SPECTRE

It should really be no surprise that Spectre is a disappointment. 

A bold statement to open a review with, but those who were expecting another Casino Royale or Skyfall (and this 110% includes myself) should realize just how incredibly special both of those films were. I'd compare them to lightning striking as one resulted in an Oscar-nominated Bond film and the other resulted in, what's in my opinion, one of the Top 10 best films of the last decade. 

Spectre had incredibly large shoes to fill and because almost everyone from Skyfall decided to be a part of this one, the expectations for something memorable were there from the beginning. Add on the fact that 2015 is the year of the spy and despite such titles like Kingsman (still my personal favorite film of the year), Spy (one of the year's better comedies), The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (underrated and tons of 60s fun), and Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation (continues the insane trend of greatness with the series) -- good ol' James Bond himself still remained the "top dog" and one of the most anticipated films of the year. 

The cards were stacked against him from a hype standpoint and despite any disappointment that people feel, I don't want to mask the fact that Spectre is in fact a very fun, but overlong, adventure for James Bond. If this is truly Craig's final bow, he's not going out on top, but he's not going out in shame either. 

"La da daaaa! Just going to shoot this guyyyy! No one mind meee!"

He likes to communicate with his eyes...

There is a lot to praise in Spectre, but I'll begin with my criticisms. First of all, it's 148 minutes long and it doesn't need to be. I think a solid 120 - 130 minute outing would have helped tremendously and there are parts that could have been edited down. Length aside, the film also tries to focus on the "love" between Bond (Craig) and Madeleine (Lea Seydoux) and as a narrative force in the plot it fails. Keep in mind this is the same Bond era that gave us Bond's maternal relationship with M as well as his deep love with Vesper. Vesper was the Bond girl and Casino Royale did a fabulous job at letting us know that her relationship with James was far different from the rest (that iconic post-violence shower scene comes to mind). So when Spectre throws in Madeleine and tries to make her anything other than just another gorgeous Bond girl, it felt very off to me. Her and James exchange a few sultry glances, live through one or two short life-or-death experiences and are all the sudden madly in love. This is how other Bond films have usually worked, but in the Craig-era it felt mightily out of place and unlike the character we've seen previously. 

The film also suffers for being too stuck in the past. It's a nostalgia filled trip, but at times it feels like it had a list of boxes it needed to check off. Casino Royale and Skyfall, and arguably the over-hated Quantum of Solace all felt rather fresh, especially the former two. They were Bond like we've never seen him before and it was exciting. I think going the traditional Bond route was an obvious choice for returning director Sam Mendes, but just because you're following the standard plotline doesn't mean you cant distinguish yourself from the rest of the pack. Spectre is a lesson in too much past reliance. Where Ethan Hunt continues to be fresh and exciting despite similar plot lines, Spectre is the opposite; suffering from trying to recapture greatness that already happened with the Bond films of old instead of being unique in its own right. That doesn't equate to the film being bad. It's not at all. But it does result in a 007 venture that lacks the "magic" we saw in Craig's best outings. Lastly, while the cinematography in Spectre is solid, it's nowhere near as gorgeous as Skyfall (which won that Rath Award that year) because Roger Deakins didn't return -- probably because he was doing a hell of a job in Sicario. I sorely missed his gorgeous cinematic eye in this one.

"Hey I just met you, and this is crazy..."
"OMFG I love you now and forever!"

The film has some other issues, the most tragic of which is the underwhelming villain from Christoph Waltz, but I don't think they are issues that are necessarily unique to the film alone but more so unique to the spy genre as a whole. Which leads me to what I did like about the film. Despite being overlong, the film actually moves at a brisk pace -- hopping from locale to locale and set-piece to set-piece fairly fluently. The opening sequence is a decently long tracking shot and is a strong start. Most of the action scenes are exciting and well organized with a car chase through Rome being my personal favorite. I was never really bored with Spectre and the varied locales and pacing lent itself to a very pretty picture overall; one that's even further complimented in IMAX. The sound editing is superb as the punches hit hard and there was one explosion in particular that completely shook the seats in the theater. 

I also enjoyed the "surprise" even though I think a lot of fans knew it was coming. For all the nostalgia that Spectre plays with, a lot of it does in fact work and if you're looking at the Craig-era as a standalone one, it plays well into the other films and gives the whole series a sense of loose continuity. The original score is also superb and actually probably on par with the rest of Craig's films. Other than the lackluster opening song (sorry Sam Smith, but I wish that Ellie Goulding rumor had been true) the score is a driving, constantly present force that adds a lot of tension throughout.

Out of all of Craig's films, this might be the best car chase

You may have heard that Spectre is "bad" from some people. It's not. That's their disappointment talking in unison with a lack of a reality check. Spectre is underwhelming and yes, even disappointing, but considering what films its being held up against, that still leaves the audience with a pretty damn satisfying Bond adventure. Was it my favorite spy flick of the year like I was anticipating since the first trailer dropped? No. That should also be a testament to just how superb of a year it was for the spy genre though.

Despite my wishes for another Skyfall or Casino Royale, Spectre still does enough to entertain, and you cant deny that certain things throughout the film just put a damn smile on your face no matter what. Even something as simple as, 

"Bond. James Bond."

CONS:

• Useless romance that the film tries to make more than it should be. Madeleine is no match for Vesper and the relationship is rushed and feels hollow
• Theme song is weak
• Overlong by about 20 minutes
• Underwhelming villain who doesn't even get that much screen time
• A few action scenes weren't all that compelling
• Roger Deakins is sorely missed with his amazing cinematography
• Too much focus on nostalgia

PROS:

• Craig is still one of the best, if not the absolute best, Bond. He's got swagger, charm, boldness -- it's another impressive turn from him in what may be his final film
• Solid action scenes throughout. The car chase was my favorite
• Superb original score
• Great locales make for a very pretty film
• Plot wise it's entertaining and the pacing is well monitored
• Awesome sound editing
• A solid end cap to Craig's era, should this be it
• Some of the nostalgia works, including the "surprise"

Rath's Review Score: 7.5/10