A ‘Spectre’ of Terrible Looms Over James Bond (FILM REVIEW)

[rating=5.00]

Bond movies are a special genre. They fit into a mold laid out early on in the history of the silver screen, pushing action, love, and betrayal. Though the Bond men have cycled in and out of the public sphere, there’s always that understanding that 007 will return to kill some bad guys, solve the problem, and slay with the ladies—all while looking dapper as hell. That said, even with our locked in expectations of what Bond is and will always be, Spectre didn’t quite find the rhythm of its predecessors. Awkward moments, a lack of chemistry, and the under-utilization of talent ran rampant throughout the film, making it one of (if not the) worst 00-movie to date.

First, the good. Daniel Craig continues to embody the 007 persona as if he has copyrighted the character and receives payment for every Bond-like movement he makes. He’s subtle, yet allows himself to go over the top in a way that adds to the believability of the universe. The main villain is played by two time Academy Award winner Christoph Waltz and is a role that he could probably play in his sleep. He too embodies the true past of Bond, acting manically just because he can. The Bond girls are lovely, played by graceful goddess Monica Bellucci and Lolita-esque actress Lea Seydoux. Unfortunately a dedicated 007, a solid villain, and beautiful women were not enough to drive this film forward. Even typing those words together feels wrong, because truly the Bond franchise has driven itself into an almost satirical role, cementing itself firmly in the past because that’s where we’re comfortable with it. What could be missing to keep these key elements from truly meshing?

Turns out those long winded technical awards we like to get up and get a refill during are incredibly important after-all. For starters, the film had an incredible opening with a gorgeous scene set in Mexico. To demonstrate that things are getting serious in the 00-verse, Bond has followed the bad guy to a Dia de Los Muertos festival parading towards the main square in Mexico City. While at first it’s interesting and full of nice things to catch the eye, eventually it grows wearisome, culminating in a lackluster helicopter stunt and a weirdly HD CGI sky. At points there’s almost complete silence ringing angrily though the scene as Bond tussles with a bad guy in a dangerous aircraft too close to the people below. What was meant to be a moment of build-up comes off as a mistake, setting the tone for the rest of the film.

It’s not fair to touch the intro song as the graphics and break from the action are meant to give off that cheesy opening credits feel. However it too felt like a mistake, as if someone forgot to check it for redundancies and cheesy after effects.  What’s normally welcomed feels intrusive, and by the end of it you’ve forgotten why you’re there. Once the movie properly gets going, our quick introductions to storied characters both new and old comes as a huge relief. Though quickly things once again shift. By the time the blue eyed Craig is wooing the gainfully composed Bellucci, the regularly smooth transaction of sex for information in the Bond-verse feels less sexy and more forced. The two lack chemistry, and by the time he’s hightailing it to his next conquest one has to wonder what really transpired.

Whether it’s the long awaited running dialogue of women’s role in Hollywood changing the narrative, or the fact that Bond’s tricks are tired, it’s obvious that something needs to change. It’s ok to pretend women truly melt in the hands of a gun-wielding spy when touched on the elbow if it’s for the greater good of the Bond-verse. It’s not ok to force characters on one another like a child banging the nether regions of two toys together because they walked in on mom and dad once. It has a rape-y undertone that speaks loudly to the ability of director Sam Mendes to create this type of one off romance-novel like scene. Which, is totally out of character for him. (We can blame the tech guys or some on that one Mendes, just this once.)

Acting as a point of contention, Madeleine Swann (Seydoux) becomes the apple of Bond’s eye after he swears to her dead-beat dad (and his adversary) he’ll protect her. Bond’s only form of protection seems to (hopefully?) come in a square wrapper, and *spoiler* the two soon fall in love. The good news is she knows how to protect herself (i.e., more or less use a gun) the bad news is the 30 year old actress looks as if she’s maybe 16, and the relationship feels less romantic, and more like a Nabokov knock-off. It’s disappointing, she’s beautiful, dangerous, and crazy intelligent holding a doctorate degree, yet it’s hard to see past the daddy’s reluctant little girl side persona.

Dave Bautista plays a mostly silent role in the film as an assassin. Though his stalking and perfectly dimwitted delivery is accepted and praised in the Marvel universe, here he sticks out like a sore thumb. Where in one corner there are subtle Brits conning their way into the deaths of their enemies, in the other is the Bull of a man Bautista, a stalking-fighter who couldn’t have known his character would be so ridiculous. Somewhere out there an agent winches every time they Google Spectre. This whole characterization should work; it is a Bond movie after-all. But it doesn’t, mostly because the role should have been more of a spy type who could go hand to hand with Bond without looking like he’s legitimately holding back so he doesn’t bruise the actors, or kill their stunt doubles.

What’s most disappointing is the touted years-long lead up to the revelation of the ultimate bad guy that went nowhere. Christoph Waltz has two Oscars for Christ sake. Both of which he played a pretty twisted character, one lending to the side of evil, the other toeing the line with his loose interpretation of justice. It felt like there were missing scenes or cut lines that kept Waltz from unleashing his genius. Again, perhaps it was the lack of chemistry permeating from acting partner to acting partner, but Waltz was under-utilized as an evil power. It was as if the casting director was trying to make up for the lackluster script and threw in someone who was a sure thing. Well, nothings a sure thing sir or madam casting director, nothing.

Overall Spectre was more of a “meh” and a shoulder shrug than it was bad. Perhaps Craig’s first outing with Casino Royale set the bar too high. More likely it seems this trope no longer works in the world we inhabit today; the reboot needs a reboot. Either way, it will be interesting to see audience reaction the next few weeks. After-all if the public can keep movies like Paranormal Activity bank rolled all these years, a well-placed nude or action scene in forthcoming Bond films could win over the plebs to keep 007 running into the next century.

Spectre is now playing in theaters everywhere.

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3 Responses

  1. The worst bond ever !!!! Give it up Sam Mendes !!! You can’t get it right so stop wasting our money on this terrible film !!! It don’t even rank 007
    This film has more holes then in bonds gun !!!! Fits good to see a honest revue that’s not paid by media !!!

  2. This movie is walk-out bad (trust me, I know). Even worse than the atrocious Skyfall. I’m done with the Bond franchise with this “installment”.

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