Spectre

Starring: Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Lea Seydoux, Ralph Fiennes, Monica Bellucci, Naomie Harris, Ben Whishaw, Dave Bautista, Andrew Scott, Rory Kinnear, Jesper Christensen, Judi Dench (uncredited)
Directed by: Sam Mendes
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Adventure, Thriller
2015

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Bond (Daniel Craig) investigates the mysterious global organization, SPECTRE as he tries to uncover their nefarious plot.

Review:

Tim: I'm troubled by Spectre and what this film means for the legacy of Daniel Craig as Bond (assuming this is his final ride as the famous spy). From the start, this film just felt a bit too generic. The movie itself is surprisingly toothless- it's almost as if everyone was suffering from a Skyfall hangover (I still that movie is grossly overrated). It was like director Sam Mendes and the cast just showed up and went through the motions. It doesn't feel like anyone was giving their best here. This isn't a bad movie, but it's a perfectly average, forgettable Bond film. I expected more from the 24th film in this franchise.

I wonder if some of the excitement was lost in setting up SPECTRE and Christoph Waltz's villain. It was like this film focused too much on the history of Bond, rather than blazing a new trail ahead. We've seen nearly everything on screen before. I just wonder if at the heart of this film's issues is the fact that it was updating organizations and villains from the past, rather than giving us something truly new.

The film is a bit too long at 2 hours, 28 minutes. The film never truly drags, but it doesn't seem to bring enough energy. I wasn't bored, but I was never fully engaged or truly excited about the story. There's no incredible moment where you're reminded why James Bond has succeeded on movie screens for over 50 years. It felt like everyone involved was content to give us more of the same. The opening scene takes place in Mexico- the Day of the Dead crowd and Bond's mask were incredibly cool, but it culminates in a helicopter battle that carried very little weight. It was an okay opening, but it certainly didn't get my blood pumping much. The same can be said for the plane crash sequence, the scene at the compound inside the crater, the isolated cabin, etc. Each of these sequences is fine, they're decent. They just feel too disjointed. There never seems to be any sense of momentum building. We're treated to the same generic level from start to finish. The movie doesn't quite plod, but it's never going at a full sprint.

I know Daniel Craig is tired of Bond and I have to believe that sentiment soaked through into his performance. He doesn't do one thing here that made me want to cheer. He does a good enough job to avoid heaps of criticism, but I didn't see any fire in his performance- it was just barely good enough, never more. Christoph Waltz was a surprisingly lackluster villain. The producers had no idea how to use him- his talent was wasted in this role. Lea Seydoux was good, she brought some different energy to the film. I doubt I'd ever consider her among the top tier of Bond girls, but I didn't have any major complaints. Ralph Fiennes was fine as M. I liked Dave Bautista's character, but he didn't get to do any acting. I expected his villain to be cooler. I liked seeing Andrew Scott here- he was one of the few actors that felt like he was giving it his all. When the whole cast like this feels disappointing (especially when you consider the unbelievable amount of talent assembled), I have to blame the director for the lackluster result.

I love the James Bond franchise, but I'm less optimistic about the recent past and the near future than many other fans. Let's say that Craig is done as Bond. We got the great Casino Royale, which I believe is the best Craig Bond movie. The good but disappointing Quantum of Solace, which is the worst Craig Bond movie. We got the better Skyfall, but that movie wasn't nearly as good as everyone claimed it was. And, we got Spectre, which is ultimately disappointing as well. I'd rank the Craig Bond films in this order- Casino Royale, Skyfall, Spectre, and Quantum of Solace. That's one great movie, one really good movie, and two good but somewhat disappointing entries. I'm not sure who could claim Craig is the best Bond with results like that.

I really wanted to like this movie. I suppose in the end, Spectre is a good movie. It's certainly a James Bond movie that pays tribute to the past. It features some exciting sequences and most of what we've come to expect from a Bond film. The problem is that we were promised more. This is a good movie, but it's a tremendous way away from being great. While I like Craig as Bond, I believe it's time to shake things up. We need a different director and we need someone who will bring all the energy and enthusiasm they can for playing the greatest spy in movie history. I don't know what comes next for this storied franchise, but I hope it's a return to form, instead of sliding further down.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall