REVIEW: Daniel Craig returns as “007” for the fourth time in the James Bond film Spectre.
By Franklin Racobs, Staff Writer
The expectations for Spectre were extremely high after the 2012 release of the critically acclaimed Skyfall, which was widely considered to be one of the best “Bond” films of all time, raking in 1.1 billion dollars in revenue worldwide — the most in franchise history. Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes, who took over the franchise with Skyfall, returned to directing duties with Spectre. Spectre picks up about a year and a half after the events of Skyfall. Bond is embarking on a solo mission of his own after receiving a message from a deceased ally. After an exciting opening action scene in Mexico City, 007 travels to Rome to meet a widow named Lucia Sciarra (Monica Bellucci) who gives him the information he needs to infiltrate a very secretive crime cartel called SPECTRE.
Before Daniel Craig took over the role as James Bond, the movie franchise had been known for its campy style, stereotypical “Bond girls” that always needed saving and one dimensional villains. Daniel Craig reinvented the character in the 2006 film, Casino Royale, which introduced a darker Bond, and led to the character’s new image as a more serious assassin. Casino Royale and Skyfall both provided fans of the Bond series something that they were not used to–a well developed villain. In Casino Royale we saw the very talented Mads Mikkelsen portray Le Chiffre, and in Skyfall, Academy Award winner Javier Bardem portrayed the well layered villain Raoul Silva.
The main issue with Spectre is that it didn’t have the elements that made Casino Royale and Skyfall such good films. The main villain in the film, Oberhauser, is played by two-time Academy Award winner Christoph Waltz. Waltz could have delivered a superb performance if he had been given a better character arc to work with. Oberhauser is a classic-style Bond villain with a plan for world domination that didn’t require an Oscar winning caliber actor. Dave Bautista plays the main henchman of Oberhauser, Mr. Hinx. Hinx is the classic villain henchman, who is physically stronger and bigger than Bond, leading to an excellent hand-to-hand fist fight in the film. Bautista’s character is disappointingly underused and only has one word of dialogue.
Most of the issues with Spectre are only there because of the success of the previous Daniel Craig entries in the franchise. Spectre definitely delivers as an action movie. It has impressive set pieces and plenty of well choreographed action scenes. Daniel Craig’s portrayal of 007 is fantastic yet again and seems to be the one returning element from the previous films that made Spectre fit. Throughout the series, Craig has created a Bond who appears as a very tortured character with a dark past who pushes away questions of whether or not his life as a spy has meant anything. This may be Daniel Craig’s final outing as Bond, considering the way the film ends and the revelation of who Oberhauser really is. Although Craig is contractually obligated to one more Bond film, he has made it clear through interviews that he doesn’t want to think about making another film for a while.
Spectre was able to hit the mark as a solid, entertaining action movie, but in straying from the things that made Casino Royale and Skyfall great, it misses the mark of a great and memorable Bond film.