Rent Spectre (2015)

So disappointing... weak on dialogue, great tho limited action, worst craig-bond yet? - Spectre review by Mark

Spoiler Alert: I was very much looking forward to Spectre - an avid Bond fan so imagine my disappointment when it just didn't match up to my expectations. Maybe it was all the hype in the run up... or maybe it was just a much weaker Bond film. But, the hype was no different to any other new Bond film.

So to the film: The real intense action is pretty much over within the first quarter of the film. The amount of actual dialogue must be one the lowest for any Bond film. The story was weak too... the fiendish Blofeld returns but this time he is in fact a childhood "friend" of Bond (who apparently was temporarily guardian-ed by Blofeld's father). That Blofeld was very jealous is an understatement because it seems this is why he wreaks his revenge and the mysterious all powerful organisation "Spectre" was created. And then there is the beautiful Monica Bellucci but she is in and out in a few scenes (sadly) and her part/link very tenuous. Of course, C at MI6 is on the payroll of Spectre and plans to connect up the entire secret services globally for Spectre's ultimate benefit. What a weak bunch of secret services the world had, and how all powerful Spectre is (apparently)! Bond is willingly captured and treated to a bit of surgical work by Blofeld designed to render him memoryless, unco-ordinated, and so on. The surgical work proceeds yet surprise surprise has NO effect apart from some bloodless holes in his face and neck. Bond escapes and blows up the crater-based HQ of Spectre! Game over. All done. Back to work. Sorry for the sarcasm and lack of acceptance of silly antics but this story was poor, very poor.

A Bond Worthy Of Re-evaluation - Spectre review by GI

A somewhat looser edge and story has left Spectre judged as a weaker film than its predecessor and the criticisms may well be right but this is still an admirable addition to the 007 canon. From the opening set piece in Mexico City, shot in only 3 takes, this is an entertaining action film and plot wise the links with Craig's previous three films as the iconic spy are all in place. James Bond has committed himself to following the last order of his beloved M (Judi Dench) but by doing so has gotten himself suspended from MI6 just as there's a political plan to close down the 00 section. But committed to his mission Bond goes rogue and discovers that there is a huge international criminal organisation making moves to control the intelligence agencies of the west and its boss has a connection to Bond that goes all the way back to his childhood. There's a real feel for the old Bond movies in this film, more so than the others and whilst Craig's Bond is still a 'blunt instrument' and more often described as an assassin than a spy the action scenes are all homages in one sense or another to the Sean Connery era, for example the very gritty fight on the train that harks back to a similar fight in From Russia With Love (1963) and the baddie having a massive installation that Bond has to destroy such as in You Only Live Twice (1967). The cast are on form with Ralph Fiennes now in charge as M and getting stuck into the action, Naomie Harris as Moneypenney (a little underused), Ben Whishaw getting more screen time as Q and Christoph Waltz and Andrew Scott as the baddies and Léa Seydoux as the love interest. This is all great fun and now we know this isn't the end of the story with Craig's last outing as Bond in 'No Time To Die' now available but Spectre can take its place as one of the really interesting James Bond films.

Underwhelming Spectacle - Spectre review by SD

Having superbly directed Skyfall I was looking forward to Sam Mendes' follow up Spectre. Alas, what a disappointment.

As mentioned by other reviewers the obligatory opening action scene which is supposed to be a Wow factor was unspectacular. Was that it came to mind.

There was much hype about the highly rated Monica Bellucci but was given a tenuous role. Wasted.

There have been many great French actresses in Bond over the decades. Lea Seydoux is not one of them. I would have rather her swap places with Monica Bellucci.

The Mr Muscle played by Bautista is a throw back to previous ones which means we have seen it all before and brings nothing of interest to the role.

As for the storyline, well I have never felt so patronised since Avatar. That Spectre has been behind all Daniel Craig's (as Bond) arch villains...just didn't buy it.

The ending was all a bit of a wet lettuce and not a very subtle way of Daniel saying farewell to Bond (not surprisingly after this film although he has since agreed to do one more).

The plus points - Daniel Craig and Monica Bellucci. Liked the tongue in cheek dialogue and the actors and actresses bring some life to their challenging roles. Beautifully filmed. The Bond song by Sam Smith grows on you.

Would like to see Christopher Nolan direct the next Bond film.

A well-made & shot but mostly uninspiring Bond film, despite some excellent moments - Spectre review by TB

I need to start this review by being totally honest: if this had been written before I had rewatched it in preparation for No Time To Die, it would have been a completely different review & much more negative. I first watched it when it was released in 2015 & really didn’t like it. My reaction at the time was “Can we please stop having movies influenced by Edward Snowden and actually get back to the original Bond formula, like laughs & ridiculously far-fetched scenarios?” I then rewatched it again when it was released on Blu-ray & broadly felt the same way. However, the intervening years have been kind to Spectre & it has aged much better than you would think. Whilst the structural problems are still there, hence the 3 star score, this is an enjoyable romp. 

There are a great many positives within the film, the main one being how it looks & is shot. I mean, it is a phenomenally good looking & beautiful film. The colour palette in particular, especially the opening scenes in Mexico & the snow scenes in Austria, is just breathtaking. Speaking of the opening scene, this is by far the best bit of the film: a stunningly made “one-shot” scene which starts from a crane shot, then down into the street, up into a hotel and then along rooftops. The helicopter stunt is also perfection. In one way amusingly, that is one of Spectre’s biggest problems: it starts so strong & impressively that once the credits have rolled, the film never gets anywhere close to those heights again. 

But sadly, this film does have many problems. The story is a total bloated mess, trying to tap into the world events at that time, but spreading itself so thin that it doesn’t manage to do any of it particularly well. There are also a couple of plot points that just don’t work, in any way. And you feel that, particularly with “The ring” element of the plot, the script writers have tried to lean into a “Bond”stereotype of the series, in that there are certain things that stretch credibility just that little bit, but still work because of the charm & love we all have for the character. But it just doesn’t work here. 

The characters are also, strangely, quite badly written considering the pedigree of talent involved. The best example of this is Monica Bellucci’s Lucia, the widow of one of the characters. Bellucci is, in her other work, an absolute powerhouse talent and unbelievably capable. She also previously came close to being cast in another Bond film. But Spectre completely & utterly wastes her, almost like the writers didn’t know what to do with her after shoehorning her in to what is effectively a cameo role. As quick as she appears & makes an impression, the film then cuts to another act. Similarly, Andrew Scott basically plays a slimy, untrustworthy spook who basically has two modes: devious or smarmy. Again, a powerhouse actor who, whilst he gets more screen time than Bellucci, is wasted. 

But there are some great characters as well, front & centre of this being Dave Bautista as Mr Hinx, the man-mountain henchman coming after Bond. Bautista clearly had a ball on Spectre & totally gets the tone. Similarly, Léa Seydoux as Madeline Swann is a good Bond girl & more than capable of defending herself. Christoph Waltz as Oberhauser is a mixed bag, sometimes working well but often again poorly written & uninspired. And finally Craig himself is again a mixed bag. You feel that he is really leaning into & comfortable with 007, but yet he also at times feels stilted & unconvincing. Craig has also said in not so many words that he wasn’t happy with Spectre & how the completed film was, which I can totally see. Whilst it made a ton of money, it was nowhere near the calibre of Skyfall. 

But having said all that, I still recommend it as a film, although with caveats. And it certainly is a country mile better than No Time To Die…