Film It's so dumb, but I can't tell you why without spoilers...
Dilemmas, dilemmas...
This Bond film has all the required setpieces. Big action, Bond acting suave, Bond sexing up the ladies, Bond driving nice cars and wearing a nice suit, stuff like that. That's fine. That said, there's the BIG MYSTERY he's trying to figure out. Surely there's going to be a PLOT TWIST when he finds out what it is!
Well, it's dumb. I'll just leave it at that and the rest of it's going to be spoilers.
Oh no, the Big Bad's daddy liked Bond more than him. So he secretly created this ultra-powerful secret espionage agency, which controls pretty much all major corporations and influences the world. An agency so secret, it secretly controls the secret agency Quantum that MI-6 doesn't even know about in the first 2 Craig films. So he can screw around with Bond, because he was jealous. Yeah, it's really that dumb. They say any story is only as good as its antagonist. Well... there it is. That's what's driving this movie, driving all the events, the motivation, the mystery.
Yeah.
Aside from that, most of the other events in the movie also make as much sense as that, with the same level of headscratching plot-holiness to it. Watch it for the action, but that's about it.
Film Boring, Despite Having 100% More Tentacle Hentai Than Expected
Spectre means well, trying to give us the same as the billion dollar earning spectacle that was Skyfall, but that is probably the cause of its biggest flaws. The critic Movie Bob has (annoyingly) already said most of what I wanted to say about how Spectre tries too hard to ape the other blockbusters of the last few years, so I can't really make the exact same criticism without sounding like a copycat.
But he's right, goddamnit.
Spectre opens with a well shot but forgettable opening scene. By forgettable, I mean I couldn't remember within five minutes of walking out of the film. Then there is a rubbishy theme song, spiced up only by the fore mentioned octopus fun. From then on, it's a disproportionate number of expository scenes in shiny looking rooms. The action is surprisingly infrequent and unthrilling, save for one good punch up on a train that hearkens back to From Russia with Love.
I mentioned the similarities with Sky Fall. It's all there, from the weird rapey scene with a vulnerable woman Bond's just met, to the two hour bloody wait for the damn villain to show up (who then does the whole Freudian upbringing, angsty, "you and me are just alike" routine - again). This is supposed to be a finale to all the previous Daniel Craig films, with the villain alluding to the previous Bond girls and villains, how they were all on his paycheck, and how he'd been planning a personal get together with Bond for a long time, just to reveal the big twist...a big twist that has no emotional impact whatsover and acts as a weak retcon to the Bond franchise.
It also raises a lot of plot holes, like why he waited for Bond to wipe out a few of his most senior operators before getting together to discuss his big scheme, or how all the villains of the World can meet in one huge board room in Rome and no Intelligence agency know about it, or how the big scheme is for a criminal organisation to have access to the first World's secret intelligence...but not have any real need for it seeing as how they aren't a country and have no aims beyond making money.
I could go on all day about how much the story annoyed me, but instead I'll get to the real problem. It's boring. It's probably worse than Quantum Of Solace in terms of how little impression it leaves. Skip it.
Film A Return to Form for James Bond
While not spectacularly amazing like Casino Royale or Skyfall; I would describe Spectre as "If Quantum of Solace were actually good." And that is the best way I can describe this movie; Good. While it doesn't standout like some of the Great bond films of the past, it is a solid entry for the franchise which brings Bond back to his old style humorous self while still retaining the Darker and Edgier aspect of the Craig-era reboot. As a Bond fan I cannot see any reason to not recommend this film; however I can see how someone who is not a fan of Bond or who is only familiar with the Craig films can find the humor grating and some of the plot elements a little outlandish. But Spectre is a classic Bond outing through and through and a certainly a worthy entry in the series. 006/10.
Film Craig's Bond has come full circle
I've heard that this may be Daniel Craig's final outing as Bond, and if so, then it's appropriate that he's come full circle, starting out as "gritty / realistic" Bond in Casino Royale, and slowly but surely transforming into "classic old-school" Bond over the course of Quantum and Skyfall. In Spectre, we're back to the good ol' Sean Connery / Roger Moore days, what with villain lairs located in craters (that EXPLODE!), muscular henchmen who don't say anything, increasingly outlandish car chases, and a "big reveal" that's almost lifted straight out of an Austin Powers movie.
Not that any of this is necessarily a bad thing, mind you. I can understand why a lot of critics didn't like this slightly campier direction that Spectre seems to be taking, but I liked it, along with all the shout-outs and references to the old Bond films. Other than that, the action, stunts, visual effects, and cinematography are all very well done. Regardless of what anyone else has to say, Spectre is probably one of the best-looking Bond films to date. The acting too is top-notch, though Christoph Waltz gets a lot less screen time than I would have wanted.
The only major glaring flaw in this movie for me was the theme song; it was okay, but a major drop after Skyfall by Adele.
Film A Good End to Craig's Run (Maybe)
Since it's unknown whether or not Daniel Craig has committed to Bond 25, this could have served as his finale for Bond. And it was worth it.
For starters, I feel I should point out that in my opinion, it is not as good as Skyfall or Casino Royale, but it's right about at the level of Quantum of Solace. But the former two movies were just so incredibly hard to match, I'm not surprised it slipped up a bit.
However, it is still a good movie. The plot seems simple enough, but by the end of the movie, it is quite complex and can be a bit difficult to wrap your head around unless you're really paying attention (especially some of the character motivations). Also, the second act of the movie just seems to drag on and on, and the third act ended up seeming like it was a bit shorter and on the underwhelming side as a result.
SO! Overall, I'd give it a 75 as a grade. I would definitely recommend going and seeing it. It could be the end of Craig's run as James Bond, and if it is, he left the office with a bang.
Film Like Skyfall, but More Fun
When you're a Bond fan, you have to acknowledge the fact that many of the entries you enjoy are flawed. I've admitted as much several times over the past two years reviewing them all, and I have to do so again here. I understand that for many the pacing in this movie is too slow. I understand that the 'Brofeld' twist doesn't work. I understand that the ending of the movie runs out of steam. I understand and acknowledge all of these things.
But at the end of the day, I still have to be honest and say that I enjoy Spectre. I don't see the pacing as a problem this time. I enjoy the action sequences, at least until Bond breaks out of Blofeld's compound. I like the chemistry between Daniel Craig and Lea Seydoux. I like the plot involving the MI 6 regulars more directly. I even like Christoph Waltz's performance as Blofeld. I just really enjoy this movie. I can't deconstruct the various elements to explain why I think it works like I can with OHMSS or Casino Royale, and it's certainly not high art. But for me, it's an enjoyable action flick that achieves Skyfall's aspiration to meld the classic Bond feel with Craig's more character-centric approach. Not all of it works, but enough of it does that I am happy to go along for the ride. And if Craig's tenure had ended here with Bond driving off into the sunset with Madeline Swann, I would have been perfectly content with that.