Review of Spectre (2015) by Alexcel343 — 23 Nov 2015

So, Bond (James Bond) is back on screens in Spectre, a film in which Bond hunts down the titular organisation. That's the plot in short and the movie features a host of characters, as Bond works with Moneypenny, Q and M to hunt down Spectre. Is is good? Absolutely. Is it as good as Skyfall? I don't think so. But don't let that distract you from what is a wonderfully entertaining.

A lot of Skyfall's positives carry over, as this film's use of varying locales, densely packed shots and great sound make this film a joy for the senses. The main plot is personal and is cohesive and the film's best part is it's performances. Craig is as usual a joy to watch, with very suave one-liners and a great presence. Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris and Volde... I mean, Ralph Fiennes have more to do in this movie and are very good in the movie. The Animal Bat... Dave Bautista is very good as Mr Hinx, but my favourite performance goes to Lea Seydoux as Dr. Madeleine Swann, the 'Bond girl' if you will. Her character is well developed and she adds humanity and bravery to the role. The movie will also satisfy fans of the previous Bonds with Craig as the film links back very well to events in Casino Royale, Skyfall and the other one sitting in the corner by itself (sorry). Another high point carried over from Skyfall is well helmed action sequences, including a fantastic car chase and train sequences, and these range from the very tense affairs to the bombastic. And for fans of classic bonds, there are a number of references to keep them entertained and some dialogue is written very well.

In terms of where this movie falls down, it's in the treatment of some other characters. Mainly, the villain is portrayed well by a brilliant actor in Christoph Waltz, but I wish the villain was more active in actually dealing with Bond. He is introduced very well at a great meeting scene, but I wish he actually was a bit physical as well as the psychological effect he has on Bond. The Joker was psychological to Batman, but actively took part in the action. Also, Monica Bellucci's character has a minor bit of development, but largely feels like a plot device by the end of the movie. And, as much as the supporting cast are fun, it felt slightly disappointing when we cut back to London to look at the developments concerning the politics. Whilst key to the plot, the Bond stuff was enthralling and was at times, sad when we had to see M sat in a bar with a glass of red.

Overall though, this movie is a lot of fun and is a Bond movie that will give you entertainment. That glass of vodka martini is half full with those movie, even if it could be a little more shaken.