Bond lovers will probably love Spectre even though it is just a bigger, louder version of Skyfall.
Spectre (Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Ralph Fiennes, Lea Seydoux) – Massive budget. Huge explosions. Ruthless villains. Fantastic locations. Amazing stunts. Bizarre plot turns. Gorgeous women. Soaring, if occasionally intrusive, soundtrack. Long. Loud. Gadgets. Cool cars. Beautiful photography. PG love scenes. A hit song.
In other words, Spectre is your basic Bond film. Nothing special. Nothing worse. Just a quarter billion dollar travelogue with lots of guns, loads of chases, plenty of peril for our hero, and over-the-top acting by everyone except star Daniel “I don’t believe in having any fun” Craig.
Sam Mendes, who directed the last Bond film, Skyfall, the biggest money-grossing Bond film of all time, helms Spectre, which surpassed $500 million in its first 10 days.
As with most Bond movies, the plot is irrelevant. It is always the same. In this case, there is a strong homage to Bond’s toughest and most prolific nemesis, Blofeld, who founded the evil terrorist organization, Spectre. Blofeld figures prominently in several of Ian Fleming’s novels beginning with Dr. No. On screen, his face is not seen until You Only Live Twice, played by legend Donald Pleasence. In Spectre, Oscar winner and antagonist extraordinaire Christoph Waltz plays Blofeld’s son.
There are two “Bond Girls” in Spectre: Lea Seydoux, a French actress best known in this country for the NC-17 rated Blue Is The Warmest Color and Italian beauty Monica Belluci, who plays a rare 50+ Bond Girl in a cameo appearance.
The Bond song is Sam Smith’s “Writing’s On The Wall,” which seems true to the franchise but not that memorable. More prominent is Thomas Newman’s score, which is omnipresent to the point of annoyance at times. The music overwhelms the dialogue, which is sparse, not a surprise for a Bond film since it is the action and music that carry the movie.
Daniel Craig is just fine as Bond. Viewers tend to like best whichever Bond they who made them love the franchise. Hence, Sean Connery is the favorite of most baby boomers; a few like his most prolific successor, Roger Moore. Younger people might like Pierce Brosnan or Craig. No one seems to like George Lazenby or Timothy Dalton best.
Craig is just so darned serious in a way that makes him more Jason Bourne or Ethan Hunt. People fell in love with the Bond who spoke in double entendres, winked at the audience, and undressed women with his eyes. Craig treats Bond like he is having a colonoscopy.
That said, Spectre is a spectacle not to be missed. Don’t wait for this to hit the small screen; it is too big for that. If you like Bond, Spectre is a creditable addition to the 20+ Bond franchise.