It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
^ Back to Top
The MI6 Community is unofficial and in no way associated or linked with EON Productions, MGM, Sony Pictures, Activision or Ian Fleming Publications. Any views expressed on this website are of the individual members and do not necessarily reflect those of the Community owners. Any video or images displayed in topics on MI6 Community are embedded by users from third party sites and as such MI6 Community and its owners take no responsibility for this material.
James Bond News • James Bond Articles • James Bond Magazine
Comments
It starts in a way that screams to the audience “this is a Bond movie”. I LOVED the way the orchestral Bond theme kicks in right at the start and flows into the Gunbarrel. It’s top draw.
The film is very well paced and absorbing, with the action beating through the film at delightfully regular intervals. Just when you are on the verge of thinking the film could do with a bit of action now, it delivers with timely aplomb. I certainly never “noticed” this film is the longest in the franchise.
The title sequence is beautiful, it is classic Bond and enhances the Sam Smith song. Loved the images of past Craig era characters too.
I really liked the plot and tying up of the other Craig era films. Yes if you want to take it mega seriously there are plot and narrative holes, but I never felt anything about the film pushed the “suspension of disbelief” I am happy to give all Bond films. Even Ralph Fiennes himself said that Bond films, and he was including Skyfall and Spectre in this, were “escapist nonsense”, and like me, he meant it as a compliment.
The locations are beautiful, varied and contrasting, and are all captured within some fantastic cinematography.
The Bond woman are sensational. Estrella doesn’t have to do much other than look nice, but Lucia Sciarra was amazing – sexy, glamourous, and smoking hot. The chemistry between her and Bond was explosive. The scene with her and Bond in the room together was one of my favourites. Dr Swan was brilliant too, she came across as educated, intelligent, worldly wise, beautiful and sexy. She expressed the grief and emotional turbulence she would have been feeling really convincingly I thought.
Waltz is pure Blofeld and epitomises his organisation. Ruthless, clever, secretive and shadowy.
Mr Hinx is a welcome return of a proper badass henchman. The train fight was brutal and dramatic, and it was actually quite nice to see Bond get truly destroyed. Safe to say he was dead if it wasn’t for Swan. As an aside, I loved the teamwork Bond and Swan showed here. Both were no match for Hinx on their own, but together they defeated him. I thought it was a lovely, subtle nod to how potentially suited to each other these 2 are, and reminded me of the relationship between Bond and Tracy in OHMSS.
Daniel Craig was amazing. He somehow retained his broody, serious, assassin like aura about him whilst delivering more humour in a very natural, flowing way.
In terms of tone I thought it was true to the Craig ere roots. Definitely more light hearted but not in a jarring way. It still retained enough of the darker tone from Skyfall to make it not feel like a giant, blind lurch to the Roger Moore style films.
Whilst the film did at times feel like a “James Bonds Greatest Hits” movie, it did so with just enough creativity to make it still feel fresh, engaging and exciting.
It is a grower too, but we will probably all have to see it multiple times before we can fairly judge it against the rest. Right now I would give it a solid 4 stars out of 5, and I honestly think that if my rating changes at all it will be upwards.
Thanks for the mention, @TheWizardOfIce. We always get a rash of 'experts' every time that a new James Bond film opens at the cinemas. I take it then that you won't be buying Professor Dodds' The World is Not Enough: The Geographies, Genders and Geopolitics of James Bond (Palgrave Macmillan with Lisa Funnell)? :)
I like your take on this - I didn't make this direct connection but yes it does show a deeper connection than the usual carnal connection or aiming for the greater good of the mission angle by joining forces.
I think we've not seen the end of Hinx, ESB or Madeleine.
Would that dark brunette chairwoman seen at the meeting be a likely Klebb?
Thanks you both for the kind words.
You mean Bunt.
Thanks. Their relationship in general had that Bond-Tracy quality to it I thought, the way in which Bond "rescues" Swan and then protects her and helps her get through the emotional turmoil she is going through. And then later during the fight when Swan rescues Bond, and similarly helps him out during the torture, a bit like Tracy "rescues" Bond at the ice rink.
And yes the dark brunette woman looked like she would make a great Bunt!
Chortle. Well I did consider it but I'm far too modest a chap to have named myself in there Draggers!
Oops looks like even the Wizard can be wrong occasionally. Perhaps you might think about updating your wiki or linkedin then Klaus because theres nothing on there that suggests you are a published author on Bond.
Although good luck with hitting Harry Potter sales figures if all you are going to trot out is the same dismal claptrap about Bond being a misogynist that even EON treated as a joke themselves with Judi Dench's little speech in GE 20 years ago now.
(I actually wrote a load more slagging the rest of Klaus's garbage off but my terminally ill Iphone 4 crashed and lost it all and I really couldnt be arsed starting again).
But yes suffice it to say if that article was meant to be a trailer for his book then I'm sorry but I'm afraid I'm out Klaus old son. Good luck with your James Bond experting though.
I cant wait for Klaus's follow up though: 'James Bond Racist Imperialist Overlord: The Case For Idris Elba as 007'
* English is not my first language so bare with me.
I went into the theatre having only seen 2 seconds of one of the trailers, 2 posters and a picture. I had also managed to stop myself from reading the plot. All I knew was that there would be a "cryptic message" and that James Bond would end up in the alps somewhere.
The movie starts off so promising, with the day of the dead parade. I actually anticipated this after seeing the poster with the masked man behind Daniel Craig. The poster made me think about Daniel Craig having said that his favorite Bond movie was Live and let die, and I also think its Sam Mendes' favorite Bond film. Also the fact that the movie was released on Halloween was a clue. Thank god the gun barrel is back at the start of the movie, me and my friends turned to eachother and smiled when it came on. The directing in the start was so well done, with the parade going one way and Bond and one of the villains going the other way. I thought the camera work was fantastic in this scene. As soon as Bond is up on the roof, you can tell Sam Mendes is back with his CGI, which I think most people find subtle, but personally it takes me out of the movie. It looks like a really good Xbox game at certain points. When the house collapses and Bond falls into a couch, I was thinking that Daniel Craig's facial expression and acting really saved what would have been a quite out of place moment if another actor had the role. The whole sequence ends with a fist fight inside an helicopter, that was clearly not done in an helicopter, and took me out of the movie again.
I hadn't heard the title song before watching the movie, and I think that the credit sequence really saves it. It is definetly not a song I'll be walking around listening to on spotify on my phone. Seeing James Bonds appartment, Moneypenny's appartment and generally everyones appartment is not something I want in a James Bond movie, but I really try to let things slide.
Im tired of writing now, but I just want to say there are 3 issues I have with this movie:
1. Blofeld is James Bond's step brother? Why would they write that? Why? So stupid. My heart actually sank
2. The ending makes it seem like James Bond chooses the girl over Mi6? A girl by the way, who he had no chemistry with whatsoever. Monica Bellucci's character seemed much more interesting, and a better match for Daniel Craigs older Bond. Is this possibly Craigs last bond?
3. Bond and the blonde girl with no emotions take an empty train to tangiere? I have to say this is where one of the best fights in Bond history takes place, but I dont understand why Blofeld would send a car to pick them up.. Maybe because he had them under surveillance? I dont know. Hopefully someone can clear this one up for me.
All in all I really dont know what to think of this movie right now. I'm going to watch it many more times I'm sure, but right now I'm kind of dissapointed. Blofeld is his step brother?? I dont know if I'll ever get over that one.
I asked one of my friends right after the movie, if he could remember anything from it. He said no. And so did I. I had to sit down and reflect on what I had experienced to remember anything. I don't know what that says.
Apart from a lot of nitpicking my only major problem with the film was that Blofeld
The ending isn't the end of all this though is it? Put a bullet through ESB's head and that screws Bond25 and more. There's no conclusive proof Hinx didn't survive and whilst it seems Bond has quit the service (if he hadn't already been thrown out?) Madeline will be around for the next one which I imagine is going to be the gloves off main Blofeld versus Bond film
I hope you're right! I was so satisfied with how Spectre the organization and Blofeld the character was presented, that I would hate it if it ended with one film. Spectre is Bond's archrival after all. Now that we have that perfect introduction and have the perfect actor in the role, it would be a crime just to leave it at that. Not to mention Bautista as well of course! Clearly the most memorable henchman in the modern era, one that could even rival the great classic ones like Red Grant and Oddjob. I hope he gets a resurrection too!
Yea if they had wanted Blofeld gone for good his defeat would have been more ummm permanent.
Don't shoot the messenger. I hated that critique too. But believe it or not I've read worse since then.
Somehow I don't think so. I think they were playing with our expectations.
Fleming's dictum - move the plot along at such a pace that no one notices its idiosyncracies.
They're all part of SPECTRE as per Q's investigation. That's how they're connected, they were operating on either Blowers orders or through his lieutenant White.
Just saw it yesterday - it's good fun but it's rather perplexing and not even in the same parish of SF's quality. I don't think it quite gets there overall, there's some stuff that just plain doesn't work, chiefly the Denbeigh subplot (booooring, especially when we had the far more interesting Dowar Inquiry last time covering the same ground) and the third act simply isn't as good as the end of the 2nd, which would be a problem for any film. The action notably doesn't come from character, but I'm glad we've now got 2 Bond films with thematic through-lines... quite a novelty. Perhaps we can reach for a third.
Was it just me or was the Modigliani hanging above Swann's bed?
Very good observation.
also to cut all loose ends about Quantum.
This is true!
Felt a bit to easy though, too just say they were members of Spectre, would of prefered some examples of how the things they did connected with the overall picture.
This is true.
In the MI6 there are meant to be pictures of important figures in Bond's past so that's why Vesper and M are there. Silva I can understand as he killed M along with Mr White who was key in Vesper's betrayal/death and for his Madeline connections.
But Greene didn't really affect Bond's life in any way so that's why he's not there I presume? But if that's the case why is Le Chiffre there? He had nothing to do with the Vesper arc ultimately. Is smashing Bond's bollocks to buggery worthy of putting him up on the wall?
For me Yusef (who was presumably a SPECTRE agent? Or was he just a Quantum agent and unaware SPECTRE was really pulling their strings?) has a bigger claim to be there than Le Chiffre and Greene given how he snared Vesper in the first place.
But you are right that in their eagerness to pretend QOS never existed there are numerous things that don't make sense/aren't explained properly.
And on to Obi/Blofeld and SPECTRE. He says he's the author of all Bond's pain, linking it the past villains. But it was never explained. Hopefully it will be explored in B25.
So, Spectre the film. I though it was big, epic, a true globe hoping adventure, a mission given to Bond by the deceased M, and without any of the emotional drama - an old school classic Bondian escapade. Just like I wanted.
So, comparing it to SF, which is inevitable I guess. Honestly, they are pretty neck and neck. I loved Bond's apathy in SF - I found it to be engrossing, SF takes a slight dip when it gets to London. Whilst SP does not suffer the same drop in quality in the 2nd half. I think this film is better than SF.
SF ended with that office, and I felt good leaving the cinema, similar to CR, and the classic "Bond, James Bond". They left one felling pumped. With SP's end scene, it was there. Very ambivalent.
In Fleming's Moonraker, Bond calculates that he has 24 tough assignments, before reaching the "mandatory retirement age".
And the gunbarrel was a the start! So yay!
Very shrewd of you to be such a wise judge of character.
If only more people round here could see the light like you have @royale65.