Rating: 2/5
Daniel Craig’s return as the infamous British superspy 007 is, unfortunately, exactly what you’d expect from the latest Bond installment. Headed by British director Sam Mendes (“American Beauty” (1999), “Road to Perdition” (2002), and “Skyfall” (2012)), “Spectre,” despite new helicopter crashes, car chases, and ever-more-stunning Bond women, suffers from narrative lapses and uncharacteristically flat jokes. Each new stunt or moving-vehicle kill shot, instead of increasing awe in spectacle, feels more and more desperate. Neither Craig, Léa Seydoux (Dr. Madeleine Swann), nor brilliant super-villain Cristoph Waltz (Blofeld) distinguishes “Spectre” from feeling—like any 24th installment might feel—as if Bond has run out of tricks.
Despite narrative trouble, Mendes wastes no time boasting stunning visuals. The film opens on an extravagant Day of the Dead celebration in Mexico City, following Bond in a seemingly continuous shot through a crowd of skeletons and elaborately costumed citizens. The camera work is dazzling, moving us through the parade effortlessly; but, with the first, wry joke, the spectacle feels too nonchalant. Chunks of blasted concrete look more like cardboard, and Bond slides down buildings as if they were a kiddie slide on the playground. Craig does best when he acknowledges the ridiculousness of his character, but his composure in certain stunts seems overplayed. Absurd action sequences don’t help either. Close-ups of a fight inside a spinning helicopter look a little too green-screened, and having the helicopter roll and even stall with Bond inside pushes reality way too far. Action movies don’t need to be real, and shouldn’t be, but these tricks seem like useless add-ons (SPOILER ALERT IN NEXT PARAGRAPH).
Soon, elaborate stunts snowballed into narrative missteps, taking away from Waltz’s performance as the creepy Blofeld. Visually, Mendes does an incredible job conveying Blofeld’s power. For about half the film, we get only hints at his identity, seeing glimpses of his glasses or his shadow silhouetted at the SPECTRE meeting. Waltz’s performance adds incredible credibility to Blofeld’s status, using slight tilting of his head and neck to prompt others into action.
Yet for such a powerful super-villain, Blofeld has so many misfires. It’s as if the writers didn’t know how Bond could outsmart Blofeld, so they decided to just let Bond beat him. Once, two armed men capture Bond, hands ziptied, only for him to escape and break the ziptie in two. Dr. Swann doesn’t play a very active role in helping Bond escape either, at times even seeming complicit as she just watches him get tortured. She even asks Blofeld, “What are you doing?” as if that might help. The ineptitude of Blofeld and his agents is shocking, making him look like an amateur criminal versus the elite warlord he should be. Waltz’s attempt to monologue Bond before his death lags felt childish with no palpable super-weapon to add credibility.
I’ve always loved Bond for its wry sense of humor, but here so many jokes miss the mark. Craig really isn’t at fault; the writing gives him funny one-liners, but they’re skimmed over as the larger jokes fall flat. Ben Whishaw (Q) adds some geekiness to the cast, but even his performance seems too twitchy as he constantly shifts his mouth or eyes awkwardly to show his oddity. The cast tries so hard, but ultimately the writing gives them little to work with. Craig is at his best when the jokes are self-reflexive, making fun of the womanizing Bond character, such as when he first meets Dr. Swann to note wryly that his physical and mental examination should be “pretty straightforward.” The romance similarly feels forced and cheesy, happening with little build-up and making it hard to legitimize any chance of a long-term relationship with Bond anyway.
“Spectre” uses incredible visuals to build up the final meeting with Blofeld and his secret society, yet unconvincing moments in the narrative take away from Craig and others’ efforts. Flashy stunts, while a mark of any Bond film, seem to substitute for story lapses, revealing flaws instead of smoothing over them. “Spectre” promises stunning camera work and new action stunts, yet these efforts seem empty with larger questions of a working, believable story.
Catch Daniel Craig in “Spectre” over Thanksgiving at Tinseltown at various times daily. Check back after Fall Break for Saoirse Ronan in the Irish immigrant drama “Brooklyn.”