a stand-alone story that did not reference the previous three movies, since I believe that Skyfall did a great job of closing the door on Bond's past, but the influence of the recent Marvel films on this particular entry is all too apparent, and the writers seem to have felt a need to connect all of the dots into a shaky house of cards. Bond's relations with the two leading ladies come off a somewhat forced and jarring. The references to older Bond films, namely a gadget car in the vein of the Aston Martin from Goldfinger, a snowy mountaintop structure like the one from On Her Majesty's Secret Service, a villain lair resembling the volcano from You Only Live Twice, and a train fight resembling the one from From Russia with Love, are fun to watch, but this film lays on the nostalgia a little too thick. Finally, Spectre is too dark in a literal sense, with its over-abundance of nighttime action scenes and often dimly-lit cinematography that makes me long for the older Bond films that featured stunts and action scenes in glorious sunny daylight.

If I had to rank all of the Bond films in order of preference, then Spectre would probably fall into the lower middle rungs. The good news, however, is that even the middling Bond movies provide nonstop entertainment, and this latest title is no exception. Despite its narrative imperfections, I have no hesitation about giving Spectre my enthusiastic recommendation, because it hits the mark more often than than it misses, and, all the while, there's plenty of eye candy to enjoy. I look forward to seeing Spectre a second time at the theater in the near future, and I cannot wait to add the upcoming Blu-ray to my shelf along with the other 23 Bond films for marathon viewing sessions for years to come.

I edited my review and deleted a couple of sentences that were probably too spoiler-heavy. Should be better now.

[mrjeff]

Originally Posted by StingingVelvet

Your "best Bond movie ever" is barely a Bond movie at all.

You're right! It's a Bond novel!

[Blu Titan]

Poll is up .

[DanTheMan]

Originally Posted by Blu Titan

Poll is up .

Thank you. I was just about to ask about that today.

[Cliff]

HAAAAATED it. The least Bond feeling Bond film ever. It's the first time I've ever dreaded seeing "James Bond will Return" on screen.

[Show spoiler]The Blofeld reveal is not only backwards (he should have been Blofeld and THEN have it revealed he's actually Frans Oberhauser), but it makes no sense. The only reason to have him reveal he's Blofeld is to wink at the audience, but it's not earned and it doesn't serve the story. It's cheap name recognition and nothing more. Speaking of cheap... the twist of having SPECTRE (who they never even reveal what SPECTRE actually stands for, so, again, the reveal is meaningless) tie into all of the previous Bonds doesn't make sense other than that they TELL us it makes sense. Maybe an affiliation with Quantum, but bring in Silva is the worst kind of reconning. The song is awful, the woman are disposable, the action is uninspired, it meanders and travels all over the globe for no reason other than to shoot a film there, Hinx shows up on a train for no other reason than to be dispatched, the most suspense in the movie happens in a chase involving Q... I had an absolute nightmare trying to come up with stuff I actually liked. In fact, the longer I've had to think about it the more and more I find to dislike about it.

I really do think it's the worst Bond film of all time. NOT the worst movie in the Bond series... but the worst BOND film. It has NONE of the spirit or DNA of the previous 23 movies despite ripping off almost every scene from other movies. I never thought I'd say this... but I really do hope this is the last Craig Bond and they re-calibrate the series after this. I have ZERO desire to see where his Bond goes next.

[dvdmike]

Originally Posted by blu-mike

Christopher Nolan

[stvn1974]

Originally Posted by blu-mike

Christopher Nolan

I am imagining Bond using 45 minutes of exposition to explain to the evil henchman how when he pushes that red button the top will pop off the car and he will be ejected into the air.

[Lt. Brannigan]

Originally Posted by HD Canuck

No. What I meant was the Spectre script was one of the things caught up in the hack. Would be interesting to see if there were changes from the original script. Was it better?

once again my attempts at a joke have fallen flat....


At this point point I should really just stop trying.

[toddly6666]

While the opening was awesome, there was at least a couple minutes of that chase scene where the camerawork was awful and headache-inducing. I never understand filmmakers that release those types of scenes where the eyes/brain cannot process the speed.

[Jumpman]

As flawed as it is, I dug the hell out of SPECTRE because the final moment between Bond and villain has been building since CASINO ROYALE.

While the plot is nonsensical and the love story is underwritten, the character arc for Bond comes to its climax in this film. And because of it, I can forgive the apparent flaws within the picture. It's very clear that Mendes had a concise character story in mind...a story the uses the arcs from each film to come to this final conclusion. But, it's also clear he didn't have a clear pathway, plotwise, to get to it. But, it mostly works.

If I had to rank it within the Craig Era, it's fourth on the list. But, in terms of the other Bond films in the franchise, it's in the upper tier of the series, easily.

[dvdmike]

Originally Posted by toddly6666

While the opening was awesome, there was at least a couple minutes of that chase scene where the camerawork was awful and headache-inducing. I never understand filmmakers that release those types of scenes where the eyes/brain cannot process the speed.

I thought the chase was great

[Michael11]

I've had time to think about the film....and I've realised that I liked much more than I disliked.

Good points:

Opening scene is fantastic, great little drum beat and Craig with his swagger strolling over the rooftops.

The train fight scene with Hinx was badass.

The humour mostly hit the mark.


Bad points:

The car chase was boring.....what was the point of shooting it in Rome? It was pitch black....you could have filmed it anywhere.

Christoph Waltz gives an underwhelming performance.....seemed like he didn't want to be there.


Overall though, I give it 4 out of 5. Really good fun.

[trans8010]

When I walked out of the theater after Skyfall, I felt the series had officially rejuvenated itself, bringing the grit and balancing it well with the traditional spy fare that people associate with the Bond formula. When I walked out of Spectre, I felt like I'd watched the antithesis of that almost a regression into the old Bond formula that tried to work in dark and gritty moments and frankly the result was jarring. The older ways died out for a reason and to force them back in this manner, is like camp replacing gothic or moody in the Batman series. Perhaps it's considered a breath of fresh air for the majority but could be a corrupting influence that often spells doom for future installments.

[imsounoriginal]

Originally Posted by toddly6666

While the opening was awesome, there was at least a couple minutes of that chase scene where the camerawork was awful and headache-inducing. I never understand filmmakers that release those types of scenes where the eyes/brain cannot process the speed.

only thing that bothered me about it was the greenscreen work, but that's a nitpick at best. then again I liked the QoS opening car chase, so there ya go.

[DCW]

I'm a big fan of Craig's Bond, I like the old ones but his are my favorite. Saw Spectre this morning and enjoyed it but I do think it's a step down from the rest of his.

Casino Royale 10/10
Quantum of Solace 8/10
Skyfall 9/10
Spectre 7/0

Will definitely pick it up on Blu Ray still.