SPECTRE

Spectre

Grade: B

**Currently in Theaters**

Starring: Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Lea Seydoux, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Dave Bautista, Rory Kinnear and Monica Bellucci, and Featuring Andrew Scott as ‘C’ and Jesper Christensen as Mr. White

Premise: James Bond begins uncovering clues that hint at a super-secret terrorist intelligence agency on the verge of seizing power on a global scale, which is led by a major figure from Bond’s past.

Rated PG-13 for intense action, sexuality, disturbing images and a scene of torture

Skyfall was always going to be a tough act to follow.

The 23^rd installment in the James Bond saga, which came out in 2012 under the steady hand of Academy Award-winning director Sam Mendes, was a new highpoint for the saga, arguably one of the top Bond films to date. Helping the Daniel Craig era recover nicely from the doldrums of 2008’s Quantum of Solace, Skyfall gave audiences intriguing hints about Bond’s past, brought Judi Dench’s seven-film run as M to a meaningful close, introduced three likable MI6 supporting characters and an uber-charismatic villain played by a brilliant Javier Bardem. As soon as that film was over, I couldn’t wait for the next installment, and I’m sure I wasn’t the only one.

Spectre, the 24^th Bond film, which is also directed by Mendes, doesn’t reach those lofty heights. Some would argue it couldn’t.  Given that Spectre drops strong hints that this is Daniel Craig’s last go-round as 007, that likens its finale-that's-not-as-good-as-the-amazing-middle-installment-of-the-series effect to the final film in another recent epic saga...Spectre is basically the Daniel Craig Bond films' Dark Knight Rises. It’s a solid film and brings back a lot of the likable elements of the last film and builds on them, but it’s a little more formulaic and, bottom line, just can’t reach the dizzying heights of its all-time great predecessor. Dark Knight Rises, with its sprawling cast, time-jump plot and somewhat ambiguous ending, couldn’t match the hair-raising dread and Joker-induced wow factor of 2008’s Dark Knight. Likewise, Spectre, despite a great cast, tons of action and exciting intrigue, just doesn’t pack the punch of Skyfall. But even as it probably signals the end of an era, it’s enough of a classic Bond that you look forward to the next one, no matter who’s playing 007 when it comes.

Plot

After a self-initiated excursion to Mexico City to track a baddie, James Bond (Craig) is raising red flags at MI6 again. As the new M (Ralph Fiennes) reminds him, MI6 is still under investigation by government bigwigs believing “secret agencies” are antiquated and out of touch—the same government that is quickly moving toward shutting down such agencies in favor of internationally-connected digital information bureaus. Thus, with a government intel operative Bond calls C (Andrew Scott) seemingly watching MI6’s every move, the last thing the agency can afford is its resident devil-may-care problem child causing international incidents that could lose them all their jobs. But Bond, who’s still dealing with the after-effects of losing the previous M (Dench)--his longtime supervisor and sometime mother figure--believes he’s onto something. A trip to Rome and the wooing of a mysterious woman (Monica Bellucci) brings him information about Spectre, a super-secret terrorist organization that may or may not be related to the government movement to render MI6 obsolete.

Getting reluctant assistance from his pressured MI6 fellows Q (Ben Whishaw) and Moneypenny (Naomie Harris), Bond sneaks to a meeting of Spectre personnel and is alarmed to recognize the head honcho (Christoph Waltz) as someone he once knew personally. This person, it turns out, nurses a grudge against Bond, and he sends his hulking, inscrutable henchman (Dave Bautista) to give him closure. But Bond escapes, and, having recognized one of the names MI6 has that’s associated with Spectre, follows a trail of clues to Madeline (Lea Seydoux), the daughter of a disgraced, now-dead Spectre operative who wants to meet the organization that exiled her father and made an attempt on her life. With the henchman hot on their tails and the mastermind of Spectre lurking, Madeline and Bond seek to put the pieces of the puzzle together to find out what Spectre is and just why it’s after them.

What Works?

Though there are more clearly-obvious throwback elements to the older Bond films this time around, Spectre is directed with same surety as its predecessor by Mendes, and it brings the same no-nonsense, this-is-Bond-in-the-21^st-century spark. The action is exciting but gritty (the spectacular pre-credits action sequence may be the best one ever in a Bond flick), the technology is cool and, in this day and age, doesn’t seem that farfetched or unreal, and the ending, which strongly hints that Craig’s time in the tux is done, is exciting and provides a fitting potentially-final chapter without descending into schmaltz.

If Spectre is Craig’s final go-round (which it probably should be given the refreshing sense of closure afforded by this film’s ending), I will say Craig has easily been my favorite Bond actor. Yes, I’ve seen a couple of the Connery films, and I understand the he-was-the-original sentiment most “Connery people” argue, but, to me, Craig perfectly embodied the carelessly-charming ladies’ man, the mortal but relentless and cunning action hero, and the wounded man with a painful past. He made Bond a fully-realized person. His run started with the sensational Casino Royale, which gave us several all-time Bond moments and characters, stumbled with the mediocre Quantum of Solace, then roared with the spectacular, meaty Skyfall and doesn’t exactly fall flat with Spectre, even if this one is a little cheesier (see below). In this one, Craig’s performance brings all the roguish charm and never-say-die grit I’ve enjoyed about his stint, even if I kind of hope, for neatness’ sake, that this is his last hurrah as Bond.

Though if this is Craig’s last run, what’s to become of the quartet of likable actors who’ve played his supporting characters at MI6, all of whom were introduced in Skyfall and cement themselves here? It would be a shame to switch up Q from the marvelously-likable Ben Whishaw so soon, ditto for the appealing Naomie Harris as Moneypenny. Fiennes makes a great antithesis/secondary hero once again as Mallory/M. Even Rory Kinnear, who has now been one of the talking heads of the series as M’s assistant, Tanner, the last two times around, would be welcome back. Whether it’s rumored front-runners Tom Hardy or Idris Elba in the tux next time, or somebody else, I hope some if not all of this MI6 team comes back as their support.

The key new roles in Spectre are played by Lea Seydoux—who might look familiar to audiences from her time as an assassin in 2011’s Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol—and Academy-Award winner Christoph Waltz, easily recognizable for his two go-rounds as charming but lethal chatterboxes in Quentin Tarantino films. In addition to being attractive, Seydoux has a built-in toughness that’s easy to like for a potential partner for Bond—someone who is her own person (not just eye/arm candy) and who could have his back, not just a spot in his bed. Waltz has some nice moments but is somewhat underwritten (see below). Meanwhile, Guardians of the Galaxy’s Dave Bautista has some fun scenes as an old-school, nearly-indestructible henchman.

What Doesn’t Work?

It must be said that, in 2015, we’ve already had a spy-based franchise film that was 21^st-century gritty, had cool gadgets and gizmos, death-defying stunts and eye-popping action sequences, familiar faces and likable new ones, a mysterious, glowering villain, and was focused on the earth-saving derring-do of the agents of an elite espionage agency under fire from government bigwigs who think the agency is a risk and is outdated and could be shut down. Yep, we already have. It was called Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation. Bond is its own brand, of course, but I couldn’t help thinking back to Mission Impossible and thinking how that film, at least, managed to truly surprise and impress me with some of its many twists and turns.

Some of the things I didn’t quite love about Spectre: the impending installation of a new, all-communications-connected technological system that’s supposed to be a fail-safe—a villainous idea that’s already been suggested in multiple recent thrillers including Rogue Nation and Terminator: Genisys; Christoph Waltz’s underwritten villain—Waltz has shown in past roles that he can out-charisma anybody, and not only does he get limited screen time but his motivation for going after Bond seems kind of puny; Monica Bellucci draws the typical short straw as the Bond girl who’s only around for a couple superfluous scenes that mostly revolve around her hopping in James’ bed; there’s an ultimate torture device that for some reason doesn’t work on Bond the way it’s scientifically supposed to (at least according to the villain using it) even when it's used on him correctly; a couple of key bad guys die way too quickly and conveniently. And the confusing, seemingly-implausible idea that all the plots in all of the Craig Bond films were connected and orchestrated deliberately by one agency...I didn't like that, put it that way.

Spectre isn’t bad. It just feels a little too formulaic and a little too tidy considering the gritty, unpredictably-dramatic events of Skyfall.

Content

Like most Bond films, Spectre is light on swearing and nudity, but there’s heated sensuality/obvious sexual overtures, plenty of action that includes a few grisly deaths for baddies, and a torture device that makes our hero scream in agony. It earns its PG-13 with material that’s heavier and more realistic than your average Marvel superhero flick, but it probably won’t shock anyone who’s seen the other Craig Bonds.

Bottom Line

For me, Spectre is The Dark Knight Rises to Skyfall’s Dark Knight—it’s a solid movie, even if it can’t reach the spectacular heights of its predecessor. It’s a little more of a formulaic Bond film and the great Christoph Waltz is unfortunately underutilized as the villain. That said, the likely final Bond film to star Daniel Craig in the title role has a great cast, some terrific action, and a refreshing, upbeat ending. Until next time, Mr. Bond.

Spectre (2015)

Directed by Sam Mendes

Screenplay by John Logan, Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and Jez Butterworth

Based on characters created by Ian Fleming

Rated PG-13

Length: 148 minutes