Spectre

SPECTRE

Director : Sam Mendes

Year : 2015

Genre : Action

Rating : *****

 

After making what many consider to be the greatest Bond movie ever with 'Skyfall', the pressure was on director Sam Mendes to live up to and maybe even surpass it with 'Spectre'. However, the release of Sam Smith's divisive theme song entitled 'writings on the wall' as well as much-reported complaining from leading man Daniel Craig who said that he'd rather slit his wrists than play 007 again made for some uncomfortable foreshadowing. There were great fears that Mendes had lost hope in his talent and had reverted back to the tab A into slot B filmmaking style of the underwhelming 'Quantum Of Solace' or had maybe listened to the pathetic moaners who whined on and on via social media about the fact that the Bond franchise had lost it's campy entertainment value. A bloated budget certainly didn't exactly help matters (a $300m receipt ties 'Spectre' with 'Pirates The Caribbean : At Worlds End' for the second most expensive movie ever made) and controversy surrounding certain taxation benefits all seemed to hint towards a troubled production and dissension on and off the set.

However, all of these fears can now be laid to rest as 'Spectre' not only lives up to the quality of 'Skyfall' but it exceeds it making the film the best James Bond movie ever made. It's direction is terrific, the performances are unanimously brilliant and the action scenes are easily some of the franchises most exhilarating. Not even the annoying popcorn throwing, continually talking and chair kicking brats sitting next me could dull my utter enjoyment of the movie and after it ended, I came to the realisation that not only had I watched the best 007 film but one of the absolute best films of the year.

 

After the tragic events of 'Skyfall', MI6 is in disarray. A new, technologically advanced security system spells the end for the recently appointed M (played with grit and verve by Ralph Fiennes) as well as the '00' program as the all-seeing cameras are set to replace the old fashioned agents of the world (''An Orwellian nightmare M defiantly proclaims). Meanwhile, Daniel Craig's slick yet stubborn Bond once again goes rogue after a voice from the past leads him on the path of the mysterious Franz Oberhauser - a wonderfully menacing creation from two-time Academy Award winner Christoph Waltz whose use of sarcastic metaphor and psychological manipulation makes him 007's most threatening enemy since Mads Mikkelsen's blood-crying Le Chiffre. With the help of Lea Seydoux's seductive Madeleine Swann, Bond must endeavor to end Oberhauser's reign of terror - a reign of terror that may just be linked with the chaos going on in the corridors of Britain's secret service as well as the streets of the planets most vibrant cities.

There is just as much of the old with 'Spectre' as there is with the new. As is expected, Sam Mendes pulls out all of the stops to give us some of the series' most hair-raising action scenes and the pre-credits sequence involving the Mexican day of the dead, a building being destroyed and a fight in a moving helicopter serves as the thrilling prelude to the most exciting movie since 'Mission Impossible : Rogue Nation'. Car chases, fist fights and even a high speed chase with a small airplane are all on offer here and in the screening I was in, the audience were relentlessly feasting on these cinematic delights. The CGI used to bring these show-stopping moments to life is very impressive and it is clear that the huge amount of money used to bring these  incredible bites of movie magic to the big screen was used very well indeed. They are moments that Connery, Moore and even Dalton and Brosnan could have only dreamed of. 

 

There is also a great modernity to the script and the production of 'Spectre'. Written by John Logan, Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and Jez Butterworth, the screenplay is a fascinating blend of thrills, espionage and humour and while it may have the same grittiness and edge that made the three previous films so entertaining to watch, it also has a great deal of laugh out loud quips - mostly delivered by Ben Whishaw's ingenious Q whose comic timing at points threaten to steal the film from right under Bond's nose. However, these well-earned nuggets of respite are placed far and few between into the overall script, meaning that 'Spectre' still manages to keep it's thrilling and sometimes dangerous tone without ever being diluted.

But while the filmmaking and writing techniques used to make the film are entirely modern, there is a love of the Bond tradition that is obviously running through the bloodstream of 'Spectre'. From it's Bassey-esque opening theme (a theme which in retrospect perfectly complements the oily imagery of the films striking title sequence) to it's over the top characterisations, 'Spectre' bears just as much thematic resemblance to the Bonds of old such as 'The Spy Who Loved Me' and 'From Russia With Love' as it does to 'Casino Royale', 'Quantum Of Solace' and of course, 'Skyfall'. The convoluted plot is as ridiculous as the movies of the 60's and 70's but still retains the tenacity and bite of the more recent entries in the series and as someone who loves the old Bonds just as much as the new, 'Spectre' serves as both thrilling cinema and rose-tinted nostalgia.

From the instant that he mercilessly drowned that informant during the pre-credits sequence of 'Casino Royale', it was evident that Daniel Craig was going to bring a lot to his portrayal of a much more brittle and spontaneous Bond that what we've had in the past and that evidence has made itself abundantly clear in 'Spectre'. As witty as he is ruthless, Craig's Bond is a 007 for the modern audiences - an assasin who answers with bullets rather than one-liners and beyond cheesy pick-up lines (as wonderful as they are). If this is to be Craig's last Bond movie than he has left on a spectacular high. He gives a performance that is both completely compelling and perversely emotional - driven by anger, remorse and of course, lust. On his arm is the beautiful Lea Seydoux, an astonishing actress who wowed audiences the world over with her incredible performance in the disgracefully overlooked 'Blue Is The Warmest Colour'. With her quick wit and silver tongue, she is the films secret weapon - bringing a huge amount of emotional weight to 'Spectre's more overblown scenes - all the while subverting the sometimes derogatory 'Bond girl' archetype with forceful defiance.

In his portrayal of the vicious yet eloquant SS Standartenfuhrer Hans Landa in Quentin Tarantino's historically innaccurate and annoying misspelled 'Inglourious Basterds', Christoph Waltz was obviously channelling his inner Bond nemesis and this training has put him in good stead for the shadowy figure of Franz Oberhauser, a masterfully quiet yet malevolently ruthless figure that allows the great actor to really show off his acting prowess. Introduced to us as the silent and unseen overseer of the eponymous corporation 'SPECTRE', Oberhauser is a horrifyingly likable villain whose pseudonym makes for one of the movies greatest surprises. Surrounded by nameless henchman and an army of loyal followers, he is an antagonist that hearkens back to the noble traditions of Francisco Scaramanga, Auric Goldfinger and Ernst Stavro Blofeld. 

With it's heart in the past and it's eyes on the present, 'Spectre' is a worthy successor to 'Skyfall' and despite all the odds and the press coverage, Sam Mendes has masterfully created a Bond movie that can stand alongside his critically acclaimed predecessor. It is directed with precision and care, it is shot with a stunning eye (that eye belonging to 'Interstellar' director of photography Hoyte Van Hoyteme) and the cast bring their all to their individual performances. At 145 minutes, 'Spectre' is longest Bond movie to date and I can tell you with all honesty, the time absolutely flies by. The plot never drags, the editing is pitch perfect and Mende's sumptuous camera work never fails to entertain and amaze. All in all, 'Spectre' is one of the best movies you are likely to see this year and you will leave the cinema with your ears ringing, your heart racing and your mind sufficiently blown. Absolutely terrific.