Bond is back in the spectacular SPECTRE
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
On my very brief return to the UK, I insisted on several things: 1) Eat a full English breakfast, 2) Eat a bar of Cadbury's, and 3) Watch SPECTRE. And so, having ticked off the first two and previously missed out on press screenings whilst travelling, I ferried myself to the cinema at 10am. It was worth it.
After the game-changing Skyfall, which felt much more intimate and personal, SPECTRE returns to Bond's other roots as an all-round awesome, thrilling, unapologetically Bond, Bond movie. The lead up to SPECTRE has been full of overshadowing speculation over whether or not it will be Daniel Craig's last outing as the suave Englishman. Director Sam Mendes follows up with an impressive return, and although it is definitely his last film, I do hope we'll see Craig as Bond again.
The story is not rocket science. SPECTRE is a secret criminal organisation, and interestingly is linked to previous new generation Bond adventures. James faces off against a villain (unsurprisingly the leader of the organisation, played by the master of playing a villain Christoph Waltz), there is a global threat, he travels to several exotic locations in the process of saving the world, and yes he does meet a few women too. But although it may be a tad predictable in places, it makes up for it with good old-fashioned plot suspense and eye-popping (uh, literally) scenes. The story is not rocket science, but I suspect the writers and Mendes were fully aware of it. But I bet you weren't expecting an MI5/MI6 merger? Because #economicproblems.
As one of the most expensive productions in movie history, SPECTRE definitely hits the mark in terms of visual effects, large scale everything, and of course, dramatic explosions. We know this right from the start, with the Day of the Dead opening scene in Mexico City. This compelling boldness is carried out throughout the entire two and a half hours, through snowy Austria, Rome, somewhere in the desert, and of course, London. Who doesn't love a good boat chase down the Thames?
Daniel Craig is also on point throughout. He's doing his own thing, naturally in style and beating up people like a kick-ass spy does. There are fewer opportunities this time to showcase his vulnerable side, but he is still consistently very comfortably centre stage with another solid transformation to the character. In his now 4th film, Craig is Bond. Other characters like Ralph Fiennes' New M and Monica Belluci's Lucia could definitely have been used more, on the other hand. But we do see the welcome return of Eve Moneypenny (Naomie Harris) and Q (Ben Whishaw), joined by the fascinating Max Denbigh (played by a brilliant Andrew Scott) and megaman Dave Bautista. If you ask me, Dave Bautista feels like the real villain as henchman Mr. Hinx (think Batman's Bane being scary, no mask needed).
Comparatively, actual bad guy (Christoph Waltz) seems less menacing but there's more to him as his role as a puppeteer is revealed. There are well-intended attempts and moments of fear, but I kind of wish the villainy had been further developed. In a 21st century world and Bond film, surveillance and information gathering and sharing is the deadly threat. I'm getting Sherlock Season 3 flashbacks. Oh, and Waltz brings back a classic Bond baddie! . Another character not to be missed is this instalment's Bond girl Lea Seydoux who plays Dr. Madeleine Swann. The sheer fact that she has 'Dr' in her name immediately screams that she is more than just your eye-candy Bond girl; shock horror, she's an actual, developed character. Audiences and critics alike have been praising Seydoux's take as a strong woman who can hold her own (and hold a gun).
SPECTRE is not a perfect film, but it is a very decent one, and a sensible homage to Bond through the ages. There are glimpses of screen genius, a ravishing white tux moment, an ejector car seat, a helicopter fight scene, a good sense of humour, perfect soundtrack, and a beautiful Aston Martin. No, it's not Skyfall and it's not groundbreaking either. But so what if there are very few twists and turns? I was on a pretty entertaining journey nonetheless.
SPECTRE is in cinemas worldwide now.
The story is not rocket science. SPECTRE is a secret criminal organisation, and interestingly is linked to previous new generation Bond adventures. James faces off against a villain (unsurprisingly the leader of the organisation, played by the master of playing a villain Christoph Waltz), there is a global threat, he travels to several exotic locations in the process of saving the world, and yes he does meet a few women too. But although it may be a tad predictable in places, it makes up for it with good old-fashioned plot suspense and eye-popping (uh, literally) scenes. The story is not rocket science, but I suspect the writers and Mendes were fully aware of it. But I bet you weren't expecting an MI5/MI6 merger? Because #economicproblems.
As one of the most expensive productions in movie history, SPECTRE definitely hits the mark in terms of visual effects, large scale everything, and of course, dramatic explosions. We know this right from the start, with the Day of the Dead opening scene in Mexico City. This compelling boldness is carried out throughout the entire two and a half hours, through snowy Austria, Rome, somewhere in the desert, and of course, London. Who doesn't love a good boat chase down the Thames?
Daniel Craig is also on point throughout. He's doing his own thing, naturally in style and beating up people like a kick-ass spy does. There are fewer opportunities this time to showcase his vulnerable side, but he is still consistently very comfortably centre stage with another solid transformation to the character. In his now 4th film, Craig is Bond. Other characters like Ralph Fiennes' New M and Monica Belluci's Lucia could definitely have been used more, on the other hand. But we do see the welcome return of Eve Moneypenny (Naomie Harris) and Q (Ben Whishaw), joined by the fascinating Max Denbigh (played by a brilliant Andrew Scott) and megaman Dave Bautista. If you ask me, Dave Bautista feels like the real villain as henchman Mr. Hinx (think Batman's Bane being scary, no mask needed).
Comparatively, actual bad guy (Christoph Waltz) seems less menacing but there's more to him as his role as a puppeteer is revealed. There are well-intended attempts and moments of fear, but I kind of wish the villainy had been further developed. In a 21st century world and Bond film, surveillance and information gathering and sharing is the deadly threat. I'm getting Sherlock Season 3 flashbacks. Oh, and Waltz brings back a classic Bond baddie! . Another character not to be missed is this instalment's Bond girl Lea Seydoux who plays Dr. Madeleine Swann. The sheer fact that she has 'Dr' in her name immediately screams that she is more than just your eye-candy Bond girl; shock horror, she's an actual, developed character. Audiences and critics alike have been praising Seydoux's take as a strong woman who can hold her own (and hold a gun).
SPECTRE is not a perfect film, but it is a very decent one, and a sensible homage to Bond through the ages. There are glimpses of screen genius, a ravishing white tux moment, an ejector car seat, a helicopter fight scene, a good sense of humour, perfect soundtrack, and a beautiful Aston Martin. No, it's not Skyfall and it's not groundbreaking either. But so what if there are very few twists and turns? I was on a pretty entertaining journey nonetheless.
SPECTRE is in cinemas worldwide now.
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