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Comments
1. When Bond and Estrella enter the hotel (notice the poster on the door)
2. When they enter the hotel room (that scene was actually shot in Pinewood, for some reason)
3. When Bond exits the room
Yeah we all know there was some trickery involved.
I made a few comments in the Bond ranked list thread. I liked a lot, disliked a few things, downright hated a few things.
So sick and tired of EON feeling the need to overuse the MI6 regulars just because they have good actors in the roles. I really like Fiennes as M, Harris as MP, and even Wishaw is growing on me, but they nearly kill this movie for me when they just repeatedly keep turning up and getting screen time seemingly for the sake of it.
I felt the same way about the Original and Next Generation Star Trek films; the need to give all of the series co-stars screen time was at times detrimental to the film as a whole.
Not fun for you, but I loved the Hell out of it! ;))
Yes, I felt they should have dumped the gang (or left them in the office where they belong) and focused on the new characters (Blofeld/Swann/Hinx) who were all far more interesting really. More time with them would have improved this film tremendously for a lot of people, I think.
The Morocco sequence had a lot of potential which was a bit wasted. They should have let that part linger a bit longer and let it play out more. Perhaps a dinner scene with Blofeld/Swan/Bond with more of the backstory and some interesting dialogue prior to the torture. Then a more lengthy and more smartly thought through (rather than such a rushed Omega watch induced) escape & destruction of the lair could have served as the finale, rather than the absolutely useless grafted on London one which we got. I mean, if you're going to blow up that facility for real (which is what I heard they did) it should have at least have been used more creatively.
I've seen it twice and since I consider the writing to be very thin and very weak I don't see how more viewings would be necessary. I don't think there's a lot that we need to really unpack
Something about the way Bond left her at the safe house was unsettling, I agree. Her motives for disengaging were within reason. So too perhaps was his reaction, except for the fact that when Blofeld's was within seconds of blowing her up, Bond suddenly decides not only to spare him, but also to put down his gun.
I can see myself disengaging in this films defense in the future despite my interest in it. =))
I'm American, and I haven't had the chance to see SPECTRE at the cinemas yet.
Is it true that this film is too long, dark, brooding, or boring, rehashed, etc.?
Where should I make a comment like this? I didn't want to make a new discussion.. :(
Well hell, don't let us spoil it for you! I can't tell you what you can and can't like, only my own impressions. Put all our arguing out of your head, watch the movie with an open mind, then come back and tell us what you thought.
Don't worry. I'm not reading all of the reviews, and being spoiled is the least of my worries, anyway.
:))
My experience is there's no reason not to try to enjoy it the first time around. It's been 3 years since you've seen a new Bond movie, so you ought to take in the new sights. Save the critical eye for later.
They shouldn't have changed it, IMO.
Good point. Bond movies are formulaic.
Nick Nack was arrested too. Jaws I imagine was taken into custody. Yousef was taken away at end of QoS
Blofeld makes 5 I think.
No worries. For what it's worth…what you wrote still made sense to me.
1) I regret that the gun barrel opening was spoiled for me. It's my own fault. I should have completely avoided this site. Still, I was able to avoid learning any of the major spoilers, and for that I am grateful. I ended up ruining SF for myself in that way. I can only imagine what the anticipation would have been like if I hadn't known though. Damn.
2) The PTS was brilliant. The long shot made me feel as if I was there. The imagery was mesmerizing. Distant echoes of the Junkanoo. The helicopter fight was invigorating. Reminded me of QoS when they pulled up so high and then fell. I love the way he just kicked them off. I thought we had a real winner on our hands at this point.
3) The Title Sequence was just okay. I've never been a fan of flashing back to previous films in the title sequence but I thought it was handled right here. I'll be honest. It was marred by the song. Still not a fan. I do like some Sam Smith songs but this sure isn't one of them.
4) I like Ralph Fiennes as M but Judi's absence made me realize how much better she was. I'll be the first to admit that I've complained about her having too much screen time in the past but now a void has been created. I'll miss her. It was touching that she sent a message from the grave, so to speak. It finally made sense that this is why Bond would act on "no authority" in Mexico City.
5) I couldn't have cared less about the Max Denbigh/C subplot. Not saying it was bad but it's just not what i want from a Bond film. It was painfully obvious where it was heading and it felt like it was just there to give the others something to do. I've never been an advocate of this Avengers style teamwork thing so I naturally I wasn't very engaged by it.
6) I actually enjoyed Q and Moneypenny more this time around. They seemed to be more likable than they were in SF. Tanner was just there, unfortunately. The film wouldn't have missed a beat without him. I enjoyed the bit of seeing MP with another man but did it have to be during the car chase? Thankfully, she wasn't central to the plot. Q has really grown on me. I'll elaborate on that later.
7) The funeral scene and romance with Bellucci was nice. They only cast her about twenty years too late! It was nice to see Bond doing what he had to do to get the info from her. The mickey mouse thing was a little strange. This whole shift in tone was a shock. Perhaps that's why some are so upset. The secret society meeting was interesting. It turned into a full blown SPECTRE style TB meeting once Blofled was introduced. Fascinating that in TB his voice was loud and intimidating but here his silence was deafening. I think James escaped a little too easily. The car chase did indeed lack tension and had some moments of awkward humor. Very strange to see this in the DC era. Perhaps on second viewing I'll appreciate it more?
8) I enjoyed seeing Q go the extra mile for Bond. He kind of acted like an intellectual snob in SF so it was refreshing to see him have such a heart here. I can't believe they had him working on the DB5 though. Haven't we seen enough of this damn car already? Anyway, shades of LTK when Q showed up on the mission to help Bond. However, I was a little disappointed they didn't do more with the situation of him being cornered in the lift. It was all too easy that he was able to run away.
9) Confronting Mr. White was a fanboy's wet dream. The trailer kind of spoiled it for us but it was still magnificent. I loved that he was this crazy old hermit watching multiple television sets. It was a little strange how Bond promised to protect his daughter. At first I figured that he was just saying what White wanted to hear but there was an earnestness about him that gave me second thoughts. I need to see it again but here was this man who caused him so much pain and he's trying to comfort him in the end times. It was a little bewildering.
10) I forgot to mention Mr. Hinx. Not impressed at all. He was just a combination of Oddjob and Jaws. Where do we draw the line of paying homage and blatantly ripping off the past? It seems the whole film is littered with these kinds of incidents. From the very start he reminded me of Blade Runner with pressing that guy's eyeballs in. The train fight was spectacular (I admit) but it was a greatest hits package of FRWL/LALD/TSWLM. When his hand quivered after the snow chase I knew he was an invincible Superman like Jaws. Watch, he'll return in Bond 25.
11) One shining light was definitely Madeleine Swann. I loved every moment of her. I understand why Bond did too. At first, the initial meeting was underwhelming. That joke about the health smoothie bombed, I thought. The snow chase was a little silly but still a million times more engaging than TWINE (ouch) and their rocky relationship seemed a bit forced. Then, in a wonderful tribute to TLD, Tangiers happened. This is where the magic started between them. Was he wearing beige like Dalton? I don't remember now. I actually thought of AVTAK when he slept in the chair! The mouse bit (a tart's handkerchief?) was amusing. I liked Madeleine discovering her childhood pictures. One felt for her growing up with her father being a monster and all. Vesper Lynd interrogation? Who else was dying to watch that? The train sequence was like poetry. Wonderful characterization with the gun before she saved him. Bond was finished if she didn't step in. Amazing. She was Tracy on that train and not a passed out Tanya, helpless Solitaire or wounded XXX. Oh wait, she did get smacked around like XXX and Tanya (although Bond did that). I'm going on too long here. I could write about her all night but I must close this section out. Best Bond girl since Vesper. Not quite up to that level but a certainly a refreshing change of pace.
12) Let's get to the meat and potatoes of this review and that, of course, would have to be ESB. I was against the idea of bringing him back from the very beginning. Indeed, the name Spectre itself felt generic. Why are franchises required to wear nostalgia goggles these days? Oh, because that's what the people want. Well, not me. I have always enjoyed Christoph Waltz, and I enjoyed him here, but this whole idea was ill conceived. They seriously copied Austin Powers with Bond and Blofled growing up together? Wow. Wonders never cease. I absolutely hated the scar. I'm surprised that so many people here approved, as I have read many that dislike Pleasence's Blofeld and all that it represents (Dr. Evil). I'm torn though as I found him to be a mix between terrifying (cuckoo) and downright parody. They just brushed over their past relationship and, as a result, we never really got the sense that these two were once like brothers. It's stifling. The big reveal was handled much better than STID but certainly reminded me of it. Of course we had to have a white cat! In the end, ESB was reduced to nothing more than a jealous little brat who had daddy issues. It would have been so much better without this personal and familial angle. We didn't need it before and we certainly don't need it now.
13) As everyone else has already pointed out, the finale should have been in the desert. The torture scene was promising at first but nothing of any consequence happened to Bond and i felt a bit cheated. Madeleine told him she loved him but then left him not long after. I know she was traumatized and all but still... The watch was actually a nice surprise. We all knew that Blofled survived. Then, London. Nice obscure Hildebrand rarity reference. Other than that, complete dreck. Hey, don't forget about SF! It's the abandoned MI6 building that Blofled has set a ridiculous, over the top trap for Bond in. This is where the shoehorned references to the other films got irritating to me. All of their pictures just seemed a bit heavy-handed. Yeah, I get it. All the DC films are connected. Don't even get me started about how stupid it is that they linked Silva to Spectre. There was no subtlety; it was all rammed down our throats. There was a moment where I thought how clever it was that she was actually in the helicopter and he had outwitted Bond, but no. Bond saves the girl, jumps into a conveniently placed net and escapes in a conveniently placed boat. We all knew that he wouldn't kill Blofled. We already saw this ending in QoS. And now he's quitting to ride off in the DB5 with Madeleine.
14) I just wanted to end this by saying that DC's performance was superb. It's not him that I have a problem with. My ideal scenario would be for him to return with a new director. I have always dreamed of a bare-bones film featuring an old, worn out Craig. A fully realized veteran Bond on his last, desperate mission. Seeing as that's not likely to happen, I would rather him quit if that's what it takes to keep Mendes from returning. Whatever it takes to keep this guy away from Bond, seriously, let's look into it. It's not going to happen though. I hope DC can go out on a higher note than this. If he doesn't, it wouldn't be the first time now would it?
Your reaction to SP is an exact mirror image as mine was to SF, and I was ceremoniously tarred and feathered for speaking out about my huge disappointment that was that misbegotten boring mess that called itself Skyfall.
Up until that point, I had seen every Bond movie at the cinema but SF was the first Bond movie I had ever repeatedly glanced at my watch wandering when this dour bummer of a movie was ever going to end. Surprisingly, not even DAD had that clock-watching effect on me, maybe because I couldn't tear my eyes away from the total train wreck that movie turned out to be? Nevertheless, my expectations for SP were so low I went into the cinema expecting the worst. But, to my eternal surprise, I was unexpectedly overjoyed that Mendes and Co had this time delivered a proper Bond film. Of course it's not perfect, but it's a hell of a lot more enjoyable than its previous incumbent. However, unlike previously, I'm glad you've been spared the baying mob armed with pitchforks and flaming torches intent on stringing up any dissenters. Seems like us Spectre fans are a much more civil bunch than the previous lot :D
Seconded.
Mr White himself actually makes 7 even though be later managed to escape.
I wouldn't include Sanchez though as he was Leiter's collar initially, and not anyone Bond was engaged with at that time.
@lalala great to hear from you! You predate most of us on these boards. A legend reappears! Glad you could hold your pee :)
Congrats on the baby that's on the way!