Distributors: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, Columbia Pictures
(both from Sony)
Starring: Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz,
Léa Seydoux, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Ralph Fiennes, Andrew Scott, Dave
Bautista, Monica Belucci
Director: Sam Mendes
Screenplay: John Logan, Neal Purvis,
Robert Wade, Jez Butterworth
Producers: Michael G. Wilson, Barbara
Broccoli
Running Time: 2 hrs, 30 mins (approx.)
Release Date: October 26th 2015 (UK)
Rating: 12A
The Daniel Craig era of the James Bond Franchise
has had its fair share of quality. 'Casino Royale' was unique and gritty,
'Quantum of Solace' was confusing and generic and 'Skyfall' was just plain
awesome. Now Mendes of 'Skyfall' fame returns to direct this year’s Bond flick:
'SPECTRE' with Craig returning as Bond. Is this as good as 'Skyfall' or as big
of a train-wreck as 'Quantum of Solace'?
James Bond (Craig) is discharged after an
explosive opening in Mexico, so he is working alone to track down a mysterious
organisation known as SPECTRE. With the help of Madeline Swann (Seydoux),
daughter of an old enemy of Bond, Q (Whishaw), M (Fiennes) and Eve Moneypenny
(Harris). Bond discovers SPECTRE and its leader, Franz Oberhauser (Waltz), and
they must stop him from taking over the world.
This film takes James Bond back to his
1960s roots with the return of SPECTRE, the lines 'shaken not stirred' and
'Bond, James Bond', a strong assassin and the famous gunshot sequence being in
the opening this time round. This feels like a James Bond film unlike 'Quantum
of Solace' which is a good thing as the era has truly taken off. However,
because it played it safe, the plot feels predictable at times (gee, I wonder
who Waltz is playing?!) and it's also abominably long. That doesn't mean it's a
bad film as it is still entertaining to watch as the plot at least makes sense
this time round. It also plays with the theme of surveillance quite nicely. We
are in an insecure society where we seem constantly watched and the SPECTRE
organisation utilises it to their advantage making the film very
relevant.
Craig, despite his (to put it lightly)
resentment for the role, turns in a good performance, continuing the colder
side to the character but also showing a sense of humour as most of his comedy
comes through dry wit. Honestly though, despite revelations of his past coming
to light, Bond doesn't feel developed as a character as he is more of the same
throughout.
The Bond Girl, Swann, is also a weak
character. Seydoux does turn in a decent performance but her character does not
get much personality nor room for development as other characters steal the
stage. She's just there to be a Bond Girl, that's it. Also Belucci is vastly
underused in her role as she only turns up for one scene and she is never seen
or mentioned again. This wouldn't be a problem if they didn't draw so much
attention to her life being in danger.
The MI6 team fair a lot better though.
Whishaw shows off his comedic timing for the role of Q and the role itself
provides most of the comedy (which works). Fiennes turns out to be a very good
M and he even gets in to a lot of the action. The same goes for Moneypenny who
plays a key role in the story. Their antagonist, C (Scott) is also a slimy yet
charming character, though what did you expect from the guy who plays Moriaty
in 'Sherlock'?
As for the villains, Waltz is clearly
having a lot of fun with his character as he steals every scene he's in.
However, Oberhauser is not really in it that much which sadly doesn't give him
time to develop as a villain so thank goodness for Waltz who was born to be a
Bond villain, he's been playing Bond villains throughout his career for crying
out loud! Bautista uses his physique for the role of the assassin Mr Hinx but
the character makes a little impact and there is nothing that stands out about
him unlike Oddjob and Jaws.
As for the production values, the films
looks beautiful with the same quality of cinematography from the last film
(that's a good thing!). The film also has a wide range of locations from Mexico
to London to Rome to Austria and to Morocco. The wide range of locations allow
for some stylised filmmaking to make them all stand out.
The action sequences are also exciting for
the most part. One particular highlight is the Day of the Dead opening with the
majority of it being done in one shot, which can't have been easy given the
amount of people there. There are other good sequences too like the plane/car
chase in Austria and the train fight with Mr Hinx.
The music is good too, again the highlight
being the Day of the Dead scene as the James Bond theme is mixed with carnival
music to make the scene lively. However the 'Writing on the Wall' theme is a
bit weak by Bond song standards (though what do you expect from a singer as
uninterested as Sam Smith?) and what is up with those visuals? Seriously
Mendes, Octopuses do not make things sexy!
With that said, the film is good but not
great. It is a satisfying and entertaining follow-up from 'Skyfall' with good
action sequences, humour, comedy, performances and the feel of a Bond film but it
feels too safe as the plot is predictable and the characters do not feel
developed. In answering the question on whether or not it is as good as
'Skyfall' or as bad as 'Quantum of Solace', it is neither. It is on the same
level as 'Casino Royale': good but not great. However, it is good enough to recommend.
'SPECTRE' gets 3 and a half octopus rings
out of five
What do you guys think of the film? Do you agree or disagree? Sound off in the comments below and be sure to share this review and like the Facebook Page 'Joel Mole.' Join me next time as I'll be as honest as possible with my movies!
