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7.0/10.0
Sam Mendes doesn't deliver another 007 film equal to his previous effort,
Skyfall, but
Spectre dishes out the usual James Bond ingredients of action, intrigue, and engagingly beautiful women. What's the movie lacks is a faster pulse rate.
The movie is technically sound. Scenes follow chronologically correct one after the other. As usual, Daniel Craig is very good as James Bond. Craig remains the best Ian Fleming Bond since Sean Connery in my opinion. Christoph Waltz was a fantastic choice of Bond villain. I simply wished Mendes had allowed Waltz to engineer his shadowy persona with more screen time. Like
Skyfall, audiences get the opportunity to see more of Q onscreen. Ralph Fiennes conveys a steady dose of M since he replaced Juni Dench in the last film but he's character is slightly less subdued than before. Ms. Moneypenny shares the side spotlight with Q and M but Naomie Harris seems slightly handcuffed in the movie like Fiennes.
The actors who seems able to shine most on screen in the time allotted were Jesper Christensen (Mr. White) and Lea Séydoux (Dr. Swann). Mr. White's time is brief (don't blink!) but he ties in
Spectre beautifully with the previous Craig/Bond films. Dr. Swann is intelligent, self-sufficient, courageous and sassy. Lea Séydoux distinguishes herself well amongst the long line of Bond women in the time given to her. Her opportunity was more satisfying than Monica Bellucci's. What an utter waste of a fine actress. Again, don't blink!
I cannot wait to read how people felt about Denbigh, or C as Bond describes him. I was underwhelmed. Dave Bautista was a solid Bond enforcer. It's an understatement to say his character is menacing. Mendes handicuffs Bautista also by robbing him of dialogue.
In my opinion,
Spectre was worth the price of a movie ticket. To me, the movie was an endnote to Craig's Bond films. I do get a "vibe" that Craig has reached his limit for the franchise and the rumors are circulating that this will be his last 007 appearance. I think that would be a shame. How,
Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall and now
Spectre re-ignited Fleming's spy franchise awesomeness and I do thank Craig for helping do that.