Robert Carrasco
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(Editor’s Note: As our student population grows at A&M-San Antonio, so do the interest of our students. As a news outlet, we need to expand to meet those interests, which includes reviews, previews and other non-A&M-San Antonio news.)
Daniel Craig has come full circle in “Spectre” to finally make himself the complete James Bond everyone has been waiting for. Everything is in here including the trademark Bond quick wit, his smooth way with the ladies as well as the way he just handles himself in any situation throughout the film.
“Spectre” centers around Bond picking up the pieces following the aftermath of “Skyfall.” Bond is in Mexico City chasing a hitman during the Dia de los Muertos celebration, which makes for a beautifully visual backdrop. In keeping the tradition of fast action sequenced, the exceptionally well choreographed cold opening in “Spectre” does not disappoint.
Bond ends up in Mexico City to kill a man as part of a mission given to him in the most interesting of circumstances. This starts Bond’s path down a rabbit hole into an even deeper mystery than he imagined. Thanks to the man, Bond is introduced to Spectre, the name of an organization that seems dead set on causing anarchy across the globe for its own gain.
Ralph Fiennes returns as Gareth Mallory now taking over as “M” since Judi Dench is no longer playing the role, Ben Whishaw as “Q” the man with all the gadgets and Naomie Harris as Eve Moneypenny.
Christoph Waltz plays the main villain of the film, and as usual, he steals the film with his talent to play a great bad guy. Even Dave Bautista (“Guardians of the Galaxy”) as Mr. Hinx, a brute of a henchman who only says one word in the entire movie, still manages through his actions to appear as an unbeatable foe.
The film dives into the past and tries its hardest to tie all the Daniel Craig-era Bond films together in this mystery thriller. After his actions during “Skyfall” and more recently what he does in Mexico City, Bond is in hot water at the wrong time as “M” is fighting to keep their secret service alive as Andrew Scott (BBC series “Sherlock”) who portrays “C”(the new intelligence boss) spends the majority of the film trying to shut down the 00 Section of MI6.
“Spectre” has a lot of homages that harken back to earlier films. At one point, Bond is strapped to a machine that is reminiscent of the laser scene from “Goldfinger.”
Sam Mendes returns as director and helps mold Craig into the Bond he needed to be. He also keeps up the reputation he has built as just shooting a breathtaking and visually beautiful film complete with free-flowing shots which only add to the great acting.
As we’ve grown accustomed, the film was shot in stunning locations, taking viewers on a traveling whirlwind from London, Austria, and Tangiers and stops off in between. A lot of fast-paced scenes with awesome fight choreography really help this movie along the way.
At times, even though Craig is seen as one of the better Bond portrayals in the franchise, the fact that he’s tired of playing the character bleeds through his acting at times. That said, there are early reports that Daniel Craig has signed on for at least the next Bond film that was just announced.
Lea Seydoux (“Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol”) plays this film’s “Bond Girl” who leaves a little more to be desired. At the same time, she almost bridges the gap from the usual Bond Girl who is just a damsel in distress to an independent woman as she can handle a gun pretty well.
For “Spectre,” Sam Smith took up the task of creating the main song for the film titled “Writings on the Wall,” but sadly couldn’t compete with Adele’s award-winning single, “Skyfall,” as it just felt out of place for this film.
This is one of the better movies in the saga. It falls a little short of the 2012 epic “Skyfall,” however, I felt this was the better Bond film. I definitely feel it’s a must see if you’re a Bond fan as there’s amazing car chases, awesome fight scenes and the always great epic villain monologue.
