Spectre (2015)

Whether you like Daniel Craig as Bond or not, you can't deny he has been an integral part of the series' highest points. Casino Royale is one of the greatest action thrillers ever, let alone Bond movie, and Skyfall is right up there with Goldeneye as a quintessential Bond adventure. Following the magnificent Skyfall, Spectre had some huge shoes to fill, and for the most part, it delivers exactly what you'd expect. An attention-grabbing, tense opening fight scene, a lovely title sequence (whether the song is good is debatable), and an elaborate sinister plot surrounding James Bond that puts him up against his inner demons more than ever. Does it surpass Casino Royale or Skyfall? Definitely not, but as far as reintroducing the villainous organization SPECTRE into Bond canon after 40+ years, the film does more than a serviceable job, giving us a stylish action-adventure to boot.

SPECTRE is revealed to have been affiliated with some of Bond's biggest threats - Mr. White, Le Chiffre, Raoul Silva - all under the control of one puppeteer, the head of SPECTRE and James' archnemesis, Ernst Stavro Blofeld. It isn't much of a spoiler, as speculation was rampant ever since the first trailer (and hell, when the name of the movie was released). What's important is its execution, and Spectre leaves breadcrumbs for you to follow all the way through the belly of the beast. Not only is Bond under SPECTRE's crosshairs, but MI6 itself is experiencing a merger led by Max Denbeigh (Andrew Scott) who wants to eliminate the 00 division and focus solely on global intelligence. It's apparent early on that Blofeld has eyes everywhere, and while he works primarily in the shadows (Christoph Waltz only having 20 or so minutes of screen time), he poses a looming threat to Bond because of his sheer cunning and a past secret that unravels itself when the two finally meet.

Many parts of the film feel like a throwback to classic Bond. The icy environments, the car chase and gadgetry, the use of a massive threatening henchman, a train fight that is heavily reminiscent of From Russia With Love, and of course the modern birthing of Bond's greatest adversary. The acting all around is fantastic, with Craig continuing to impress as the suave womanizing secret agent. Thomas Newman turns in another wonderful musical score. But perhaps the most impressive feature is Sam Mendes' directing. The shots in this movie are absolutely gorgeous - the action scenes are incredible to watch and easy to follow, the landscapes are fresh and vibrant, and even the simplest of scenes - Bond and Blofeld walking up to each other for the first time - are quietly introspective yet palpably tense. Tension lingers throughout every moment of Spectre even when not much is happening, and the suspense is high enough to hold your interest for the full 2-and-a-half hours.

Spectre is not perfect. Much of what happens narratively is predictable, a few lines don't go over too well in context, and you eventually find something out about Blofeld that is pretty ridiculous taking previous Bond canon into account. Also, given Waltz's reputation for knocking villainous roles out of the park, he's noticeably underused here. But these flaws don't tarnish the pure entertainment value to be had. What you want in a James Bond movie is over-the-top action surrounding the world's greatest spy who's up against unbeatable odds yet still comes out on top thanks to his charisma and general badassery, and this is precisely what Spect

Fmovies: Wonder what the refund policy is at Premier Theaters. Of course they are not responsible for this fiasco. It just went on and on and on......plot meandering went nowhere...actors mumbling...no suspense, just one predictable scene after another. Some of the scenes looked like they were shot on my grandpa 8mm Kodak movie camera. And to boot, the "reality" of the fight scenes would meet a standard of a 5 year old. We all know this is not a documentary, but when Bond / Craig get pummeled by the bad guy on the train and his tie stays in place and he suffers not a scratch or a black eye where is the realism...The Islander aircraft flying with its wings clipped outboard of the engines?????.Come on Broccoli team - is this the best you can do? Sean Connery is rolling his eyes and chuckling at the new low in Bond movies. Wasted evening, could have snoozed on a couch instead of a movie theater. Now, let us face it..10 lines of comments on this almost two and a half hours of boredom is a task that even Sam Mendez could not master.

First off, let me get something out of the way here: I like to be entertained. Entertainment, as we all know, comes in different shapes and sizes; it can be smart, profound, intellectually stimulating and so forth – or it can just be escapist fun. Now what kind of entertainment you expect from a James Bond film is up to you; as for me, I go with fun. Regrettably, the last three 007 instalments fell a bit short in that department (at least for my taste), and since I expected this new film to be more of the same, I didn't exactly get my hopes up.

Well, I can only say I was pleasantly surprised (although judging from most reviews here, I seem to be in the minority). Instead of further exploring the somewhat dark, dramatic route the previous three films took - which, I must admit, worked very well in Casino Royale - Spectre unexpectedly goes in the exact opposite direction. Sam Mendes and John Logan apparently came to the conclusion that it was time to bring back one of the most crucial ingredients for Bond's success with audiences over the years: the fun.

Don't get me wrong; it's not suddenly ALL fun and games for Her Majesty's finest spy (and Craig still portrays him as a character driven by inner rage) - but the new film is a virtual celebration of the whole James Bond universe, from past to present, including the less grounded and over-the-top elements from the older films. In fact, after a stand-out intro sequence in classic fashion, the spy with a license to kill takes us on a ride which - tonally - feels like travelling back in time to the glory days of such classics as You Only Live Twice, Goldfinger or From Russia With Love (and it's a ride back in time in more senses than one).

This is supposed to be a spoiler-free review, so I won't go into any of the story details, but what unfolds after the introduction plays like a combination of the more grounded, serious Bond we've come to associate with Daniel Craig's films, and the more self-aware spy-romps of the Roger Moore era. It's a mix that doesn't always work and tone and pacing can be a bit uneven at times (especially during the third act), but Spectre largely succeeds in paying homage to many of the classic Bond films while still delivering the gritty action people come to expect from the newer instalments and staying true to the character Craig has so successfully made his own. And despite all the references and callbacks to classic 007 adventures, Spectre still manages to continue the storyline of the three previous films. So while his second entry in the world's longest living franchise is far from a perfect film, I believe Sam Mendes achieves exactly what he wants: he intentionally embraces the old Bond formula, but he also plays with it, twists it and introduces new story elements.

So my verdict: Spectre is a love letter to the classic Bond films, and while it might not be the masterpiece many people seem to have expected, there is a lot to enjoy here. It's a solid, almost classic Bond film with insane action, great set-pieces and a fantastic cast; upon first viewing, I'd rate it 7 stars out of 10.

Rare Film Gems For Cinephiles: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls070242495/

Spectre fmovies. This is one of the worst Bond films. There was some good cinematography and an all star cast, but just God awful plot and story telling. I don't recommend seeing it.

I like all of Craig's Bond films, except this one. Actually, Craig is my favorite Bond actor. In the previous Craig films, they did a good job of using ancillary characters like M, Q and Moneypenny to augment his character so that that his missions seemed logically paced and not solely center on his prowess alone. They deviated from the traditional Bond by allowing him to have Blonde hair, who had a an experience worn face and body that did break down from wear and tear, who was detail oriented and mission driven.

While this film still tried to keep to it's current trend, it reverted back to just stupid unrealistic scenes, like Bond shooting SMG's with one hand from 200 yards out and saying clever one liners like "You're bluffing," I lost track of how many helicopters were used in this film. How many times was bond apprehended and somehow able to break his 'bonds' from his captors and escape the villain's carefully planned exotic methods of execution? And it was 2.5 hours long; plus the editing made no sense of how they got from point A to point B. They could've at least had the villains die in extreme and weird ways, but no, a total let down even on that point.

This is a first time I've written a review and encouraged the audience members not to see this film. It reminds me the Die Another Day film with Pierce Bronson which was terrible, but they squeezed it in because he only had one film left on his contract. Forgivable, Yes, but I hope the producers have something better for the next Bond film seeing as they are pacing these releases 2.5 years apart, which a tight deadline.

Nice entry stars Daniel Craig as the tough, two-fisted James Bond who takes on nasty organization nicknamed Spectra with a octopus-like symbol . After a risked and disastrous assignment in Mexico, Bond is suspended. But he goes on his activities by tracking down a massive criminal syndicate. Then Bond receives a cryptic message from his dark past, it sends him pitted against a sinister and criminal group. It is led by a terrorist chief, Blofeld : Chistoph Waltz who has an ancient relationship with Bond's own childhood. While Q , Ben Wishaw, delivers him some rare and fantastic artifacts to carry out his dangerous missions. Shortly after, MI6 chief M : Ralph Fiennes is replaced by another boss, Andrew Scott. Later on, Bond meets the beautiful daughter, Lea Seydoux, of a long time enemy and then things go wrong.

Once again Bond confronts an ominous and bloody organization with terrorist purports . This film takes parts of other 007 episodes as the violent fight between Bond and a hunk contender : Dave Bautista on a train , similar to Sean Connery versus Robert Shaw in From Russia with love. And the impresssive finale including the stronhold facility in the sunny desert and its destruction bears remarkable resemblance to Quantum of solace. Nicely played by Daniel Craig, this is his fourth entry, first was Casino Royale, following Quantum of solace and Skyfall. He is well accompanied by a young Bond girl, Lea Seydoux, and another Bond woman, the mature Monica Bellucci, the eldest Bond girl. The heinous leader of the powerful organization Spectra is magnetically performed by usual villain Christoph Waltz. Adding regulars of the old franchise as M well played by Ralph Fiennes, Q finely acted Ben Wishaw and Naomy Harris as Moneypenny.

The film packs a colorful and glimmering cinematography by Hoyte Van Hoytema, shot in various locations as Mexico city, Austria and especially in London. As well as pounding and rousing musical score by Thomas Newman. The motion picture was well directed by Sam Mendes, though with no originaly. Mendes is a good director who has made some successful films played by important actors, such as : Jarhead, American Beauty, Revolutionary road, Road to perdition and another Bond movie : Skyfall. Rating: Above average. Well worth watching.

This is the worst Bond movie ever, filled with emotionless characters that I couldn't care less about. The pace of this film after a predictably exciting start is slow and boring. Unlike his fellow actors, Ben Whishaw as Q manages to portray the only believable human in this whole fake production. Why couldn't JB have been given a touch of Q's wit, humour or vulnerability? No wonder Daniel Craig wants out of this franchise - it's beneath his talent. Such a cacophony of totally forgettable dialogue, people and silly stunts is hard to imagine in a single movie and yet here it is. During one of the 'action' fights when James was being hammered by the evil assassin I noticed the person next to me had fallen asleep and was snoring. That person was an exceedingly eloquent critic.