It’s been three years since Bond has been on the big screen and I haven’t felt as excited for a movie since… well, three years ago. As a lifelong Bond fan, a new adventure for the venerable spy is like an early Christmas present. Skyfall became by favorite movie in the franchise in 2012 and with Sam Mendes returning to the directors chair, John Logan, Neil Purvis and Robert Wade writing again and Daniel Craig reloading his Walther PPK for a fourth time the stage was set for another great movie. Furtunately, Spectre manages not to disappoint, at least not completely.
Fans of old school James Bond movies, or the novels, are no doubt familiar with the organization known as SPECTRE. Back in the day it was an evil organization that stood for Special Executive for Counter-intelligence Terrorism Revenge and Extortion and was helmed by Bond’s arch nemesis Ernst Stavro Blofeld. Bond tangled with it’s operatives and eventually killed it’s leader, ending the organization. In reality however, it was killed by a man named Kevin McClory, a co-writer for the movie Thunderball who sued Eon Productions over royalties not received from his work on the film. This tied the word SPECTRE up in legal trouble for 50 years. The lawsuit ended only two years ago finally freeing up the organization for a glorious return.
The return of the group is an exciting prospect for any Bond fan and Spectre manages to update it and tie it into the Bond universe again in a very slick way. The clunky acronym is gone and it’s name is only mentioned once, making it seem much more mysterious and even taboo to mention. Bond, at the request off an old friend, seeks out and eliminates a major criminal in Mexico who just happens to be wearing a ring with the infamous octopus logo on it. This lead takes the secret agent from London to Rome, to Austria, to Morocco and back to London again in order to track down and take out the leader of the sinister group, played by Christov Waltz.
Waltz was a major selling point for the movie in my eyes. Since his breakout performances in Inglourious Basterds and Django Unchained he has shown himself to be one of the most versatile and interesting actors in Hollywood and has earned universal praise for his eccentric and compelling characters. So it was a bit of a disappointment when he didn’t really bring any of that unconventional style to his role in Spectre. He’s not bad by any means, but he doesn’t stand out as an interesting, disturbed mega-criminal like Javier Bardem did in Skyfall or Mads Mikkelsen in Casino Royal. He’s competent, he does his job, but I never got anything special or unique out of his character other than a detached coldness that mirrors Bond’s.
As mentioned, Daniel Craig returns as Bond and is as good as he was in his previous outings. He maintains his version of Bond’s cold, calculated demeanor and even in softer moments with bond girl Madeline Swan (played by Léa Seydoux) he still seems detached, with his mind forever on the mission. Seydoux’s performance as young doctor Swan caught up in Spectre’s web is compelling and her involvement in the action scenes doesn’t seem out of place. She’s not a damsel in distress, she’s a competent, intelligent woman who helps Bond more than hinders him. Exactly what a Bond girl should be. Ralph Fiennes returns as M, Naomi Harris as Moneypenny and Ben Whishaw as Q and all of the regulars fulfill their roles amicably. Whishaw in particular is becoming a favorite of mine as his “boy-in-man’s-shoes” character is really endearing. He manages to be a charming, youthful genius who is operating above his level without becoming a walking gag. He’s a joy to watch on screen.
The movies has some interesting set pieces that add some much needed visuals to action scenes. The cold opening of the movie taking place in Mexico during a massive Dia de los Muertos ceremony is a great way to kick off the film, taking Bond fans to a setting we’ve never seen before. The subsequent helicopter stunt scene is also some of the most exhilarating action I’ve seen in a long time. The settings vary from the cold, snowy mountains of Austria to the dusty desert of Morocco to the damp and dark streets of London and each setting provides a beautiful backdrop for foot chases and gunfights. Sam Mendes has proven himself to be a brilliant visual filmmaker after Skyfall and you can see flashes of it in Spectre. The downside is that Skyfall‘s visual aesthetic was so sharp and beautiful that he doesn’t quite live up to it in Spectre. There are some beautiful shots but nothing compares to the Macau casino scene or the Shanghai silhouette fight from Skyfall.
The pace of the movie is generally really solid without any major lulls or confusing moments. It avoids the common Bond trap of having a plot that’s more complicated than necessary. One of the strengths about Purvis and Wade as writers is that they can write effective plots that aren’t bogged down with too much politics and confusing motivations, like a lot of the Roger Moore films suffered from. There are some plot holes that will have you asking “How did he know how to go there?” and “Why did he do that?” but nothing that completely breaks the movie. Typically if you’re wondering how Bond could find a plane out in the middle of nowhere or somehow magically know which country to go to next, the answer usually is “because he’s Bond.”
If you’ve heard Sam Smith’s song Writing’s On The Wall you may be skeptical of the opening sequence as I was. I didn’t care for Smith’s high falsetto, satiny soft melody when I heard it on satellite radio, but I was pleased to see it fits in quite nicely with the visuals of the iconic Bond title sequence. Whoever is doing the opening for the last few Bond flicks has been absolutely nailing it. Maurice Binder would be proud.
The only real downfall of Spectre is that as a followup to Skyfall it fails to hit the extreme highs that the previous Bond adventure hit. The hand-to-hand fight scene in Spectre isn’t nearly as exciting as Skyfall‘s, the chase scene isn’t as exhilarating or original and the big explosion isn’t nearly as breathtaking. During the movie I tried to be fair and not judge it against it’s cinematic brother but since they share the same actors, director and writers it’s hard not to. On it’s own merits Spectre is a well-made action movie that plots along smoothly, delivers action where appropriate and injects lighthearted cheesy Bond moments here and there. It’s fun, it’s fast and above all it’s slick and exciting, just like a Bond movie should be. The ending sets up the franchise for some interesting movies down the road and manages to wrap the film up conveniently without betraying Bond’s character (if you’ve seen the film you know what I mean). I suppose the best thing I can say about the movie is that it was satisfying yet left me wanting more. When you walk out of the theater anxious for 2018 so you can see what Bond does next, it’s safe to say the movie accomplished it’s mission.