Review: Spectre
Starring Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Ralph Fiennes, Lea Seydoux, Ben Whishaw, David Bautista, Andrew Scott, and Monica Bellucci.
The first thing I should mention before diving into the central analysis, is to reveal that this addition of the Bond franchise does in-fact include a gun-barrel sequence at the very beginning of the film before any live-action takes place. For hard-core Bond fans, this may come as exciting news indeed. For me, watching Daniel Craig waltz across the screen and shoot the audience with a pistol before a deep-red trickling of blood runs down the picture certainly put a massive grin on my face.
The opening sequence was short but sweet, which begins with a 4-minute long Copacabana-style tracking shot that keeps you on the edge of your seat as you watch Bond stroll through a Mexican street filled with over 2,000 extras to boot. A practically-filmed struggle between Bond and a villainous character inside a moving helicopter completes what is certainly one of my favourite (probably my favourite of all-time) Bond intro-sequences. However…..the majesty of this action-packed sequence quickly begins to evaporate as my ears begin to endure the incomprehensible sound of Sam Smith’s high-pitched whale voice blurting out a supposedly ‘Bondish’ tune during the title sequence. The only consolation that kept me slightly distracted from this whale-song was the very revealing and often serious-toned imagery being displayed (which did more than the usual naked women shooting pistols into smoke) which kept me intrigued as to how the plot would escalate.
A slap of newspaper headlines down on the desk brings the reality of Bond’s situation in full-force as the newly-appointed ‘M’ (played by the dashing Ralph Fiennes; lovely suits worn by both cast members) aggressively but inquisitively interrogates Bond as to why he was wrestling somebody in Mexico in a helicopter. Immediately I pick up Bond’s tongue-in-cheek humour as he dismisses M’s inquiry as an overdue holiday plan and yet we know that Bond is yet again in deep doo-doo with the boss. The characters from 2012’s Skyfall are back in classic 007 fashion with the still-paranoid from the gas explosion Q (Ben Whishaw) setting up shop underneath London. The way in-which Q’s workshop is depicted will inevitably remind you of the days of Desmond Llewelyn, with bits and pieces of hardware, weaponry and disorganized junk thrown onto several tables with Q looking sheepish as ever as Bond awaits his promise of cutting-edge gadgetry. I should also point out that the new car is absolutely stunning, and looks like it can pass a few roadblocks with ease. The Bond girls are back with exquisite costume designs, intriguing back stories and, in the case of the Bond girl portrayed by Lea Seydoux; a completely 3-Dimensional character with her own sub-plot. She combines the vulnerability of a Bond girl in trouble with a feisty and very intelligent and believable character. Another character that is worth praise is the new villainous henchman Mr. Hinx (David Bautista), who resembles the intimidating smugness of the classic henchman 'Jaws' from the Moore films. He also features in a train fight, one of the many adrenaline-pumping action sequences which brings the film's credibility as an action-thriller significantly higher.
As the film began to pass from one extravagant location to another, I began to realise just how beautiful the cinematography is. From Interstellar cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema, we are given a warm tone of colour palette which looks particularly stunning when watching the sequences shot in Rome; giving a combination of intense mystery which surrounds the plot at this point. Each location is introduced via gorgeous establishing-shots and a satisfying score from Thomas Newman. For this film, Newman did what reminded me of Hans Zimmer’s approach to scoring The Dark Knight trilogy; duplicating specific pieces of tracks to envelope new scenes for the new film with equally good timing. There were also new tracks added to the list which I think will definitely be worth the separate download on iTunes at a later date when released. This was a fitting score by Newman, and kept the action paced well with undertones of solemn as well as action-themed tracks; both duplicated and slightly edited from the previous instalment. I must admit, I was expecting a few more original tracks, but I doubt I am completely disappointed beyond consolation, as the new score still amplifies what makes a Bond film worth watching.
Of course, I cannot discuss the characters without mentioning our new villain; portrayed by the incredible Christoph Waltz. I actually noticed a slight touch of Colonel Hans Landa (From ‘Inglourious Basterds’) as I listened to the tense yet minimal dialogue from Waltz. His costume is equally as intimidating as his subtleties; he even wears no socks with his shoes and a rather Chairman Mao-style jacket with no tie. Clearly this was no guy to win a bet over, as he is the new head of SPECTRE; basically a super-organization of mass-surveillance whose big purpose is world domination via private-sector funding of international security services (MI6 being the victim in this affair). I shall obviously keep my description of the villain light for spoiler-purposes, but I should just quickly clarify that Waltz completes his own originally-intimidating performance here, and I am not in any way submitting that he duplicated his mannerisms from a previous character to play this part. I should particularly note the first scene you hear him speak; his mannerisms and body language so minimal but yet speak to the audience to make sure that you are going to be terrified by what he is about to say. You see in this villain a man with total control, self-confidence and a plan for everything; his only weakness is Bond. One small issue I have with the villain is his contribution to the plot, which I think needed more, but perhaps that is because I loved the character so much that the film left me wanting more? Perhaps I can come to my senses in a few weeks when I watch this again.
I think this instalment of the Bond franchise is almost instinctively on-par with that of Skyfall and Casino Royale; aside from an ear-bleeding Sam Smith song and a villain that is defeated too quickly, this is an exceptionally fun experience for both fans of Bond and random movie-goers.
Plot: 8/10
Cinematography: 9/10
Characters: 9/10
Dialogue: 10/10
Special effects: 10/10
Score: 8/10
Verdict: 9/10
