007 Latest adventures have been amongst my favorite action movies in hollywood history. Whether it be the gritty and dramatically driven Casino Royal (2006) or the stylized and cinematically bold Skyfall (2012), I haven't yet been disappointed by Sony and Craig's run with the famous character. Even Quantum of Solace had its redeeming qualities and made for a solid flick. Spectre in contrast to these three feels like the most "classic" one yet which is appropriate after Skyfall's themes of revival within the new. How does it place among this epic line up...isn't that why you have read this far...
Specter sees returning director Sam Mendes after Skyfall make his second run with the Bond franchise. Daniel Criag returns as the signature lead and this time Bond has a sleek new spy-car as he chases the mysterious Oberhauser, played by the legendary Christoff Waltz. Oberhauser aka the pale king, turns out to be the figure head of an unknown organization called Spectre and as Bond gets closer and closer he learns just how deep Spectre goes and everything that has tested him so far begins to tie together in the wake of this new and terrifying force.
The themes of Spectre play into films premise as a whole. The film opens on an incredible set peace in Mexico City, which I wont spoil here, then is followed by the classic and familiar opening theme. Writting on the Wall, preformed by Sam Smith, may go down as one of my favorite bond openings to date as the ideas of desolation and control are represented by fire and the Octopus which serves as Spectres' symbol.. Its powerful, subtle, and symbolic of Bonds struggle to come...I only wish the film could have maintained these themes.
Where Spectre starts to show cracks is within the second half of the film. I loved the first half, it's visually beautiful even though its a slow burn which I tend not to mind to often in movies. Then the love intrest is introduced and thats when I was first disconnected. For reasons I wont go into here I didn't really buy into the love story and the film really counts on that happening. Then Oberhauser re-enters the fray. Christoff Waltz is fantastic to watch, and his bond villain is everything I wanted him to be, but this movie did not need the character he portrayed. Spectre, like Skyfall, tries to walk the line between traditional and realistic; Silva worked in Skyfall because he was essentially a one man rain of terror and his motivations were understandable. Oberhauser on the other hand comes across as either a bit over the top or a little too personal; He just doesn't fit for this movie as a realistic antagonist. As much as I loved watching him he ended up being "convenient" in respect to the plot and his motivations were a bit of a strech. Maybe I'll make a post about it in the future but Ill just leave it a that here.
"Well screw that anyway! This is an action movie right, hows the action!!"you may say.........Well its good I guess.There is some fine set pieces here, at least compared to other action films out there, but this is Bond. That chase scene in Casino Royale was one of the best chases's in cinematic history and the ending to Skyfall was up there with my most memorable moments of 2012. The problem is Spectre doesn't really have any of that outside the first action scene (maybe); it makes the mistake of delivering the treats to early. If you stick around there is some great drama and mystery to be had but the action just feels uninspired past that point. There the a standard car chase, a standard gun chase, a shootout or two but nothing withstanding on its own right. It's not that there isn't anything substantial but there is a degree of disappointment and the set ups are just underwelming.
Overall Spectre can't quite make the bar of Bonds previous endeavors. Its a great film disguised as a good action movie, but its most disappointing that its potential isn't fully realized. The movie falls back on some tropes from older Bond films that just feel out of place here despite how much fun they are. As performances go Craig, Seydoux, and Waltz are preform great but they are directed to fit the mold of the characters without transcending beyond that. I really really liked it but I just couldn't love it.
......There is also a large subplot in the movie that focuses in on M and MI6. Not that I don't care and that it wasn't without its moments but this is Bond....please you don't need to spend as much time on these subplots if you just deliever Bond. Just a note for the future Sony...hopefully...
No comments:
Post a Comment