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Ranking James Bond Films: #13 – “Spectre” (2015)
A rewatch with years of separation and a different appreciation for movie-making makes a world of difference.
“A cryptic message from James Bond’s past sends him on a trail to uncover the existence of a sinister organisation named SPECTRE. With a new threat dawning, Bond learns the terrible truth about the author of all his pain in his most recent missions.”
Director: Sam Mendes
Writers: Ian Fleming, John Logan, Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, Jez Butterworth
Cast: Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Léa Seydoux, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Dave Bautista, Andrew Scott, Jesper Christensen
Release Date: November 6, 2015
IMDB
A rewatch with years of separation and a different appreciation for movie-making makes a world of difference. Sam Mendes returns for his second Bond, which is the only fair thing to do when his first go around was Skyfall, (perhaps) the best Bond of all time.
Spectre’s first 90 minutes are tantalizing with a slow pace and mystery that is remarkably different from the bombastic action many 007 adventures pace themselves with. The start of Spectre is over-the-top, but the opening of that bloom results in Bond slowly pulling away the pedals Christoph Waltz’s portrayal of Ernst Stavro Blofeld.
While Waltz is good, Spectre‘s saving grace is Léa Seydoux as Madeleine. Her performance is among the best for a Bond girl in the 007 franchise. Seydoux’s first interaction with Bond is a wee bit of a repeat from a psychology exam from Skyall, yet her tenor in the line readings makes it seem remarkably different. It is not Seydoux’s fault that she is the damsel in distress during the movie’s final stretch. That lies with the screenwriters.
I would be willing to bet that Seydoux will win an Academy Award before her acting career ends.The downfall of Spectre is earsplitting. It wreaks of crowd appeasement. Everything, including/after Bond’s brain getting screwed (literally), feels different. Numerous visual moments make Bond look like the most badass man imaginable. Still, the sudden reliance on explosions, guns, and Brosnan-esq suspension-of-disbelief doesn’t fit Spectre’s’ best tonal moments.
STANKO RATING: B
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