Critical reaction towards Spectre, the 24th film of the wildly popular 007 franchise, has been all over the map.
Some have showered it with critical acclaim, saying it is a celebration of everything we love about this film series that was launched back with Sean Connery in 1962. On the other hand, other reviewers have panned this film and say it is one of the worst James Bond films in years.
After seeing this film I would say my opinion falls between these two extremes. There were elements of Spectre that I liked, but the main thought that crossed my mine when I walked out of Elite Theatre was how much more I preferred Skyfall (2012).
Let’s start with what I liked. I was a big fan of some of the action sequences in the first half of the film. A stunt featuring a fight in an airborne helicopter was very thrilling. I also enjoyed some of the humourous banters between Bond (Daniel Craig) and Miss. Moneypenny (Naomie Harris) and his quartermaster Q (Ben Whishaw). I was also absorbed by the story that was being told about Bond trying to uncover the many layers of the criminal organization, Spectre. The best quality of this script written by John Logan is that his narrative does build up suspense.
Speaking of the script, one of the chief things I did not like about the film is that there are many underdeveloped characters.
The film’s chief villain, Ernst Stavro Blofeld, played by two-time Oscar winner Christoph Waltz, comes across as more silly than menacing. The dialogue being spoken by Bond and Blofeld suggest that there is supposed to be a deep connection between the two of them based on previous experiences, but that dynamic not once shows up. As a result the moment when Bond gets his victory over Blofeld carries little to no emotional weight.
Also problematic is Craig has no chemistry with either one of the “Bond Women,” whom are played by Monica Bellucci and Lea Seydoux.
Another undeveloped character is that of Andrew Scott, who plays Max Denbigh (also known as “C”), the director of the Centre of Intelligence. Essentially his only function in this film is to talk about how his new surveillance program will render the ‘double 0’ program obsolete. Seriously, his only job in the film is to say 20 different versions of the same line. He doesn’t even doing a good job delivering those lines.
This character development problem did not exist in Skyfall. Every character in that film was sharply drawn and every relationship rang true and carried weight.
The strong character development was a major contributor towards creating moments that made audience members feel sad (the death of M) and moments that made you feel uplifted (the defeat of Silva). There is none of that in Spectre.
The lack of strong characters and emotional weight is not what I considered as the weakest aspect of this film. What I found to be the worst part about Spectre is about how underwhelming the climax of the film turned out to be in terms of an action spectacle. I was shocked with how unimaginative the final action scene was. I can’t believe the creative forces could not come up with a more innovative apex than the formulaic and totally-beneath-the-reputation-of-the-James-Bond-franchise helicopter-shooting ending they ultimately plastered onto the big screen.
Skyfall did not have this problem. The fighting scene at the Skyfall Lodge was thrilling and inspired.
I actually found myself bored throughout the last hour of Spectre. I never thought I would feel that way watching a 007 flick.
If you don’t have a product that can wow audiences for the entire length of the movie it is better to captivate them in the final act instead of presenting your most potent content near the beginning. Spectre did not follow this filmmaking rule and is ultimately weaker because of it.
Two and a half popcorn buckets out of five
