Spectre
It’s interesting that the Daniel Craig Bond movies- prior to “No Time to Die”- are a couplet of two movies each, but form a larger arc for the character. I cannot help but think that might have been how EON kept him interested in the character for multiple movies, or if it was a larger philosophy the studio wanted to go with after the Brosnan arc flamed out with an overabundance of spectacle. But “Quantum of Solace” fell off a bit from the high of “Casino Royale”; would “Spectre” do the same after “Skyfall?”
In 2013, a deal was made that allowed EON to bring back some of the most iconic elements of the franchise’s past after legal issues kept them apart. I wonder how much of an insistence there was for this fourth film to incorporate Blofeld and SPECTRE (but not all capitalized) in the development process on the part of the studio after stories started to break, because to a certain extent, the use of these elements feel like they are shoehorned in not unlike Venom in Sam Raimi’s “Spider-Man 3.” But it certainly all feels of a piece with what came before it, and the reimagining of Spectre as an international organization dedicated to sowing chaos throughout the world allows for a tying in of all the villains from the previous Craig films that is somewhat organic, while also making Spectre feel very much like a force to be reckoned with in films to come. Then why does it feel all for the sake of a personal vendetta?
Hiring Christophe Waltz, whose Nazi in “Inglourious Bastards” is one of the iconic villains in modern movies, to play a Bond villain was inevitable, and bringing him in to play THE iconic Bond villain, Ernst Stavro Blofeld, makes a lot of sense, even if he isn’t introduced as such. Making his character a long, lost adopted brother of James Bond is just absolutely ridiculous. Granted, it makes this personal for Bond, which feels part and parcel with the way these films have been built, but it also feels like a needless over-complication. The only personal connection this story needs is that this was a mission “M” (Judi Dench) sent him on in a recording after she died. That’s it. We know Bond was orphaned as a kid, and there’s a way to have a villain in this film that is connected to Bond’s past with the same jealousy Blofeld is given here. But making that character the leader of a global terrorist organization is a bridge too far, and it almost neuters any larger sense of anxiety we’re supposed to be feeling about Spectre.
Returning to the director’s chair is Sam Mendes, and he takes his time building up the story of “Spectre”; if “Quantum of Solace” feels rushed at 108 minutes, “Spectre” feels glacial at 148 minutes. The opening sequence in Mexico City is fantastic in the way a lot of great Bond movie openings are, but outside of a car chase between Bond and Mr. Hinx (Dave Bautista) and the climactic scene in London, the action is unremarkable. Spectre’s revealing meeting is well-staged, and a great example of Hoyte van Hoytema’s cinematography, but it feels as though it goes on forever. And the theme song by Sam Smith (“Writing’s on the Wall”) is good at telegraphing the nonsense with Blofeld to come in the moment, but is otherwise forgettable. Overall, the film is well-produced, but Mendes’s orchestration of the plot is what makes me wonder whether their ability to use Spectre and Blofeld threw them in the development process, because the idea of a terrorist organization manipulating governments of the world to give into the allure of becoming surveillance states- thus putting MI6 and the 00 program out of business- is a great hook by itself, and it gives M (Ralph Fiennes), Q (Ben Whishaw) and Moneypenny (Naomie Harris) plenty to do. This is the one instance where the personal part of Craig’s journey with Bond doesn’t work.
“Spectre” feels out of sync with what came before it in the Craig Bond films. I want to like it more- although I did forget how much Lea Seydoux as Dr. Madeleine Swann (the daughter of Mr. White from “Casino Royale” and “Quantum of Solace”) and Monica Bellucci as Lucia Sciarra (who appears in one brief scene prior to Bond infiltrating the Spectre meeting) add to the film- but the film feels bogged down with exposition when it should be delivering thrills for us. Even in the quiet moments of the prior Craig films, it feels like key points of story are being revealed. Here, those are left to the BIG MOMENTS, resulting in a lot of dead weight cinematically. I hope history doesn’t repeat itself with Craig’s final outing in the role.
