SPECTRE – REVIEW

Following the critical and box office behemoth that was Skyfall, James Bond is back (albeit slightly wrinklier and less emotive than before) in the soon-to-be 2015 box office behemoth, Spectre. So, is it any good?

 

YES

 

The plot of Spectre revolves around a sinister figure from Bond’s past, whose criminal organisation is exposed after a rogue operation in Mexico City goes awry. Meanwhile, M (Ralph Fiennes) and the team at MI6 face increasing new pressures from a rival government agency that could render the entire Double O program obsolete blah blah blah…you don’t really care about this stuff do you? This is a Bond film, and as such, there are certain expectations.

 
Monica Bellucci and Daniel Craig in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures/Columbia Pictures/EON Productions’ action adventure SPECTRE.

So lets see how Spectre fares against the Bond checklist shall we?
COOL CARS – Check!
ATTRACTIVE WOMEN – Double Check! Lea Seydoux brings sass and smarts to her role, although Monica Bellucci is criminally underused.
GADGETS – Still not as many as the Connery/Moore years but more than we’ve grown accustomed to in the modern Bond era. Also Ben Wishaw’s Q is once again a lot of fun.
COMEDIC ONE LINERS – Sure, although nothing rivaling Roger Moore levels of cheekiness.
VILLAINS – Dave Bautista makes a great henchman, and Christoph Waltz brings his usual Christoph Waltz-ness to the mysterious Franz Oberhauser.
ACTION – You betcha! There’s a jaw dropping opening shot, a blistering car chase, and an alpine pursuit that traverses both air and land.
EXPLOSIONS – Just about the biggest one you’ll ever seen on film. Think the hospital demolition from The Dark Knight, but on a whole new level.
daniel-craig-james-bond-spectre
It must be said that the story and character development of Spectre does become increasingly murky as the film progresses, and there are moments that feel overly familiar in this crowded spy filled world of Ethan Hunt’s and Jason Bourne’s. But, as the aforementioned check list proves, Spectre does exactly what is says on the box, and its a damn expensive looking box. So as always, the best course of action is this: Sit back, grab your martini (definitely not a Heineken) and enjoy the ride, because one things for certain, James Bond will return.

 

SPECTRE is in theatres now.

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