Spectre had so much hope on its shoulders following on from the financial and critical success of Skyfall. Unfortunately it provided us with a plot twist everyone saw coming ever since the first trailer dropped and questionable plot choices, Spectre ended up floundering and continuing the Daniel Craig curse of inconsistent Bond films.
It’s safe to say that the highest point in this film is the opening scene itself. Spectre opens up with the Day of the Dead celebrations and we are following a masked skeleton person wading through the crowds before revealing he is Mr Bond himself. Bond then proceeds to walk across rooftops where he meets his next target, this is all done in a one take shot technique which enhances the scene and is something we haven seen in a Bond film before.
Now onto that plot twist I mentioned earlier, yes I am in fact talking about Christoph Waltz’s character Franz Oberhauser who we all now know is actually Ernst Starvo Blofeld the leader of the Spectre organisation. Waltz’s performance is not terrible in any sense as he makes the role his own and is quite possibly the perfect actor to portray this iconic villain. However the thing he is lacking is the menacing and intimidating qualities that go with this character. The less said about Blofeld being James Bond’s half brother the better. Lea Seydoux portrayal of Madeline Swann is a nice breath of fresh air from the Bond girls we are used to, as she is able to challenge Bond’s antics and attitudes and not let him swoon her like the Bonds of the past.
Thomas Newman was given the scoring duties once again, and once again he does a great job of scoring the film. Sam Mendes’ opening title song of “ Writing on the Wall” may not have lived up to “Skyfall” but it’s key tune is still utilised perfectly throughout this film by Newman. Cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema ensures that Spectre is still a visually stunning film and the use of practical effects helps make the film feel authentic.
So Spectre had the potential to be something great for the James Bond franchise but ultimately it failed. It is still a very enjoyable film to watch and pushes the character of James Bond further and teases his desire to retire. At this point the only guaranteed thing from a James Bond film is having stunning visuals and an amazing score which is what this film delivered.
6.9/10
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