Spectre

photo fair use from forbes.com

2012’s Skyfall was not only a great James Bond film; it was a great film by any standard. This left Spectre with some very large shoes to fill. On paper, Spectre should have been the perfect Bond movie. It features many of the same cast members from Skyfall, sees the return of director Sam Mendes, adds Christoph Waltz as a villain, and has cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema behind the camera. While it’s certainly disappointing to say that Spectre does not quite manage to trump its predecessor, that does not stop it from being a great film in its own right.

Spectre, the 24th entry in the James Bond franchise, sees Bond (Daniel Craig) attempting to uncover a mysterious organization that may or may not have been responsible for the events of all the other Craig-era Bond films. Along the way, he is tasked with protecting the daughter of Quantum of Solace’s Mr. White, Dr. Madeleine Swan, in exchange for information on the organization, the titular Spectre.

Spectre tries its best to connect all of Craig’s previous outings as Bond in order to give more weight to the film’s events. While the film succeeds at this in some regards, the screenplay definitely needed another rewrite that keeps Spectre from being the near perfect adventure that it should have been. There are moments of genius in Spectre, but at times it gets bogged down by an extraneous subplot involving global surveillance and an underdeveloped villain with unclear motivations.

That villain comes in the form of Christoph Waltz as the shadowy leader of Spectre. Unfortunately, Waltz’s character never gets the chance to really shine. After a superb introduction, the character is only really present in handful of other scenes. Waltz is spectacular in the role, but the screenplay prevents him from becoming more than just another unmemorable Bond villain.

However, the same cannot be said for “Bond girl” Léa Seydoux. Seydoux is given more to work with than any of the other female leads in the series, save for maybe Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale. She’s a strong, smart, and rather independent character that has terrific chemistry with Craig. In many ways, she is Bond’s equal and their interactions are a blast to watch.

photo fair use from flickeringmyth.com

Spectre is also one of the most technically solid films of the year. Once again, Mendes does a great job in the director’s chair without imposing too much of his signature on the film, such as in American Beauty. However, Spectre, similarly to Skyfall, makes its biggest impression through its cinematography.

Replacing Roger Deakins, cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema does flawless work with the visuals in the film. Spectre opens with a with a four minute long tracking shot in Mexico City during Day of the Dead that follows Bond through the crowded streets, into a building, up an elevator, out a window, and across several rooftops. The whole sequence is magnificent to behold and technically sublime. Spectre features a variety of rich color palettes, immaculate framing, and is just overall gorgeous.

photo fair use from dailymail.co.uk

Mendes and van Hoytema do great things with the action in Spectre. Editor Lee Smith also plays a major role in this, making fight scenes clean and easy to follow. A fist fight in the dining car of a train between Bond and a Spectre assassin is arguably the film’s best action scene. The punches land with a satisfying weight as the two men crash through tables, walls, and anything else that gets in the way. Other set pieces include a rather uneventful car chase, an amusing showdown between a plane and a convoy of SUVs, and a rather breathtaking sequence inside a twirling helicopter.

If Casino Royale presented Bond in a darker and more realistic way, Spectre takes Craig’s iteration of the character the closest it has ever been to the old classics. This decision makes sense, considering this is almost certainly Craig’s last romp as the legendary spy. There’s even a sense of finality to the way the film concludes. While it doesn’t quite surpass some of the recent entries in the franchise, Spectre still serves as an entertaining and fitting send off to Craig’s version of the character.

The Verdict:

Spectre is a technically flawless, entertaining Bond film that could have been perfect with a better screenplay.

86/100