Spectre
Spectre
This
is an AMAZING movie and theatre worthy
Coming
after quite possibly the greatest Bond film to date, Skyfall, I was a jitter
with excitement and anticipation. Now, I make it a rule to never compare a
sequel with its predecessor, seeing as how doing so can tarnish the film you’re
watching. In this case it’d be Spectre. But, as with most things in life, there
are always exceptions. This was one of them. Now, while it IS amazing, and it
IS theater worthy, I must admit that I feel it fell just short of Skyfall. But,
being that this is supposedly the last Bond film in the Daniel Craig series
then maybe its better that way. Going up from the beginning in Casino Royale,
to the humble failure of Quantum of Solace, to the climatic success of Skyfall,
winding back down to a satisfying wrap up of the Daniel Craig series in
Spectre.
The reason it fell short, as I would like to start with, is the strength of the story as compared to the action. Then there’s the redundancy of the villain. What I mean by the first point is a carefully needed balance between the intense chaotic action of the film and the fragility in the telling of the actual story. This is especially true when dealing with an action film about espionage and spies where the story can be hard to follow as it is. Add the chaotic action and then a complicated spy story becomes even more difficult to follow. When the ability to follow the story is affected by the distraction of chaotic action, no matter how AWESOME it may be, then the film is greatly affected. In other words, the story can quite literally drown in the action. That’s what I feel happened here. The action, the car chases, all the intense fight scenes and explosions, they were all of the highest Bond caliber but unfortunately the layout of the story wasn’t strong enough, for me, to follow as easily as I would have liked.
Secondly,
the villain. The villains have always defined Bond films as much as Bond
himself. Most have had a plan for either world domination or a way to corner,
and thus cripple, the world market in some way. They also have some kind of
physical abnormality or unique attribute which they can be defined by. Oddjob’s
hat and strength, Dr. No’s hands, and Jaw’s . . . jaws. What we rarely see is a
personal attachment to Bond from the villain, yet in Skyfall we got just that.
In Skyfall we see that the villain has been specifically targeting Bond because
of the “bond” he feels they share. In doing so we’re taken back to 00’s
childhood. Something we’ve never seen before, at least in this much fashion,
and it was exciting to do so. We got to see the cold and dark place that such a
hard warrior grew up in. Skyfall was all about getting back to 00’s roots,
going back to where he began as a boy, and that’s because that is where the
villain took Bond in the story.
Now, with this film, as I promise to try and keep from spoiling anything, we see a similar villain. Here we see the villain targeting Bond, specifically, due to feeling a common “bond” between each other, and then going even further into the history of James as well. While the character was perfectly portrayed by the unparalleled talents of Christopher Waltz (Django, Green Hornet, Inglourious Bastards), his motives for targeting James and using the “back to the roots” approach made it feel like I was watching the same villain from Skyfall but with a different accent. For it being the final film of this particular series I was hoping for a motive truly original, something that hadn’t received so much attention from the previous film in going back to Bond’s roots as a boy. I mean, the writers basically reduced the motives of this final foe of James’s to that of a childhood squabble. He has neat torture toys, a physical abnormality, and the feel of a great Bond villain, but it’s his motives that are a problem.
The
opening sequence was amazing. For film makers and film fans alike this opening
sequence will pull you into the film instantly. What makes it special is that its
one long continuous shot. That means for the first few minutes there are no
cuts, the camera doesn’t stop rolling, and it just follows the action set in
front of it without stopping. It’s a tricky technique seeing as how one small
slip up results in having to do the scene all over again. Not to mention that
on top of that kind of pressure for perfection it also has to be repeated over
and over to get enough takes for editing. But it was well worth it! Following
the action with a continuous shot really pulls you in fast because you feel
like you’re really there and you’re so damned curious to find out what’s around
the next corner or where the character is going. This shot leads you to the
first action sequence which in turn makes sure that you’re kept in the film.
Plus it takes place during one of the most beautifully shot scenes of the
Mexican festival Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) that I’ve ever seen.
Something
also different in this Bond, as opposed to the previous 3, were the gadgets.
The previous films have been very grounded in the toys Bond gets to play with.
We’ve all been used to watches with “laser trimming”, jet packs, high frequency
rings, and cars with more tricks and gadgets than a Swiss Army Knife. But with
the recent films we’ve seen very modest tools. Handguns with fingerprint
identification, exotic weapons, tracking devices, some impressive cell phones,
and even some mounted machine guns from the Aston Martin in Skyfall. For the
most part the writers have let the chase scenes, in a car and on foot, and the
fight scenes be the glitz and glamor of the film instead of relying on “spy
tools”. With this film we see some toys that are a bit more accustomed to what
we’re used to seeing while still relatively grounded. I won’t ruin it for you
but if I were you then I’d get ready for a fun car chase and to “watch” out for
a few explosive surprises! Q is going to be so upset . . .
And
while not strictly imperative, it does seem important to quickly mention the
beginning credit music montage. It’s a feature of Bond films that helped define
it in the 60s. Throughout the decades the famous music montages of Bond films
would come to be iconic. The songs unique to each film, the early controversy
of the beautiful and sensuous female figures, and the evolving spectacle of CG.
The opening music montage has become as unique and entertaining as the films
they represent. With that said I must say that while the musical opening was
spectacular in Spectre, and the music itself amazing (by Sam Smith ), the
concept was a bit um . . . “Japanese”. What I mean by that is, well . . . if
you like Hentai then you may want to bring a clean pair of pants. Although
unique and fun to watch, the opening musical sequence really looks like a live
version of Hentai! Other than that laughable fact it’s visually fun and
musically fit.
Brad Crawford
wilmymanfilmfan@yahoo.com
 |
| opening fight scene |
The reason it fell short, as I would like to start with, is the strength of the story as compared to the action. Then there’s the redundancy of the villain. What I mean by the first point is a carefully needed balance between the intense chaotic action of the film and the fragility in the telling of the actual story. This is especially true when dealing with an action film about espionage and spies where the story can be hard to follow as it is. Add the chaotic action and then a complicated spy story becomes even more difficult to follow. When the ability to follow the story is affected by the distraction of chaotic action, no matter how AWESOME it may be, then the film is greatly affected. In other words, the story can quite literally drown in the action. That’s what I feel happened here. The action, the car chases, all the intense fight scenes and explosions, they were all of the highest Bond caliber but unfortunately the layout of the story wasn’t strong enough, for me, to follow as easily as I would have liked.
 |
| 007 villain Jaws |
 |
| Christopher Waltz as new Bond vill |
Now, with this film, as I promise to try and keep from spoiling anything, we see a similar villain. Here we see the villain targeting Bond, specifically, due to feeling a common “bond” between each other, and then going even further into the history of James as well. While the character was perfectly portrayed by the unparalleled talents of Christopher Waltz (Django, Green Hornet, Inglourious Bastards), his motives for targeting James and using the “back to the roots” approach made it feel like I was watching the same villain from Skyfall but with a different accent. For it being the final film of this particular series I was hoping for a motive truly original, something that hadn’t received so much attention from the previous film in going back to Bond’s roots as a boy. I mean, the writers basically reduced the motives of this final foe of James’s to that of a childhood squabble. He has neat torture toys, a physical abnormality, and the feel of a great Bond villain, but it’s his motives that are a problem.
With
all of that said it was still an amazing film. There’s really just so much to
dote on that I don’t know where to start. I guess, as many stories would go, my
story about this story will start at the beginning.
The
opening sequence was amazing. For film makers and film fans alike this opening
sequence will pull you into the film instantly. What makes it special is that its
one long continuous shot. That means for the first few minutes there are no
cuts, the camera doesn’t stop rolling, and it just follows the action set in
front of it without stopping. It’s a tricky technique seeing as how one small
slip up results in having to do the scene all over again. Not to mention that
on top of that kind of pressure for perfection it also has to be repeated over
and over to get enough takes for editing. But it was well worth it! Following
the action with a continuous shot really pulls you in fast because you feel
like you’re really there and you’re so damned curious to find out what’s around
the next corner or where the character is going. This shot leads you to the
first action sequence which in turn makes sure that you’re kept in the film.
Plus it takes place during one of the most beautifully shot scenes of the
Mexican festival Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) that I’ve ever seen.
There’s
also more humor in this film than the previous 3 Bond films (Casino Royale,
Solace, Skyfall). I like this for the fact that I’m just a naturally funny guy
who enjoys good humor and for the fact that it lightens the mood of the film a
bit. This humor in turn helps allow the Daniel Craig series to smoothly wind
down into a graceful end. And for the life long Bond fans I promise, there is
PLENTY of classy corny one-liners to be had!
Something
also different in this Bond, as opposed to the previous 3, were the gadgets.
The previous films have been very grounded in the toys Bond gets to play with.
We’ve all been used to watches with “laser trimming”, jet packs, high frequency
rings, and cars with more tricks and gadgets than a Swiss Army Knife. But with
the recent films we’ve seen very modest tools. Handguns with fingerprint
identification, exotic weapons, tracking devices, some impressive cell phones,
and even some mounted machine guns from the Aston Martin in Skyfall. For the
most part the writers have let the chase scenes, in a car and on foot, and the
fight scenes be the glitz and glamor of the film instead of relying on “spy
tools”. With this film we see some toys that are a bit more accustomed to what
we’re used to seeing while still relatively grounded. I won’t ruin it for you
but if I were you then I’d get ready for a fun car chase and to “watch” out for
a few explosive surprises! Q is going to be so upset . . .
We
also see Dave Bautista (Man with Iron Fists, Guardians of the Galaxy) take on
the role of a Bond villain in this film. Although he speaks but once, and even
then only a single word, he is one of the most exciting villains to watch in
the series. Not since the likes of Oddjob or Jaws has a villain been so
physically dominating over Bond. Between Bond’s strength and training he can
usually out-wit, out maneuver, or even over power his opponent. Even if it’s in
the form of a Roger Moore “karate chop”. But with some villains all Bond can do
is give it his best punch and hope for a lucky shot or some help. Bautista was
such a villain. With his intensity, along with Daniel Craig’s, their fight
scenes and chase scenes are almost intimidating! Plus Bautista’s character has
a special physical feature that goes perfectly with the rest of the Bond
villains . . . though I wish they had used his special feature a bit more.
Otherwise, they “nailed” it!
 |
| Bautista as Mr. Hinx, villain |
We
also see Dave Bautista (Man with Iron Fists, Guardians of the Galaxy) take on
the role of a Bond villain in this film. Although he speaks but once, and even
then only a single word, he is one of the most exciting villains to watch in
the series. Not since the likes of Oddjob or Jaws has a villain been so
physically dominating over Bond. Between Bond’s strength and training he can
usually out-wit, out maneuver, or even over power his opponent. Even if it’s in
the form of a Roger Moore “karate chop”. But with some villains all Bond can do
is give it his best punch and hope for a lucky shot or some help. Bautista was
such a villain. With his intensity, along with Daniel Craig’s, their fight
scenes and chase scenes are almost intimidating! Plus Bautista’s character has
a special physical feature that goes perfectly with the rest of the Bond
villains . . . though I wish they had used his special feature a bit more.
Otherwise, they “nailed” it!
And
while not strictly imperative, it does seem important to quickly mention the
beginning credit music montage. It’s a feature of Bond films that helped define
it in the 60s. Throughout the decades the famous music montages of Bond films
would come to be iconic. The songs unique to each film, the early controversy
of the beautiful and sensuous female figures, and the evolving spectacle of CG.
The opening music montage has become as unique and entertaining as the films
they represent. With that said I must say that while the musical opening was
spectacular in Spectre, and the music itself amazing (by Sam Smith ), the
concept was a bit um . . . “Japanese”. What I mean by that is, well . . . if
you like Hentai then you may want to bring a clean pair of pants. Although
unique and fun to watch, the opening musical sequence really looks like a live
version of Hentai! Other than that laughable fact it’s visually fun and
musically fit.
wilmymanfilmfan@yahoo.com
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