Ricky Church completes his countdown to Spectre…
As with Daniel Craig’s previous James Bond films, Spectre explores the character’s inner darkness, further examining what makes him tick. It also builds off the other installments, connecting all of Craig’s Bond films together in an effective way (even if it does retcon certain elements from this new canon).
When Bond receives a cryptic message, he sets off on a personal mission to discover the origins of SPECTRE, a secret organization that bends the world to its will. SPECTRE however is connected to Bond’s past in more ways than he realizes, putting the secret agent in greater danger than he’s ever been in. Without the aid of MI6, it’s all up to him to stop SPECTRE’s nefarious plan.
After a long legal battle lasting decades, it is absolutely great to see the original, big baddies of the Bond franchise back in action. SPECTRE makes a grand reentry in the canon, coming off as a very deadly group of enemies to Bond that matches the character’s skill and wit. Much of this is due to Christoph Waltz’s performance as Franz Oberhauser, a very competent enemy for Bond. Waltz is excellent in his performance, though he could have been in the film more. This is not to say Oberhauser was underused, only that Waltz is so good in the role (as always) more of him is never a bad thing.
Daniel Craig once again does a great job as 007, further displaying of the agent’s deeper characteristics as more of his past is discovered. He shows a vulnerability to the character, especially in the second half of the film as he confronts his hidden demons. Two scenes in particular stand out: Bond trying to protect Lea Seydoux’s Madeline Swann from the grisly truth of her father’s death and during his interrogation, a scene that makes you squirm just as bad as Le Chiffre’s method.
Lea Seydoux does well as Swann. Her chemistry with Craig is one of the best points of the film, forcing Bond to question why exactly he does what he does, though she still doesn’t match the chemistry of some past Bond girls such as Eva Green. Monica Bellucci has a short role as Lucia Sciarra, the wife of a man Bond kills, but she’s rather underused and underdeveloped in the role. This is a bit of a shame after the promotion her character received and Daniel Craig’s recent comments about Bellucci as well.
Bond’s supporting cast also does well. Naomi Harris, Ben Whinshaw and Ralph Fiennes all contribute in meaningful ways to the plot and Bond’s development. Whinshaw in particular is given a bit more to do while Harris and Fiennes are put more on the sidelines until the film’s climax. Andrew Scott also does well with what he’s given as C, one of M’s political rivals. Dave Bautista is, however, underused as SPECTRE’s main henchman Mr. Hinx.
Spectre’s plot moves along at a good pace for the first half of the film, but slows down during the second half to focus on the various character’s developments and implications of SPECTRE’s danger. It allows good breathing room between the action scenes and gives Bond and Swann many chances to connect on an emotional level. Sam Mendes directs with a lot of energy and competency, displaying yet again a great eye for visuals and scenery. The one part of Spectre’s story that doesn’t quite work well is the focus on MI6’s relevancy, a plot point that was discussed thoroughly in Skyfall. It feels like a bit of a retread of that theme and one that doesn’t deliver the same quality of thought as Skyfall.
Spectre features a good plot with great acting and character development for the world’s most famous secret agent. Its action scenes are quite well done, especially the cold opening, and Mendes’ direction is great. SPECTRE gets an excellent reintroduction and update to the franchise and, while the film may not live up to Skyfall, Spectre delivers a good Bond adventure that focuses on the character’s past and future.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Ricky Church
https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL18yMRIfoszEaHYNDTy5C-cH9Oa2gN5ng&v=W04aXcyQ0NQ
Originally published November 10, 2015. Updated April 15, 2018.
