Excellent, concise review.
SPECTRE - Grading & Discussion
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Excellent, concise review.
I thought it was great, and enjoyed it more than skyfall, no question. It felt more like a classic bond film to me with a tricked out Aston Martin and a very jaws-like henchman, attributes that have been lacking in Craigs previous outings in my opinion. The pre credits sequence, plane chase and train fight were all outstanding, gripping action sequences. I found the rome car chase strangely underwhelming though.
I gave this a B+ and the ending climax felt a bit disjointed - the Morocco crater lair segment should've been expanded upon, with a ground battle between hundreds of SPECTRE henchmen and Felix's Delta/SEAL team, while London's climax (featuring M and his team, no Bond) ran alongside it.
Was Quantum a branch of SPECTRE all along or was it the Illuminati to SPECTRE's Majestic 12, with an off screen power struggle between Mr. White (the Pale King) and Mr. Oberhauser (Blofeld) that occurred in the many years between QoS and SPECTRE?
Either way I liked how Craig Bond films were linked by the same secret super crime syndicate that's similar to HYDRA from the MCU.
Either way I liked how Craig Bond films were linked by the same secret super crime syndicate that's similar to HYDRA from the MCU.
I think the fact that he can have a chat during the car chase drains the tension somewhat, it's still fun though, especially given 009's taste in music.
They seem to have given up on the huge battle ala You Only Live Twice/The Spy Who Loved Me, which is a shame. I like that idea in principle though, Bond and Madeline take on Blofeld whilst M takes on C.
A finale on that scale would probably cost half the film's budget.
That was a location shoot that utilised buidlings which were already there, plus it was just one explosion, a load of people in costume walking down a sreet, and a fight scene on a helicopter with presumably a fair bit of CGI.
I can't imagine what it would cost to recreate a scene on the scale of the battle aboard Stromberg's tanker from TSWLM.
It wasn't just that, the bit where he rams that Fiat 500 and you can see bonds speedo counting up as he accelerates then the camera goes outside and they're clearly doing about 20mph, it just looked lame - I don't normally spot things like that on first viewing, and especially on the big screen but this just stood out like a sore thumb. Even when Hinx actually catches him on occasion all he does is pull alongside him and stare at him, no ramming, no shooting (like he does in the plane bit) I thought it was the most underwhelming action sequence in the movie. All the ingredients were there, the cars, the location, and they dropped the ball with it in my opinion. Only the latter part of it where they fly down those stairs and the ejector seat bit partially redeems it. Every car chase in the Bourne trilogy was so much better. It's still a great movie though. And I liked the bit where he selected the music by accident too.
The pro American reviewers have started to put their reviews of SPECTRE up on Rotten Tomatoes. Many of them are truly clobbering it.
Rating has gone from 76% last night to 67% now.
Rating has gone from 76% last night to 67% now.
It's climbing down 66%, I had a feeling it was going to get more of a critical drubbing similar to the relatively disliked Quantum of Solace when Casino Royale (and Skyfall to a lesser extent) set the creative bar so stupidly high.
And it doesn't help that MI: Rogue Nation presented credible competition with sustained fight and chase sequences that had more rawness, more danger, with a slightly less predictable storyline (like the better first and fourth MI films). On the other side of the coin the more far fetched trope of the Sean Connery and Roger Moore eras - the sprawling evil organisations and their sprawling super lairs - was updated in the 2010s more successfully in Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Kingsman: The Secret Service.
A very positive review: http://www.torontosun.com/2015/11/03/spectre-review-daniel-craigs-007-hits-the-bulls-eye
I hope to see the film this weekend.
I hope to see the film this weekend.
At the moment Kingsman is my favourite spy film of the year.
I wouldn't agree that Rogue Nation was better than Spectre, although they both share an odd pacing issue in that they have wonderful action sequences early on yet go off the boil towards the end (and both end up with resolutions that involve main characters just running around dark London streets shooting at each other). If anything ("box" payoff line aside) I'd say Spectre's limp final act is still better than Rogue Nation's, plus Spectre makes better use of its extended cast (seriously was there a point to Rhames and Renner being in RN?)
There's also The Man from UNCLE and Spooks:The Greater Good to throw into the spy mix this year. I need to shuffle the pack to decide where I rank them all but at the moment the only thing for certain (IMO) is that Kingsman is the best of the bunch and Rogue Nation the worst (however to put that into context I enjoyed them all!)
I loved it. My new #2 favorite Bond film. GoldenEye being my most favorite Bond film. Bond is back baby!
Saw it last night at 7pm. 1 ticket, standard format, was $20. That's insane.
The "day of the dead" intro was amazing. The cinematography and the music throughout the movie were beautiful. They really elevate the quality of the movie. I loved the scene with Monica Bellucci's character slowly walking through her home to opera music, as Bond shoots the assassins that had come to kill her. I also loved the scenes in Rome and Tangier. The majestic mountains in Austria were incredible. Stunning scenery.
The movie does follow the Bond script to a tee, making the story both very predictable but also very enjoyable if you are a long time Bond fan. There are lots of call backs to earlier Craig Bond movies as well as to classic Bond. And it's all there, henchmen chasing Bond, Bond bedding beautiful women to get info, exotic locations, fancy car with gadgets, a secret lair, main villain boasting about his master plan to Bond, Bond escaping and saving the day etc... Unfortunately, relying on these Bond tropes also means the movie suffers from the classic Bond plot holes: Why does the main villain bring Bond to his secret lair and treat him like an honored guest before torturing him? Why not just kill Bond the first time? And why does he set up elaborate traps for Bond and then let him escape? In some ways, Chris Waltz may be the weak link in the movie because his only purpose is to be the cartoon villain. And there are plenty of scenes that seem to only serve the purpose of creating dramatic moments. For example, there was no real reason to bring Bond to a dark empty room with a meteorite fragment in the center, other than to provide an excuse for the main villain to make a dramatic "out of the shadows" entrance and pontificate about his plan.
The subplot regarding M and the global surveillance program was well done but took a back seat of course to the main Bond plot. In a lot of ways, I almost wished that had been its own movie.
There were a couple moments like the scene in Bond's apartment and the scene in Tangier where I felt the pacing was a bit too slow.
But overall, the movie is classic Bond wrapped in beautiful cinematography. I give it a solid A.
The "day of the dead" intro was amazing. The cinematography and the music throughout the movie were beautiful. They really elevate the quality of the movie. I loved the scene with Monica Bellucci's character slowly walking through her home to opera music, as Bond shoots the assassins that had come to kill her. I also loved the scenes in Rome and Tangier. The majestic mountains in Austria were incredible. Stunning scenery.
The movie does follow the Bond script to a tee, making the story both very predictable but also very enjoyable if you are a long time Bond fan. There are lots of call backs to earlier Craig Bond movies as well as to classic Bond. And it's all there, henchmen chasing Bond, Bond bedding beautiful women to get info, exotic locations, fancy car with gadgets, a secret lair, main villain boasting about his master plan to Bond, Bond escaping and saving the day etc... Unfortunately, relying on these Bond tropes also means the movie suffers from the classic Bond plot holes: Why does the main villain bring Bond to his secret lair and treat him like an honored guest before torturing him? Why not just kill Bond the first time? And why does he set up elaborate traps for Bond and then let him escape? In some ways, Chris Waltz may be the weak link in the movie because his only purpose is to be the cartoon villain. And there are plenty of scenes that seem to only serve the purpose of creating dramatic moments. For example, there was no real reason to bring Bond to a dark empty room with a meteorite fragment in the center, other than to provide an excuse for the main villain to make a dramatic "out of the shadows" entrance and pontificate about his plan.
The subplot regarding M and the global surveillance program was well done but took a back seat of course to the main Bond plot. In a lot of ways, I almost wished that had been its own movie.
There were a couple moments like the scene in Bond's apartment and the scene in Tangier where I felt the pacing was a bit too slow.
But overall, the movie is classic Bond wrapped in beautiful cinematography. I give it a solid A.
The grades are all over the place.
I thought it was a fun ride. It was a return to old-style Bond while keeping it modern and I liked getting a glimpse into our hero's past with a rather interesting twist involving our villain. It also tried to tie together all the Craig films but I don't think it totally succeeded in doing so because their attempt felt tacked on after the fact.
Now for everything else…
The Movie's Title: "SPECTRE". One word but I like it. They paid for it so may as well use it. Plus, it's ominous and has multiple meanings. Are they running out of good titles? I still want to see 'Property of a Lady' used but fat chance of that happening.
The Cover Song & Opening Montage: I heard it for the first time when I saw the movie, as I do with all the Bond songs. I also saw that a lot of you didn't like it but I did. It's not the most memorable song and even now I can't remember it but it worked in context after that awsome intro in Mexico City and with the equally awsome montage, which might I add wasn't all that special but it looked good albeit a little too CGI-ish. The addition of old faces from the past was a nice touch.
James Bond: Norman Fell is looking pretty good these days. I kid. I like Craig. Or at least I used to until he started bitching and moaning that James Bond is crap and he'd rather die than do another one. What good qualities does Bond have Mr. Craig? He's relentless for starters. That was very much apparent in this outing. That quality added character to a character that's been mostly about non-stop action in the last few movies. Next time, they gotta bring back those one-liners and maybe some old-style charm. Okay, I'm over last month's fiasco and I'm looking forward to the next installment. And of course, that means with you Mr. Craig. Hopefully no more tiring last-minute re-shoots to ruin your excitement and mine.
The Villain(s): Still trying to top Auric Goldfinger or Blofeld? Why bother? Bring in Waltz and do what this movie did. I was spoiled and so were you but there were still a few surprises. Christophe Waltz has been great in pretty much everything he's been in. He's good at chanelling the irksome needling psychopath and he brought some of that to this performance. Not like he did in his previous movies but somewhat. I wonder if he'll be back. As for the other guy, Hinx was it? He was your clichéd super-tough guy who can take a pummelling and keep on going but it didn't feel old. People like that still make you feel as if the odds are against the hero and you wonder how this thug will finally be taken down.
The Bond Girl(s): That first lady in Mexico City had my attention. Very alluring in her brief scene. Too bad Bond walked out on her. But he's dedicated to Queen and Country I suppose. Then we got Not-Enough-Monica Bellucci and finally Mr. White's daughter who won't go down as a classic character but the effort put into trying to make her such is appreciated. By the way, should I be saying 'Bond Women' now? Monica Bellucci and Honor Blackman think so.
Locations: Gorgeous locales, and I mean it. Mexico City, Rome at night and a crater base. Once again, modern Bond and Classic Bond mixed together.
Gadgets: Chekhov's car! …and his watch. Nothing special in Q's arsenal this time but I liked Ben Whishaw as Q. Kind of reminded me of that guy from Jake 2.0.
M, Q & Moneypenny: Fiennes, Harris and the afore mentioned Whishaw. All great. I liked that our classic bit players all got substantial roles. As much as I loved Judy Dench and the snarky rapport her M had with Craig's Bond, Fiennes felt more like a classic M and I liked that too. Plus there's no longer the distraction of seeing the Brosnan era M in Craig's run. And Moneypenny… Not just the secretary people feared she would be.
A-
I thought it was a fun ride. It was a return to old-style Bond while keeping it modern and I liked getting a glimpse into our hero's past with a rather interesting twist involving our villain. It also tried to tie together all the Craig films but I don't think it totally succeeded in doing so because their attempt felt tacked on after the fact.
Now for everything else…
The Movie's Title: "SPECTRE". One word but I like it. They paid for it so may as well use it. Plus, it's ominous and has multiple meanings. Are they running out of good titles? I still want to see 'Property of a Lady' used but fat chance of that happening.
The Cover Song & Opening Montage: I heard it for the first time when I saw the movie, as I do with all the Bond songs. I also saw that a lot of you didn't like it but I did. It's not the most memorable song and even now I can't remember it but it worked in context after that awsome intro in Mexico City and with the equally awsome montage, which might I add wasn't all that special but it looked good albeit a little too CGI-ish. The addition of old faces from the past was a nice touch.
James Bond: Norman Fell is looking pretty good these days. I kid. I like Craig. Or at least I used to until he started bitching and moaning that James Bond is crap and he'd rather die than do another one. What good qualities does Bond have Mr. Craig? He's relentless for starters. That was very much apparent in this outing. That quality added character to a character that's been mostly about non-stop action in the last few movies. Next time, they gotta bring back those one-liners and maybe some old-style charm. Okay, I'm over last month's fiasco and I'm looking forward to the next installment. And of course, that means with you Mr. Craig. Hopefully no more tiring last-minute re-shoots to ruin your excitement and mine.
The Villain(s): Still trying to top Auric Goldfinger or Blofeld? Why bother? Bring in Waltz and do what this movie did. I was spoiled and so were you but there were still a few surprises. Christophe Waltz has been great in pretty much everything he's been in. He's good at chanelling the irksome needling psychopath and he brought some of that to this performance. Not like he did in his previous movies but somewhat. I wonder if he'll be back. As for the other guy, Hinx was it? He was your clichéd super-tough guy who can take a pummelling and keep on going but it didn't feel old. People like that still make you feel as if the odds are against the hero and you wonder how this thug will finally be taken down.
The Bond Girl(s): That first lady in Mexico City had my attention. Very alluring in her brief scene. Too bad Bond walked out on her. But he's dedicated to Queen and Country I suppose. Then we got Not-Enough-Monica Bellucci and finally Mr. White's daughter who won't go down as a classic character but the effort put into trying to make her such is appreciated. By the way, should I be saying 'Bond Women' now? Monica Bellucci and Honor Blackman think so.
Locations: Gorgeous locales, and I mean it. Mexico City, Rome at night and a crater base. Once again, modern Bond and Classic Bond mixed together.
Gadgets: Chekhov's car! …and his watch. Nothing special in Q's arsenal this time but I liked Ben Whishaw as Q. Kind of reminded me of that guy from Jake 2.0.
M, Q & Moneypenny: Fiennes, Harris and the afore mentioned Whishaw. All great. I liked that our classic bit players all got substantial roles. As much as I loved Judy Dench and the snarky rapport her M had with Craig's Bond, Fiennes felt more like a classic M and I liked that too. Plus there's no longer the distraction of seeing the Brosnan era M in Craig's run. And Moneypenny… Not just the secretary people feared she would be.
A-
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^ I figured it was just another case of Bond's resilience.
I just listened to Sam Smith's song a few times, and like the movie, it's very much a modern song but it has touches of old, more specifically both the Connery and Moore era sounds. It's still not memorable but it's a tune I don't mind listening to over and over.
[yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jzDnsjYv9A[/yt]
I've been hoping for something like that for a while now.
I just listened to Sam Smith's song a few times, and like the movie, it's very much a modern song but it has touches of old, more specifically both the Connery and Moore era sounds. It's still not memorable but it's a tune I don't mind listening to over and over.
[yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jzDnsjYv9A[/yt]
My main reaction to SPECTRE was that it was a very conscious recreation of classic bond after a very dark departure with Skyfall. Lots of references to old bond, and not just with the villain. I was expecting someone to have a golden gun at one point. I had the distinct feeling in large parts of it that you could have replaced DC with Roger Moore and hardly noticed the difference. Some of it, like the frustrating switches in the car chase and the train fight were bordering on cheesy they were so old school. As a result I feel about it much as I do about a lot of Bonds from that era - enjoyed it a lot but in a fairly mindless way. Maybe that's the whole point?
The henchman was also deeply derivative of The Mountain from Game of Thrones, even taking his signature move, which seemed a little out of place. I get they were trying to set him up as a threat to Bond, but that scene (as well as being ridiculous - that ring is their only security, but they'll happily show each other their faces?) actually got a laugh in my cinema which probably wasn't the point!
Opening titles were particularly excellent this time around, and I thoroughly enjoyed a lot of the action stuff. I agree that it degraded a lot after Austria in terms of plot, and upgrading Five Eyes to Nine Eyes didn't seem that big an endgame really. But I came out happy. I've given it a B+
The henchman was also deeply derivative of The Mountain from Game of Thrones, even taking his signature move, which seemed a little out of place. I get they were trying to set him up as a threat to Bond, but that scene (as well as being ridiculous - that ring is their only security, but they'll happily show each other their faces?) actually got a laugh in my cinema which probably wasn't the point!
Opening titles were particularly excellent this time around, and I thoroughly enjoyed a lot of the action stuff. I agree that it degraded a lot after Austria in terms of plot, and upgrading Five Eyes to Nine Eyes didn't seem that big an endgame really. But I came out happy. I've given it a B+
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