Thursday, November 19, 2015

Movie Madness - Spectre

Spectre is the latest James Bond movie and it does all the usual Bond stuff. In the overall scheme of movies, it gets a solid B for entertainment. However, I’m going to be picky in this review, and give it a C.  The last Bond movie, Skyfall, was truly a great movie – it had mystery, drama, action, and many holy cow! moments.  Compared to it, Spectre is a yawner and that’s a shame.  The rumor has floated for a while that Daniel Craig is ready to move on from the franchise. Frankly I think it shows. He’s still a decent actor and did the James Bond thing, but he lacked that extra sparkle, pizzazz, edgy humorous smile, and verve.

Cars – well, heck yeah – the Aston Martin gets an A+. No question
Opening credits – always Bondesque and these were good
Bond Theme sung by Sam Smith “Writing on the Wall” – heck yeah – the kid has a voice and this is a worthy song – A
Shaken not stirred reference – check
Bond Girl – pretty enough and yet a tad bland. Frankly, too too young. She had a pretty pout and could run in heels, but was not a standout
Opening chase scene and blast in Mexico City – very good opener. Well filmed and dramatic.
Balance of plot line about the Spectre organization and blah blah blah blah – rather boring
The new Q – this is a bright spot – the kid does a good job and injects some humor into the movie. The gadgets are okay. Back in the “olden” days, they were crazier. Technology now is almost ahead of Bond movies.
Moneypenny – attractive, but didn’t get to do much in this film. Generally her give and take with James adds something. Unfortunately, it must have been left on the cutting room floor.
Missing desperately – Dame Judi Dench as M. Yes, she left us in Skyfall and she’s sorely missed. Her crisp diction and toughness with James gave him some soul. Her scenes always crackled.  Ralph Fiennes is adequate.
Villain – Christoph Waltz – alas. He did his best with the part, but Javier Bardem set a high bar in Skyfall. Sorry – Christoph – just not wacko enough.

Are you seeing the theme? Skyfall truly added to the James Bond lexicon. Spectre is very pale in comparison.  I admit I saw this movie right after the Paris bombing tragedy and frankly it set a pall over the movie. I was sensitive as to the violence, the explosions, etc.  What used to be so “crazy” in the Bond films is now unfortunately on the evening news. I had high expectations, but had to settle for mediocre. As for the car………..oh yeah, still awesome.



12 comments:

  1. We saw this last week too. I'd say your review is right on target.

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  2. Hi, Joanne,

    Thanks for the review... sorry it didn't live up to SKYFALL. Frankly, I thing BOND needs to be something different. There are only so many times cars, beautiful women, and villains will keep us intrigued. We need something more....

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    1. maybe it has run its course. Hope you are well Michael

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  3. Hi Joanne - I'd heard Bond was played as a Bond wanting to leave and not doing any more ... not as Daniel Craig .. maybe too nuanced. Also I agree not really the best film to have seen just after Paris -but life goes on. Good to read .. people will still see it .. I haven't but our cinema has been full. Cheers Hilary

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    1. Bond does draw well at the box office and it's still better than a lot of films out there. I was being extra picky

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  4. I heard it was a bit dull, which is not good for a Bond film. Plus really long. I actually thought Skyfall was just all right, so if this isn't even as good, then I'm glad I didn't go to see it in the theater.

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    1. yes, it's worthy of streaming later on. But it does lack some oomph

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  5. Interesting. Two other friends saw this movie recently, and they said it was "pretty good, if you like Bond flicks." And therein lies the rub. When I was young, I loved Bond books and movies, but the whole premise has gotten a bit stale. Smarticus recently had an all-day marathon of James Bond movies on the TV. Even though I wasn't paying much attention, if I had heard the theme song just one more time, I may very well have shot the television...

    Have a super weekend.

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    1. that theme does bring hope for an awesome experience. (not a tv shooting). Glad you restrained yourself

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  6. I still want to see it, but I won't be surprised if it's as you say.
    May I make a segue about the "running in heels" thing? That drove me frikkin' crazy in "Jurassic World." Seriously, would any of you ladies (or men-I won't judge) run away from dinosaurs in heels? That was one crazy chick. She made me suspect that the movie wasn't real.

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    1. Pay for a cheap matinee and you'll be satisfied or get a good nap during the slow parts. I'm not even sitting in heels as I type this, let alone run in heels. However Jurassic World was totally real!

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