Spectre Movie Review

Released: 26th October 2015 (UK)

Starring: Daniel Craig, Lea Seydoux, Monica Belluci, Christoph Waltz, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, and Ralph Fiennes

Length: 148 minutes

Genre: Action/Spy

Daniel Craig makes a whole-hearted bow out of the 007 franchise in Spectre, the fourth and presumably final film in the actor’s decade long run as James Bond; it’s a satisfying movie with plenty to love for fans of the series, even if it does stumble in some ways.

Spectre’s tightly focused plot picks up straight after Skyfall, with the original MI6 headquarters still in ruins and the new staff getting settled into their new roles. Much the same way as previous films, the audience is catapulted into the middle of the action, this time with the Day of the Dead festival in Mexico for another tense action sequence. Following this commonly used trope, the film’s opening act takes on a slow burn, as Bond searches for something from his past. What could it be? It’s this question that grabs the audience from the outset and adds a kind of detective style to the film. The film then delivers its carefully concocted mix of action and dialogue, switching back and forth between the two regularly as well as bouncing between Bond overseas and his fellow MI6 colleagues in London. Since Craig first made his debut in Casino Royale nine years ago, we’ve seen a continuously flowing narrative arc with characters coming and going over the course of each film; one of Spectre’s most noteworthy aspects is the way it brings all four films together, weaving in references and mentions of past characters to tie off the actor’s contributions in a neat little ribbon. Spectre also carries on with the idea of special agents becoming obsolete and the rise of automated surveillance utilised briefly in Skyfall. It’s a modest attempt of picking up the modern day trends left over from the previous film, but the film doesn’t really do anything interesting with this theme; it’s very predictable and becomes a distraction rather than a benefit as the film goes on. Despite this slight annoyance, the film’s plot pushes on at a good pace, allowing its mysteries to be gradually pushed to the forefront.

The character of 007 is maintained very well as always, but Daniel Craig’s cold, almost callous mannerisms in the role feel quite subdued here; that’s because of his interactions with Dr Madeline Swann, played by the well-known French actress Lea Seydoux. She’s a relatively strong willed character who may not be as fully-fleshed out and versatile as Eva Green’s Vesper Lynd, but Seydoux’s performance is still emotive and versatile enough to make an impression. The character's personal ties to the main plot and the Craig saga as a whole are also well-thought out and implemented. Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris and Ralph Fiennes are all growing into their respective roles of Q, Moneypenny and M very well and it was a wise choice to further incorporate them in the film’s action as opposed to the briefer participation they had before.

Sadly, Spectre really falls short when it comes to the opposite side, the villains; for what he’s built up to be, Christoph Waltz’s character is far too basic and doesn’t make enough of an appearance to make his presence felt. Waltz has proven himself to be a terrific actor in other films, and his part in Spectre goes by as a wasted opportunity. There are other antagonists to be discovered in the film, but they’re extremely under-developed and almost completely devoid of any remotely interesting traits. Only half of Spectre’s characterisation, not all of it can be enjoyed and appreciated and that is the film’s most frustrating fault.

Daniel Craig’s final Bond film is lovely to look at; Sam Mendes’s cinematography is once again excellent, providing the audience with some breath-taking views and seamless action choreography. A welcome return to the snowy mountaintops of the Alps in Austria is one particularly stunning backdrop in Bond’s search; on the whole, the agent’s globetrotting has been toned down significantly this time around with many locations having been seen in past films as well as this one. The film’s look is very clean and washed out, relying on fairly plain colours as opposed to the gritty and dirty look of the previous Craig films. Often times the film will make use of a black and gold colour palette to portray the shadowy nature of the titular organisation Bond is pursuing; it creates a foreboding atmosphere which the primary antagonist fails to live up to, not to mention bestow us with a dazzling title sequence. Spectre’s main theme, “Writing’s on the wall” by the popular British singer Sam Smith is a constant fixture which hangs over the film, its sweeping and elegant orchestrations sliding into place at all the right moments. It’s clear that a large sum of money was poured into Spectre and this has paid off enormously for the film’s visuals and presentation.

Disappointing villains aside, Spectre stands as a fond farewell to a great series of Bond films; it refuses to falter or fizzle in the face of being a closing chapter, becoming another worthwhile entry in the long running series. The next actor to play Ian Fleming’s wildly popular super spy will no doubt have their work cut out for them.

Rating: 4/5 Stars