Movie Review - 007:Spectre

After what might be considered a long hiatus, I am back with a bang! Quite literally…for I present to you my review of Spectre, the latest entry in the long running 007 franchise. Yeah, it is quite late. I know. But like I always say, better late than never. Without further ado, here is my review of the latest 007 mission. Keep in mind that this review is from the eyes of a huge Bond fan. So some may not exactly agree with what I have to say. And that is fine - you may have your own opinion. However, here are MY thoughts on the film…

If you need a quick review, I will say this – It is definitely better than Skyfall, in my opinion. I thought Skyfall was a snore-fest.  Skyfall didn’t have to go the way it did and this movie, for better or worse, puts the 007 formula back on track. Spectre almost felt like an ode to the old 007 films, with fight sequences inside a train inspired by ‘From Russia with Love’ and ‘OHMSS’, with the snowy locations and all. 

As far as the story is concerned, like I said, it is the usual formula. Bond has a mission to complete, however not for England this time. This time around, it is for a special person. Along the way, he gets shot at by a few henchmen, drinks Vodka Martini (shaken, mind you!), gets chased by a few villains, beds a few women, punches the bad guy, gets the girl and Bond, James Bond. However, there is another parallel plot going on at the same time, which I thought was interesting but it was something sudden and was never hinted at in the previous films – The merging of MI6 with MI5, which means the end of all 00 agents (but who are we kidding, we all know that is not gonna happen). That being said the movie is a little longer at about 2 hours 40 which, for a Bond fan is okay but for a casual viewer, is very long. The plot is a bit on the predictable side with twists and turns that you can see coming from a mile away.

When it comes to the characters, this is the first time we get to see the new ‘M’ in action. Again, quite literally. The new ‘M’ played by Ralph Fiennes is a bad-ass who can take on a few enemies on his own if the need arises. Unlike previous ‘M’s, this guy is not only JBs boss who sits behind a desk and shouts at him but also a fellow patriot who can go to any length if it means the safety of his country, much like how Walter Skinner is to Fox Mulder in The X-Files. We already got a glimpse of the new ‘Q’ in Skyfall. He was great in it and he is also great here.

The bad-guy this time around is the head of the shady organization S.P.E.C.T.R.E  –  Blofeld, played by Christoph Waltz. Now, this guy is the villain, meaning the character in a story that we are supposed to hate. But ironically, I started liking him more than, dare I say, 007 himself.  We also get to see how Blofeld actually got the iconic scar on his face. He even has his pet cat a la the old 007 films (lol). Blofeld only makes a short appearance but he was fun to watch. Waltz was perfectly cast but I wish we could have seen a bit more of him, you know, WITH THE TITLE OF THE MOVIE REVOLVING AROUND HIS CHARACTER!!! A likable villain, but a wasted potential, if that makes any sense. Batista is also in it and much like Bane in TDKR, *poof*, he is gone!

In the end, this movie is, in my humble opinion, better than Skyfall and wayyyyy better than Quantum of Solace. Even after 4 movies with Craig in the lead role, I still feel his first was his best. In fact, Casino Royale, is one of the best 007 movies IMO. I was expecting a lot from Spectre but I was left disappointed, though just by a bit. Perhaps, we have seen enough of James Blonde?  Rumour has it that Damien Lewis is the next in line. He was great in Band of Brothers but I don’t know…only time will tell. Until then, this is Nut, Critique Nut.

                                                                         Score – 7.5/10