Spectre (2015) - SPOILER-FREE Review
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Directed by: Sam Mendes
Written by: John Logan, Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, Jez Butterworth
Starring: Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Léa Seydoux, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Dave Bautista, Andrew Scott, Monica Bellucci, Ralph Fiennes
Runtime: 148 min
Synopsis: A cryptic message from the past leads James Bond (Daniel Craig) to Mexico City and Rome, where he meets the beautiful widow (Monica Bellucci) of an infamous criminal. After infiltrating a secret meeting, 007 uncovers the existence of the sinister organization SPECTRE. Needing the help of the daughter of an old nemesis, he embarks on a mission to find her. As Bond ventures toward the heart of SPECTRE, he discovers a chilling connection between himself and the enemy (Christoph Waltz) he seeks.
I finally reach the last Daniel Craig movie in this James Bond rewatch I've been doing to prepare for No Time To Die - supposedly the last film starring the popular actor. My thoughts about Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, and Skyfall have been shared, but Spectre is the one I knew it would take more from me. Sam Mendes (1917) returns to direct, and Jez Butterworth (Ford v Ferrari) joins the also returning screenwriting team of the previous flick, John Logan, Neal Purvis, and Robert Wade.
For each positive element present in this movie, there's a negative counterpart. In most cases, the difference in opinions depends on how much each of these pros and cons impacts the viewer. Starting with the action, Spectre still holds the Guinness World Record for "largest film stunt explosion" in cinema history, which proves that there was no holding back when it came to delivering mind-blowing action set pieces. Hoyte van Hoytema (Tenet) shows impressive skills as director of photography, employing riveting long takes and stunning wide shots. During the actual sequences, entertainment is guaranteed.
However, Mendes doesn't control the pacing as well as in the 2012's entry. Spectre also holds the record for the longest runtime in the franchise - at least, until No Time To Die premieres - but it's far from justifying such a bloated duration. The period of time between each action sequence doesn't contain a sufficiently captivating story to carry the movie forward, making it feel a bit dull at times. The insistence in creating a narrative that changes this entire saga by trying to connect everything and everyone to a single organization becomes a forced attempt that raises more questions than surprising, impactful revelations.
This leads me to Christoph Waltz's (Alita: Battle Angel) lack of significant screentime. Similarly to Javier Bardem's Mr. Silva, Waltz's antagonist boasts a fascinating backstory that emotionally links him to Bond, but the villain's character work never reaches its potential. Not only it takes too long for this character to actually appear on-screen, but he's handled in a rather messy fashion. Waltz is brilliant, though. His representation of said character brings a sense of real fear and extremely tense interactions. I still defend that his white-room scene with Bond and Madeleine (Léa Seydoux) is one of the saga's best.
"Speaking" of Seydoux, the acting is superb across the board. The latter isn't just another "Bond girl" - an archetype that isn't aging very well. The character knows how to handle herself and proves helpful in more than just a random situation. Her well-developed relationship with Bond is the only compelling subplot of the film. Dave Bautista (Army of the Dead) portrays a one-word, badass "bad guy" for Bond to fight, and honestly, I don't need to ask for more. His fighting scene with Craig on a train is worth the ticket. The recurring character-actor pairs work well in the context of the movie, except for Andrew Scott (His Dark Materials) as C.
The performance is great, but the casting choice mostly ruins an excessive, prolonged build-up for something that turns out to be evident from the get-go. The subplot involving C and the MI6 is a massive STOP sign to the otherwise interesting personal journey Bond is going through. The adventurous mission of the field agents is constantly put aside for the audience to watch a tedious yet essential side story since the rest of the narrative needs it for everything else to make sense.
There's a top-tier Bond film hidden somewhere under the script issues. Still, I believe it gets more hate than it deserves. Some changes to Bond's signature phrases might upset some viewers more than others, but overall, it's a more than decent action spy flick. It's very well-shot, it boasts excellent music from Thomas Newman - also scored Skyfall - and its massive action set pieces promise high entertainment levels. It's one of those movies that could have been much, much better, and that feeling of disappointment might be too intense for some viewers to endure.
Final Thoughts
Spectre fails to reach the tremendous potential of its intriguing narrative and fascinating antagonist, but Sam Mendes still pulls off a decent James Bond flick. The screenplay raises significant issues with an incredibly dull subplot that deeply affects the pacing of a bloated runtime. In addition to this, Christoph Waltz's lack of impactful screentime is disappointing, to say the least, despite a brilliant performance from the actor. Fortunately, the jaw-dropping action set pieces elevate the overall film, which also benefits from gorgeous cinematography and exceptional acting across the board. Daniel Craig and Léa Seydoux's characters relationship is emotionally compelling, making Bond's mission feel more like an interesting personal journey. One of the best movies of the franchise is buried somewhere under the messy screenplay, but what can be found at the surface has much to appreciate.
