Chances are, if you’re a huge James Bond fan you probably don’t need me to tell you to go out and see SPECTRE. That being said, if you’re not a huge James Bond fan (such as myself) you should continue reading this movie review. Spectre is the 24th Bond film and the 4th for actor Daniel Craig. I’ll just jump to the point and say that it’s not his best Bond film of the 4, either. However, that obviously does not mean that it’s a bad film or one not worth seeing. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but recognize that it has some flaws that its predecessors CASINO ROYALE and SKYFALL did not. Notice the lack of Quantum in that list…
As stated above, I don’t consider myself a huge Bond fan. I’ve enjoyed the Craig films, but have never gone back and watched some of the more famous and classic flicks. According to the real fans though, this film is something of a throwback to the oldies. In my opinion, this is good and it’s bad. On one hand, it’s fun to watch mindless action and big, scary bad guys. On the other, I felt like there was a lot of wasted potential. Especially with Christoph Waltz. In Skyfall we were introduced to one of the best Bond villains in recent memory. Javier Bardem played Silva perfectly. He was intense, a real threat, and had actual motivations. In Spectre, Waltz is barely even around. No joke, the main antagonist, the head of Spectre, is in all of just three scenes. His introduction is beautiful and exciting and then he kind of disappears for a while. I just didn’t feel like he really cared about being there. Waltz was great as a performer, but his character was flat and kind of boring.
Honestly there was just too much going on in the film. There were side plots that could have been shortened to create more room for the main arc. There were characters and villains that were irrelevant. It kind of seemed like two movies meshed into one. But let me reiterate, it was fun. The opening shot of the film seems to last for several minutes. It’s magnificently shot and directed. Oh! And the Bond-girl is actually really cool and well developed. I suspect we’ll be seeing more of her and that’s something I certainly look forward to.
Perhaps if it were any other spy movie, it wouldn’t be quite as exciting, but it’s James Bond. We love the guy! I’ll be disappointed if the rumors are true and this is Craig’s final performance as Bond, but it certainly isn’t a bad way to go out. The guy has had an incredible run with several films that will last. Whoever replaces him will surely have some big shoes to fill. So check out Spectre and if you can, try your best to not compare it to some of the other Bond greats. On it’s own, I think it can shine. Next to Skyfall… not so much.
3.5 / 5 Stars
SPECTRE – Dir. Sam Mendes
Starring: Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Léa Seydoux, Ralph Fiennes
Run Time: 148 minutes