SPECTRE - Press reviews and personal reviews (BEWARE! Spoiler reviews allowed)

13637394142100

Comments

  • mcdonbbmcdonbb deep in the Heart of Texas
    edited October 2015 Posts: 4,116
    Ludovico wrote: »
    Many people didn't like Waltz as Blofeld? I sure haven't heard many negative comments about him. If any at all, actually.

    And I might be mean, but I cannot wait to see the face of those who advocated Scott as Blofeld. Actually I won't see their face, but figuratively speaking. What did I say? Jekyll & Hyde/Dracula twist.

    Yes ..and the members that wouldn't let it go that it was Scott that said "I was there all the time...blah blah." :P ...jk

    Great or disappointed Scott's character would not have worked as Blofeld and would have been a total rip off. Everybody in every market expects and wants Waltz to be Blofeld.

    Waltz to me outside of the character seems almost to passe and almost put out by all this. Maybe I'm wrong.

    Bardem was such a champion for SF .. Forster for his film as well.
  • Posts: 4,615
    I thought Waltz was great casting when I heard the news but..if you imagine that great first scene in Inglorious B###tards where he visits the farmhouse and they are hiding in the cellar. Imagine him the same apart from having ESB's hair and clothes: he is the same guy, they seem interchangable to me: "Cuckoo" "That's a bingo"
  • SkyfallCraigSkyfallCraig Rome, Italy
    Posts: 630
    I have to watch it again, but probably I should chance my nick. I loved and love skyfall, but this film made me a better impression at a first view than SF did. It's a proper Bond movie, it has a lot of layers, references, action. I loved it
  • mcdonbbmcdonbb deep in the Heart of Texas
    Posts: 4,116
    I have to watch it again, but probably I should chance my nick. I loved and love skyfall, but this film made me a better impression at a first view than SF did. It's a proper Bond movie, it has a lot of layers, references, action. I loved it

    That's good. Yeah I've also gotten that vibe too. I think this one will improve with age and viewing.

    Repeat viewers always rate it higher on second viewings it seems.
  • Posts: 15,114
    mcdonbb wrote: »
    Ludovico wrote: »
    Many people didn't like Waltz as Blofeld? I sure haven't heard many negative comments about him. If any at all, actually.

    And I might be mean, but I cannot wait to see the face of those who advocated Scott as Blofeld. Actually I won't see their face, but figuratively speaking. What did I say? Jekyll & Hyde/Dracula twist.

    Yes ..and the members that wouldn't let it go that it was Scott that said "I was there all the time...blah blah." :P ...jk

    Great or disappointed Scott's character would not have worked as Blofeld and would have been a total rip off. Everybody in every market expects and wants Waltz to be Blofeld.

    Waltz to me outside of the character seems almost to passe and almost put out by all this. Maybe I'm wrong.

    Bardem was such a champion for SF .. Forster for his film as well.

    Scott as Blofeld would have been a cop out. I think Waltz had to be distant in promotions, to keep the secret everyone knew or suspected a secret. Sort of.
    patb wrote: »
    I thought Waltz was great casting when I heard the news but..if you imagine that great first scene in Inglorious B###tards where he visits the farmhouse and they are hiding in the cellar. Imagine him the same apart from having ESB's hair and clothes: he is the same guy, they seem interchangable to me: "Cuckoo" "That's a bingo"

    He was typecast, but it was good typecast. I actually created a thread about the virtues of typecasting: when an actor plays naturally a specific type of role, when it fits him like a glove... why not cast him? I have yet to see Inglorious Bastards, but I saw Django Unchained and thought: he has the right profile to play a Bond villain, maybe an OHMSS Blofeld. Which is exactly what he did.
  • Posts: 387
    Scott is a way better actor than Waltz. he could have switched from slimy to dangerous megalomaniac in an instant. All Waltz can do is play Waltz.
  • mcdonbbmcdonbb deep in the Heart of Texas
    Posts: 4,116
    I like them both but I haven't seen the movie.
  • SkyfallCraigSkyfallCraig Rome, Italy
    Posts: 630
    Stamper wrote: »
    Scott is a way better actor than Waltz. he could have switched from slimy to dangerous megalomaniac in an instant. All Waltz can do is play Waltz.

    ..and waltz is a dangerous megalomaniac.
    By the way, superb CGI
  • I don't think Scott would have been any good either. Likely he would have just done his Moriarty routine.

    I think in hindsight it was a bad idea to shoehorn Spectre into the Craig era. They regained the rights in 2013 but they didn't have to use spectre straight away.
    Why not keep quantam as the menace and have Craig finish his era by taking them down?
    Then introduce Spectre for a future bond (not necessarily straight away).






  • edited October 2015 Posts: 1,068
    Lotved the 'ouch, that's going to smart a bit' when Bond see's the disfigurement for the first time.excellent and believable if make up or CGi.

    I liked the surely it's not, no it can't be moment when Bond sees the back of his head at the funeral.

    Judging by when ESB calls cuckoo does that mean he was unaware Bond was at the funeral or just, ok he was there so must have found his way to the meeting?
  • Posts: 625
    I think the scar was Makeup.
    It was only CGI for the outdoor scenes, that were filmed but weren't used in the final film.
    The CGI dots were just for the public, so that no one could see the scar.
  • Posts: 1,068
    The next Bond can battle with SPECTRE, even ESB. We're all grown ups and able to accept that story line in another parallel Bond Universe. OHMSS is the perfect standalone Bond as much as SP is too.
  • JNOJNO Finland
    Posts: 137
    I wasn´t referring to this forum in my comment about Waltz, I was just thinking those poor journalists who have been saying that Waltz was "lame" or "underused." I totally disagree with them. I think his screen time was good enough.

    You can always argue that "Waltz is just playing Waltz" or whatever but I value him very high and can´t think about better Blofeld at the moment. Now with the scar he´s perfect... or should I say purrrfect. That bloody pussy made me to write it!

    Waltz has the menace, the look and the charisma. Looking forward to B25!
  • Posts: 15,114
    Stamper wrote: »
    Scott is a way better actor than Waltz. he could have switched from slimy to dangerous megalomaniac in an instant. All Waltz can do is play Waltz.

    Ridiculous. Andrew Scott has none of the commanding presence of Waltz, neither is he menacing as Waltz and making Denbigh Blofeld would have made no sense at all.
  • Surely Waltz must have signed on for at least a two-picture deal? I can't imagine setting him up in this film and not having him come back. SP is essentially "Blofeld Begins" so that would be like "Batman Begins" with Christian Bale only signing on for one movie.
  • JWPepperJWPepper You sit on it, but you can't take it with you.
    Posts: 512
    Zekidk wrote: »
    JWPepper wrote: »
    Where was the Michael G. Wilson cameo?
    Whitehall. Shaking hands with 'C'

    Thanks! @Zekidk Didn't spot him the first time... Tomorrow I will go for the second time and keep an eye open ;-)
  • JNOJNO Finland
    Posts: 137
    That would be total madness if Waltz wasn´t coming back. The ending of Spectre just screams for a sequel or whatever you want to call it. This storyline isn´t finished.

    Just watch how ESB is looking Bond and Swann...
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    Posts: 13,384
    Yes old ESB, is bound to escape and be up to no good. :)
  • Posts: 15,114
    Surely Waltz must have signed on for at least a two-picture deal? I can't imagine setting him up in this film and not having him come back. SP is essentially "Blofeld Begins" so that would be like "Batman Begins" with Christian Bale only signing on for one movie.

    He might have signed for a one picture deal and get convinced to do a second one. It happened before with Bond.
  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    Posts: 9,117
    Ludovico wrote: »
    My wife studied at Royal Holloway and she found the article by a Royal Holloway professor. And my thought when I read it: what a load of hogwash!

    https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/aboutus/newsandevents/news/newsarticles/positivelyshockingjamesbondwomenandspectre.aspx

    Question: anybody else thinks Jinx is better than Madeleine Swann? If I had a girl, I know who I'd want for a positive role model.

    Jesus Christ - are you trying to make me have a stroke by posting that?

    Who the f**k is this clown? Klaus Dodds Professor of Geopolitics at Holloway University - fair enough I suppose but 'James Bond Expert'?

    And which university did you get your degree in James Bond exactly? We can all claim to be a 'James Bond expert' pal but the difference is most of us who write on here haven't managed to blag someone to pay us for spouting dross like this.

    On the other hand we do get our professional details right. The quote from Fleming was 'warm blooded heterosexuals in trains, aeroplanes and beds' not stations and airports.

    A James Bond expert would have known. A small slip. Takes more than a doctorate in geopolitics and conning someone into publishing your drivel to turn Klaus Dodds into a James Bond expert.

    Dave Worral, Charles Helfenstein, Raymond Benson, Graham Rye, @Dragonpol - these are James Bond experts with a body of work to back them up. Despite what you might think you, Klaus, have no authority. None.

    And then let's get on the actual content of his thesis which just seems to be a regurgitation of the hackneyed old feminist whining that 'Bond only shags women, they don't get to do very much in the plot' that has been around since when Fleming was still alive. Dodds for chrissakes come up with something original'

    Undoubtedly the highlight is this: 'Jinx proves to be adept with weapons and capable of fending off adversaries....Goodnight, in comparison, is a figure of fun'.

    Anyone who is a bone fide James Bond expert could tell you that there's only one figure of fun (apart from you Klaus) in that sentence and it's not dear old Mary. If your citing Jinx to back up your arguments you are already on shaky ground my friend.

    Of course I realise the point you are trying to make in your bumbling hamfisted way is that Jinx is a capable equal of Bond whereas Goodnight is merely a damsel in distress. We'll just gloss over the scene when Jinx is in distress and has to be rescued by Bond shall we? Just as we shall also gloss over the fact that criticising Mary for wearing a bikini is a bit rich given Halle's gratuitous slow mo tit bouncing entrance
  • DariusDarius UK
    edited October 2015 Posts: 354
    patb wrote: »
    The more writers that have an input , the more mushy its gonna get, like the design of a car. (the Mini was not designed by a committee or a great painting, or indeed a spy novel etc), they need to find one talented writer, trust them and just let them get on with it.
    (I've tweeted Gatiss to clear his diary )

    You beat me to it. ;)

    Any writing assignment involving more than two heads is going to end up being a compromise of one sort or another -- it's lot like a coalition government. A good story needs a firm, single vision and this can often be achieved by writing duos that bounce ideas of each other with one acting as a safety valve and chief motivator for the other, but any more than that will inevitably end in tears. The production of a movie is, by its very nature, a team effort (unlike the writing of a novel), so there will inevitably be compromises along the way, but I think these should be kept to a minimum to maintain a cohesive story.

    I liked SP, but I sensed that it was being pulled in a few too many directions at once, especially in the third act, and I think this was, at least in part down to the four credited writers, with inevitable uncredited contributions from DC, MGW and BB. Wouldn't it be a good idea if the writers do what they do best and the actors and producers do likewise?

    I think it would.
  • doubleoegodoubleoego #LightWork
    edited October 2015 Posts: 11,139
    Just came back from my third viewing and this is one of those films that gets better with repeat viewings. The few things that bothered me when I saw it last Monday weren't an issue. Sure, the film is still flawed and we can all comment on what we'd all do differently for anything in this life but SP just has too many fantastic things going for it that elevates it when revisited.

    The car chase, the torture scene, the climax in London all sat with me much more favourably than before. Honestly, I haven't felt this satisfied with a Bond movie since CR and I'm truly delighted with how the film has turned out and Daniel Craig is just magnificent as Bond. Truly magnificent. For the most part he brings that Connery effortlessness to his performance and without question the man and his movie is Bond with a capital B .

  • aaron819aaron819 Switzerland
    Posts: 1,208
    I also just came back from my second viewing of SPECTRE. I absolutely agree with @doublego that this film gets better and better every time even though I loved every second of it when I saw it last Monday.

    Mexico - just amazing cinematography and the attention of details - 10/10
    Title sequence - I really love WOTW and as always Mr. Kleinman delivered
    London #1 Scenes - great performances by the MI6 team and really good dialogue - 10/10
    Rome - the funeral and Lucia's villa - just amazing and Monica is just so beautiful and it's a shame they cut the kissing bit so fast. Don't get me wrong I don't want sex scenes but a bit more of romance could do and also they could've filmed some scenes with Bond in bed with Lucia and questioning here more about SPECTRE like Bond did with Solange in CR.
    Austria - my favourite part of the movie and love Madeleine's entrance onto the screen and her attitude towards Bond until she figures out he is. The action sequence is truly pure masterpiece and my favourite in the movie
    Morocco - loved how they showed Tangier and the hotel scenes really build up the love and romance for Bond and Madeleine. The soundtrack really fits in well there. I loved the set design for the hotel and Blofeld's lair. The train sequences are great I love when Bond and Madeleine are in the train and talking. I love when they first meet with Blofeld and the drive through the desert. The torture scene and dialogue between Blofeld, Madeleine and Bond is really good.
    London climax - Loved it and Bond confronting Blofeld at the end really loved it.

    I also want to mention that the CGI for me is great and much, much better than Skyfall.

    Can't wait to see it again next time and that will be it for 1-2 months as when I see a movie too many times I start to hate it.

    The soundtrack is great throughout the whole movie I think it's great and I love that Newman incorporated things from his score for Skyfall.

    That's all from me now! :) :)

    SPECTRE VERDICT AND FINAL SCORE:
    10/10
  • Posts: 1,068
    doubleoego wrote: »
    Honestly, I haven't felt this satisfied with a Bond movie since CR and I'm truly delighted with how the film has turned out and Daniel Craig is just magnificent as Bond. Truly magnificent. For the most part he brings that Connery effortlessness to his performance and without question the man and his movie is Bond with a capital B .

    I totally agree with your summary although I was really really taken by it in my first viewing and felt it was awesome on monday evening but agree SP is even better with my second viewing.

  • Posts: 725
    JNO wrote: »
    That would be total madness if Waltz wasn´t coming back. The ending of Spectre just screams for a sequel or whatever you want to call it. This storyline isn´t finished.

    Just watch how ESB is looking Bond and Swann...

    I've thought this same thing for months. They'd be throwing out the hook on 2 major characters if they don't continue the story line in bond 25. The story for that film almost writes itself. But it also really requires Craig coming back for 25. If SP is a big hit, they would also have a huge BO hook for the next film. We've all read that 24 was supposed to be 2 films. I think they left part of that 2 parter intact.
  • Posts: 1,068
    Didn't see your post @aaron819 but we're all singing from the same hymn sheet it seems. Agree on every point and the CGi just loos real probably because it was used so sparingly with the pains of filming things as real as they can be made. That demoltion of the Mi6 building is poignant and truly immense
  • Posts: 1,068

    A great read thank you for the link
  • doubleoegodoubleoego #LightWork
    Posts: 11,139
    andmcit wrote: »
    doubleoego wrote: »
    Honestly, I haven't felt this satisfied with a Bond movie since CR and I'm truly delighted with how the film has turned out and Daniel Craig is just magnificent as Bond. Truly magnificent. For the most part he brings that Connery effortlessness to his performance and without question the man and his movie is Bond with a capital B .

    I totally agree with your summary although I was really really taken by it in my first viewing and felt it was awesome on monday evening but agree SP is even better with my second viewing.

    I thought the movie was fantastic upon my first viewing but after years of speculation, following the production, it's easy to be overcome by huge expectations and have a strong critical eye going in just as it is to be shrouded in blind fanboyism but I've been honest with myself to be objective with SP and after my first viewing I gave it an 8.5/10 and rank it Craig's second best. By my third viewing I enjoyed the film a lot more than the first 2 viewings and although I still rank it below CR, I've increased SP's score to a solid 9/10. The viewing pleasure of this film is that bloody good.
  • edited October 2015 Posts: 418
    andmcit wrote: »

    A great read thank you for the link

    SkyfallCraig - An excellent review, a great read and I agree with everything you say.
Sign In or Register to comment.