A cryptic message from Bond's past sends him on a trail to uncover a sinister organization. While M battles political forces to keep the secret service alive, Bond peels back the layers of deceit to reveal the terrible truth behind SPECTRE.
Director: Sam Mendes
Cast: Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Lea Seydoux, Ralph
Fiennes, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris
Release Date: Nov.
6, 2015
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action and violence,
some disturbing images, sensuality and language
Runtime: 2 hr. 28 min.
Genres: Action, Adventure
Review:
Spectre is a totally serviceable Bond film that hits all
the expected beats but rarely surprises.
Coming after Skyfall, which is probably one of the best Bond films,
doesn’t help Spectre since the comparisons are unavoidable. Skyfall felt fresh and had a strong sense of
immediacy something Spectre lacks.
Spectre delivers all the globe trotting set pieces and love interest
required for a Bond film. Its biggest
issue is that it feels rather paint by the numbers throughout. Even the big reveal feels kind of perfunctory
when it should be a jaw dropping moment.
In lesser hands this would be a total miss but Sam Mendes is an
incredibly talented film maker. He
delivers a beautiful film that has some great moments with the opening sequence
in Mexico City and a thrilling
chase in the Austrian mountains leaving the biggest impression. For all the grumpiness during the press tour,
Daniel Craig delivers another strong performance as Bond. I’ve always enjoyed the level of intensity
that he’s brought to the role, something that’s been missing from previous
incarnations. Bond’s supporting cast
gets some slightly expanded roles with Ben Whishaw bringing some much needed to
energy to the middle portions of the film.
Sadly, some of the new faces like Christoph Waltz, Lea Seydoux, doing
her best Eva Green impression, and Monica Belluci are woefully underused. Christoph Waltz was born to play a Bond
villain but he’s left on the sidelines for the better part of the film
meandering runtime. Spectre has a steady
sense of finality for Craig’s run as Bond which is a shame on so many
levels. Sadly, Spectre stands closer to
Quantum of Solace instead of a worthy follow up to Skyfall.
C+
