SPECTRE – The Review

Director Sam Mendes was never going to meet expectations following SKYFALL. Never. No matter what he did, no matter how hard he tried, SPECTRE was never going to satisfy hungry fans after previously delivering what many rank high among the best films in the 24 film franchise. SKYFALL was a huge achievement for many fans of the series. In many ways, it felt like more of a reset for the series than CASINO ROYALE. Audiences and fans applauded the most recent outing, even if it lacked as many of the stunts and gadgets that some have come to expect from the past two decades of James Bond films after the previous reset: GOLDENEYE. Sam Mendes was able to give the series a sense of prestige that had not been felt since… well… the Sean Connery days. That’s a pretty lofty achievement considering the series has been going for over 50 years.

I may not hold SKYFALL in such high regard as some, but I clearly see the allure and the reasons why so many gravitate towards it. Daniel Craig has had a fairly solid run as 007. Though not without a major hiccup (QUANTUM OF SOLACE), Craig has been able to escape the questionable “Blonde-hair blue-eyed Bond” stigma that was attached to him even before fans saw him donning the signature suit and tie. Having Sam Mendes and his star return again for another outing (possibly the last if you believe some rumors) is a no-brainer. It clearly worked well before; what could go wrong? Unfortunately, SPECTRE is not Bond’s finest hour – though nearly  2 and 1/2 hours is more accurate – but it’s certainly not his darkest hour.

In SPECTRE, James Bond is led from Mexico City, to London, to Rome, to some snowy city in Austria, to Tangier. And keep in mind, I no doubt have forgotten at least a few stops across the game board. A mysterious ring with an octopus carved into it leads to a secret grandiose terrorist organization as well as ghosts from Bond’s past veering their heads.

Now in his fourth outing as the secret agent with a license to kill, Daniel Craig seems to have exhausted his firepower. He comes across as either mildly bored or just simply too predictable. His unembellished mannerisms, gruff tone, and unflinching demeanor recall earlier Bond actor Timothy Dalton, but without the intensity and ruthlessness that Dalton became known for. Ian Fleming’s incarnation of the character found in the original novels is complicated but focused, but Craig seems as tired with the role as he has come across during his publicity tour of SPECTRE.

The supporting cast comes across as just as generic. Léa Seydoux certainly looks the part as she struts through a train car in a slinky silk gown but fails to ignite any form of spark in the brooding Bond. Women have always been the secret agent’s downfall, however, Craig seems more interested in a scurrying mouse in a hotel room in Tangier than the cold but alluring Seydoux. 

Christoph Waltz seems born to play a villain with his sly smile and distinctive cadence. What could have been an iconic role in the Bond series feels like a wasted opportunity. Even forgiving the fact that Mendes chooses to leave the villain in the shadows for the majority of the film, never is his presence felt as Bond dashes across continents uncovering the next clue in the mystery that is the criminal organization Spectre. The organization as a whole is not very well defined or threatening in the least. I guess the history that the organization has amounted in the Bond franchise is meant to be enough to inspire chills. Instead, David Bautista has to carry the weight of the always pursuing, all-knowing evildoer as the henchman Hinx – all muscle and seemingly mute. And a fine job he does.

SPECTRE is the most “James Bondy” of the Craig films but it still has that heavy seriousness like the previous three films. Not as well balanced as CASINO ROYALE and lacking the emotional depth of SKYFALL, SPECTRE feels big and grandiose but also unfocused. At least it’s certainly better than QUANTUM. I feel the mystery wasn’t as intriguing as it should have been given the long (and I mean loooong) buildup. I think this entry will be most remembered for the action scenes. There are three great set pieces that are probably the best action scenes of the Daniel Craig series. A train fight in particular feels classic Bond while still being thrilling for modern audiences.

The action isn’t as gratuitous or disposable as QUANTUM OF SOLACE. The scenes pack a hard-hitting punch and are instantly memorable. It seems that Mendes didn’t want to repeat himself from his last entry. Instead of the operatic moodiness of SKYFALL, he instead wanted to make more of a standard Bond film. The problem is that the stuff between the set pieces doesn’t work as well as it should.

The sequence of events that leads Bond from one exotic locale to the next seems more arbitrary than ever before. A late night tryst with Monica Bellucci leads to him finding out about a secret meeting. Then he’s off to the meeting and she’s just as quickly off the screen. Her role is nonessential. Q examining a recovered Spectre ring can somehow uncover all the people and their personal information that are a part of this secret organization. What? Really? The connections leading from point A to point Z are unbelievably tenuous and seem too coincidental – keep in mind this is coming from a fan who has shrugged off quite a few instances of this in the past.

Fans of the series will enjoy seeing little nods to previous films. From the outfits that Bond wears, to certain set pieces, to even iconic characters coming into play, SPECTRE has some well-incorporated winks without feeling like simply fan service. Considering the film opens with the ominous statement, The dead are alive, you can’t help but let your mind spin all the scenarios. You don’t print that on the big screen without meaning a thing or two. Unfortunately little is done with that statement much more than the obvious. In fact, that statement and its meaning serve as a metaphor for the film as a whole – it’s a flashy idea but without much substance. If this is truly the final entry in the Craig-era Bond series as Craig has hinted at in interviews, it won’t be the best mission to go out on. SKYFALL may have set up a more classic Bond (akin to the Sean Connery days), but SPECTRE takes quite a few steps back, recalling the humdrum villains and location-to-location jumping-days of Pierce Brosnan and Roger Moore. If the dead are truly alive as this film states, perhaps Craig will don the tux and wield the Walther PPK in a couple of years so that he can end his era with a bang.

Overall rating: 3 out of 5

SPECTRE is now playing in theaters everywhere