Okay, I can't do this without spoilers, so be warned.
In a general sense, having Spectre be a direct sequel to Skyfall worked really well. In the specific sense of the antagonist being Bond's "brother," it was kind of a disaster. Seriously, we're supposed to believe that this kid who didn't like the fact that his father took in young Bond after the death of James' parents killed his father and grew up to become the leader of a massive, secret terrorist organization all to more effectively torture James. And kill all of Bond's girlfriends. Yeah, that just doesn't fly. It more like hobbles around on the ground and you just want Christoph Waltz to die.
Speaking of Waltz, I'm a bit tired of him. He might be fine in this movie if I hadn't seen him play the same character in about half a dozen movies at this point, but I have seen him continuously play the same character -- the sort of crazy, kooky, villain -- in film after film, and it's grown tiresome. Maybe some other actor could have gotten me to buy into the villain being Bond's long-thought-dead foster brother, but not Waltz.
Still, it is a Craig Bond movie, and it's highly enjoyable. The action is great, and Daniel Craig still puts on a very believable James Bond. I'm still very much liking Ralph Fiennes as M, and Ben Whishaw is great as Q. Andrew Scott even puts in an admirable performance as C, though it was difficult not to expect him to be a bad guy after his go as Moriarty in Sherlock. He just has that feel. Also, I do really like Naomie Harris as Moneypenny. Lea Seydoux is fine as Swann, which I only say because it doesn't seem that she did anything with the role that a dozen (or more) other actresses couldn't have done.
So... the bottom line:
Spectre is quite worth seeing in the theater, especially if you're a Bond fan. It's also essential viewing for the Bond fan, since this one continues to delve into Bond's backstory. Aside from Waltz and the whole "brother" thing, it's a really good movie. Great action, good acting, stunning visuals. Despite Waltz, I'm sure I'll be buying it on disc as soon as it's released. If you're not a Bond fan or if you're not familiar with the Bond movies, this is not the movie for you. It's certainly not a good place to start if you haven't seen any other Bond films. I do hope, though, that they move away from exploring Bond's childhood soon. I mean, why is it, after all, that we have to make orphans of all of our heroes?
I still want to catch this in the theater although I've heard people had reservations about it. Skyfall was good, but I didn't think it was great. Certainly not enough to make it the highest grossing Bond film ever. Not that this one isn't raking in the dough right now.
ReplyDeleteAlex: I didn't think Skyfall was great, either, not as part of the Bond fabric.
DeleteI'm okay with waiting for this one to come to DVD. I like a good action flick, but I've just never been a huge Bond fan. And I had to laugh at your mention of Christoph Waltz playing the same type of character over and over... because yeah.
ReplyDeleteABftS: Waltz playing that character once was great, maybe even twice, but it's tired when it's all he does.
DeleteEh, I'm not a Bond fan, so I'll skip it. Although I do like Danial Craig. It's looking like this is his last Bond movie, so prepare for another reboot.
ReplyDeleteJeanne: Actually, it looks like he's got one more coming.
DeleteI agree with your review. I enjoyed the movie, and think he's a great Bond. I didn't buy the thought-dead-foster brother either. In addition, the whole falling in love with the Bond girl, and vice versa, thing drove me nuts. Really? You guys are in love? That was quick. And random. Psht.
ReplyDeleteShannon: I ignore the falling in love thing. That's a common Bond trope.
DeleteSweetie and The Boy went to see this for her birthday. They both liked it. I haven't seen any Bond movies ever except for "Never Say Never Again," which I liked, and "Goldfinger," which I watched for free on Netflix. It was good too. I'd probably like this.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, it sounds like a Bond Origin story. And I hate origin stories. I'd be just fine with every superhero and space pilot having just a brief blurb: "Higgs Boson became a space pilot after such-and-such blew up his planet and now that's what he does." I think there's only so much you can do with an origin story. Of the Nolan Batman movies, "Batman Begins" was the weakest. The Joker had no origin -- or numerous ones -- and was great. Bane's origin dragged down the movie. I think it's because the plot of origin stories is so predictable. If it's a hero, he suffers some kind of setback/inception to power, and has to learn to use it responsibly. If it's a villain, it's usually someone mistreating him (or his family) and he lashes out at society.
Anyway, that's my rant for the night. I'm going to go find your old post about Birdman because I can't stop thinking about that movie.
Briane: I think I've seen all the Bond movies at some point or other. I've been intending for a long time to actually watch them in order, but I've never done it.
DeleteBirdman's a great movie, huh?!
We enjoyed it, too. I especially liked the various homages to the classic Bond films.
ReplyDeleteTAS: I thought the cat was great.
DeleteI prefer Bond movies to be stand alone since I typically forget them soon after I've seen them. I'm invested in them during the action and duration of the film, but once it's over it's over. As long as I understand what the franchise is about I don't need to know what any of the other movies were about. For me it's mostly about the action and the story at hand.
ReplyDeleteArlee Bird
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