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Star Cast: Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Léa Seydoux, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Dave Bautista, Monica Bellucci, Ralph Fiennes
Director: Sam Mendes
What’s Good: The good old charm of Bond is maintained with Aston Martins, Vodka Martinis and his introductory theme.
What’s Bad: Spectre completely weighs down 007’s grit and could be easily termed as one of the most boring Bond films ever. Even out of Daniel Craig’s four films, this one is the worst. If rumors are true and this is Craig’s goodbye film, I feel utterly sorry for him to part ways with this as his last leaf.
Loo Break: The Slow First Half Is A Good Time!
Watch or Not?: If you are a James Bond series fan and mind you not the Daniel Craig one but since the Sean Connery times, give this one up. Save yourself the disappointment!
User Rating:
Taking off in Mexico, on The Day of the Dead, James Bond (Daniel Craig) is seen trailing a few criminals during the carnival. In his attempt to kill his target, Bond blows-up an entire building and further indulges in an exhilarating combat with the criminal on a drone. Due to the massive nature of these incidents that may irk an interrogation over a British spy causing havoc in Mexico, Bond is grounded by M (Ralph Fiennes) with immediate effect.
Needing exactly that, Bond is once again on a personal cum professional mission as he is left with the job to kill the founder of the nefarious terrorist organization titled Spectre which is headed by Franz Oberhauser (Christoph Waltz).
The same organization has been responsible for killing those closest to him including former M (Judy Dench) and Vesper Lynd (Casino Royale’s Eva Green). Bond is being assisted on this mission by his loyal accomplices Q (Ben Whishaw) and Moneypenny (Naomie Harris). To get a further insights into Spectre, Bond meets his former nemesis White who is now on deathbed. He directs Bond to his daughter Madeleine Swann (Lea Seydoux) who will lead him further but in turn asks for her protection.
Back home, C (Andrew Scott) is the new head after the merger of MI5 and MI6. C is campaigning Britain to join ‘Nine Eyes’, a global surveillance and intelligence co-operation and wants to strip down the ’00’ program, relieving all agents.
Will Britain agree to shutting down the ’00’ program and so will Bond be all on his own as he hunts down Oberhauser,is what is left to see.
Spectre Review: Script Analysis
The problem with Spectre is that right from the start, it has all it’s cards out in the open. There is no novelty when it comes to the story and we have truly seen it all. This is the second time after Skyfall, Bond’s story rides high on nostalgia and it is yawnsome. What is even more surprising is the fact that with this film, the writers convey that all of Bond’s previous antagonists come from the same terrorist organization called Spectre which was never mentioned before, thus making it a completely personal war for Bond. In spite of creating this premise that Oberhauser has always been the thorn in Bond’s story, it is unbelievable why he would not just kill James with a bullet but indulge in technological theatrics when he captures Bond the first time around.
The loosely written script is so predictable that anyone can tell what lies ahead, except that the film stretches for a much longer time, as it lures you with the customary car chases, helicopter fights and hand to hand combats and the sensuous Bond ladies.
What the plot essentially lacks is, creating a compelling drama clubbed with emotions like Skyfall. The slow-paced script gives us minimal pulsating or edge-of-the-seat moments that could have been a key for a film with a run-time like this.
Spectre Review: Star Performance
Daniel Craig manages to sail through just fine in this film but is not as impressive as his last installment.We hope this is not his last film in the franchise as that would be a lowkey goodbye.
Lea Seydoux is the new Bond girl with Spectre but unfortunately she lacks the oomph. There is nothing striking about her and we couldn’t see any burning chemistry between her and Bond too!
Monica Belluci is the oldest ever Bond girl and it’s sad that we only get a few glimpses of her. The lady may be old but she still has her sex appeal intact. A scene where she takes a stroll towards the pool is so sexy that it makes up for her short role in the film.
Ben Whishaw as Q is on the top of his game with this film. His quirky one liners work well and he does a fine job as the trusted techie with a sense of wit. Q’s best dialogue in the film in response to him losing his job due to Bond’s action is “I have a mortgage and two cats to feed.”
Ralph Fiennes is truly missed in this film. He is visible but just not promising enough thanks to the poorly written role. In spite of being the new M, Fiennes does not seem to get his due credit.
Christoph Waltz is a major disappointment in the film. He completely lacks the gusto of a Bond villain and there is not a single moment where you actually hate him. He seems to be completely wasted in this film. He did a better job than this as Benjamin Chudnofsky in Green Hornet too!
Spectre Review: Music, Direction
Well, it seems Sam Mendes grew over confident with the success of Skyfall. He completely messes up Spectre with the addition of nostalgia and personal touch, What remains to be the best part in the film is certainly the necessary elements to make a Bond film like delivering the line, “Bond, James Bond” and of course, watching Bond’s agile action.
The start sequence of Mexico has been shot brilliantly and it was also a great choice to make the backdrop of ‘The Day Of The Dead’ carnival as Bond fights in and out of a drone.
Another best scene in the film is when Bond is brushing through a few of White’s tapes, where he finds one with Vesper Lynd written on it. The silence in which he gazes at it truly takes us back into the Casino Royale’s heart-breaking moment of Vesper’s death.
What kills the film more obviously than anything else is it’s extremely slow pace. The first half wastes so much time in establishing the story that post interval, you are already tired. The run-time itself is too high for a James Bond film.
Thanks to the Censor board cutting down on the intimate scenes, we hardly see any chemistry between Bond and his girl, not to mention the stupid abrupt cuts that happen when they are about to kiss.
Music is in place and what’s the fun in watching a 007 film without it’s theme. But, Sam Smith’s Writing On The Wall fails to impress and is no where near to Adele’s Skyfall.
Spectre Review: The Last Word
Spectre promises nothing from start and hence doesn’t deliver anything either. It is neither shaken nor stirred to get you tipsy! I suggest you catch up on an old Bond film rather than suffer through this. Thus, 2/5 it is!
Spectre Trailer
Spectre releases on 20th November, 2015.
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