SPECTRE

"Steve in Manhattan" (blogenfreude01)
11/22/2015 at 18:26 • Filed to: None

So I finally saw it today. It is Daniel Craig’s fourth outing as Bond, but hopefully not his last. And a warning: mild spoilers herein. Tread carefully if you haven’t seen it.

I went in with measured expectations. Craig is clearly getting tired of the role. His first, Casino Royale, is his best, and it’s the best Bond film ever made. And don’t start with Pierce Brosnan or Sean Connery - I like my Bond like I like my Batman. Dark.

SPECTRE got mixed reviews - some critics didn’t like it. I was supposed to see it when it came out, but life intervened. I had to avoid anything on the internet having to do with the movie. I went in unsullied. As I said, Casino Royale is the best Bond film ever made.

Until now.

This movie had everything. The cold open with Bond fighting on the helicopter not only figures in the story, it is one of the most ashtonishing action sequences I’ve ever seen.

Bond does everything I want him to do. SPOILERS coming up, so bail now if you haven’t seen the movie.

He saves the beautiful widow’s life. He travels all over - snowy Austria, Tangiers, other exotic locales. He drives an Aston Martin that no one else will ever own. He drives the DB5 at the end.

There is a laser-to-the-crotch moment. Christoph Waltz is Ernst Stavro Blofeld, the classic Bond villain, and he nearly steals the movie. And (SPOILER) he doesn’t die at the end, but we get his origin story - in the early movies, Blofeld already has his scar and his dodgy eye. Here, we see how he got them. Because Blofeld lives, he can be in the next movie - it’s the perfect setup.

Léa Seydoux is perfect as the main Bond girl. At the end, she rides off with Bond into the sunset (in the DB5), perhaps believing that Bond will give up the life of a cold-blooded killer.

We shall see.

Judy Dench has a flashback cameo, and Ralph Fiennes and Ben Whishaw shine as M and Q. There is one gadget that is important. There is a boat chasing a helicopter. There is Bond saving the life of his girl - perhaps she’s his new Vesper Lynd. There are many callbacks to the first three Craig Bond movies.

A guy I didn’t know in the theater talked to me as we walked out - “that was better than Casino Royale, right?” Yes, yes it was.

Off to preorder the bluray. And haters? Critics? Fuck off if you didn’t enjoy this movie. It’s Bond going rogue, and doing what Bond does. And that’s what I want in a Bond film.

DISCUSSION (24)

AM3R shamefully returns > Steve in Manhattan
11/22/2015 at 18:33

I skipped through this avoiding all spoilers. I'm going on Tuesday and getting more excited as I see people saying how much they liked it.

Biggus Dickus (RevsBro) > Steve in Manhattan
11/22/2015 at 18:35

Daniel Craig Bond movies:

1. Casino Royale

2. Skyfall (Close Second)

3. Spectre

4. Quantum of Solace (distant last)

Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras > Steve in Manhattan
11/22/2015 at 18:40

Would you recommend it if said person asking is just looking for something to see this coming week? I’m not a Bond fanatic but do like a good movie

Steve in Manhattan > Biggus Dickus (RevsBro)
11/22/2015 at 18:43

I can respect that. One thing to keep in mind - Quantum begins the day after Casino ends. I took that advice (from the James Bonding podcast) and watched them back-to-back. Quantum makes a lot more sense if you do that. Maybe SPECTRE will not endure further scrutiny, but for now I’m totally on board. Bring on the bluray!

Steve in Manhattan > Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras
11/22/2015 at 18:50

I would, but I am a Bond fanatic. It’s big, it’s loud, and despite being the longest Bond film ever made (148 minutes) it moves quickly. It seemed we were in the theater for under 2 hours. If you haven’t seen the first 3 Daniel Craig Bonds, I’d try to watch them first for the context, but it’s not a requirement. Just remember that the villains in the first three (Le Chiffre, Dominic Greene, Raul Silva) were offshoots of SPECTRE, the bad guy organization. For me, the movie was worth it for the cold open alone.

Steve in Manhattan > AM3R shamefully returns
11/22/2015 at 18:56

I tend to be a Bond purist - 1) M summons Bond; 2) Bond gets an assignment; 3) Q gives Bond a bunch of gadgets and a car; 4) usually the first woman Bond sleeps with dies; 5) Bond completes the assignment and kills the bad guy; 6) Bond floats off (in space, on the water, whatever) with the main Bond girl and they make sweet sweet love. This movie is not that - it’s a Bond-going-rogue movie, like the first Timothy Dalton outing. But it worked on every level for me. Drop back in here, and let me know what you think once you’ve seen it. The car guy angle? Both the DB5 and the DB10 make an appearance.

Steve in Manhattan > AM3R shamefully returns
11/22/2015 at 19:01

I should also say - there is no macguffin in this movie - no code breaking device, no nuclear trigger, no documents or hard drives to be recovered. For me, that makes it a better Bond movie.

Biggus Dickus (RevsBro) > Steve in Manhattan
11/22/2015 at 19:17

Hmm. I’ll need to give it another try but I know it picks up immediately after Casino Royale.

MikeyEVO > Steve in Manhattan
11/22/2015 at 19:27

I’m saddened you had to pay 15.59 a ticket wth.

Steve in Manhattan > MikeyEVO
11/22/2015 at 19:37

Plus the service charge ... but hey, it’s Manhattan. Could have gone to another theater that has recliners for 18 per, but I decided I wanted a real movie experience (I rarely go to the theater): regular seats, 2D, no IMAX, just a big screen and Bond.

Van Man, rocks the Man Van > Steve in Manhattan
11/22/2015 at 20:23

Loved, loved, loved Spectre. I'm not a real Bond geek (only seen three of them) and mainly went for cars and action. I was not disappointed. Spectre could satisfy anyone: action lovers (like me), Bond geeks, or anyone who likes an intricate plot.

AM3R shamefully returns > Steve in Manhattan
11/22/2015 at 22:42

Will do!

AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC > Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras
11/22/2015 at 23:01

I would recommend it. It has some Bond folk-lore to it but it is really accessible compared to the other Bond films with Daniel Craig.

Nauraushaun > Steve in Manhattan
11/23/2015 at 07:22

It was good, I really enjoyed it. I don’t like how meta it was - it felt like a movie about the other Craig movies more than it should have. And I feel like his relationship with the babe was tacked on without meaning - there was none of the connection he had with Vesper. Also, when Blofeld drilled into his head claiming it would ruin his memory, how come it...just...didn’t?

Sorry, I know you said mean things about critics. I really did like it :)

Steve in Manhattan > Nauraushaun
11/23/2015 at 09:18

I completely understand the people who had problems with parts of the movie. There was a lot of fan-servicing, I will admit. The drawings posted in the bombed-out MI5 headquarters went a bit too far. I know people who saw the movie without seeing the first three that were a bit confused. We’ll see what happens when I watch it again, but dammit I will watch it again.

TheJMan92 > Steve in Manhattan
11/23/2015 at 12:50

Absolutely agree, great movie. I had a few friends who were wary because of the critics, I saw it and told them not to listen. Go see it people, it’s great!

Steve in Manhattan > TheJMan92
11/23/2015 at 13:20

Casino is now second for me - the only thing that lets it down is the overlong poker scenes. I just hope Daniel Craig does one more (that he’s contracted for, by the way).

TheJMan92 > Steve in Manhattan
11/23/2015 at 14:44

Did not know he was contracted for another movie, but I have seen how he’s pretty well exhausted with Bond right now. I think he could end quite well with Specter, it’s a descent end to his Bond story.

Personally, I really like Craig’s Bond so I certianly wouldn’t mind seeing him fill out his contract.

Steve in Manhattan > TheJMan92
11/23/2015 at 15:17

They signed him for 5, or at least that’s what I’ve heard.

Nauraushaun > Steve in Manhattan
11/23/2015 at 17:31

I’ll watch again too. And I’ll be keen to see how it ages.

I agree, that part was a little far. It was wrapped up in the plot - that Blofeld was pretty much behind the other 3 films. But it was very elaborate.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Steve in Manhattan
11/28/2015 at 18:26

Personally, I think none of the other Bonds compare to Daniel Craig, and Roger Moore was the worst.

Steve in Manhattan > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
11/28/2015 at 18:36

As I have said many times - I like my Bond like I like my Batman - dark, brooding, vengeful.

Roger Moore was probably the worst (I’ve seen all 24 movies). Pierce Brosnan sucked in all but his first, Goldeneye. Connery set the bar, Daniel Craig jumped over it and put a gun to its head. Timothy Dalton, a darked and more menacing Bond, was good and ... meh in his 2 movies. George Lazenby? On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is a better movie than it’s given credit for ... Diana Rigg anyone? But Lazenby was a bit flat. So your conclusion about Daniel Craig? Spot on, in my book.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Steve in Manhattan
11/28/2015 at 19:50

I’m glad you approve! I realized that in my assessment, I’ve skipped over a couple of Bonds whose movies I’ve never seen. But Craig is badass. And the new Moneypenney, at least the woman they had in Skyfall, is hashtag-hot.

Steve in Manhattan > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
11/28/2015 at 20:09

Naomie Harris: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0365140…

And it’s not agree or disagree, it’s your own taste. I’d fill in the gaps and watch the Bond movies you missed - the good and the bad.