'Spectre' references old Bond movies without a fresh spin
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Daniel Craig is reportedly ready to hang it up as James Bond, and聽perhaps it鈥檚 all for the best. Not that he鈥檚 bad in 鈥淪pectre,鈥� the 24th聽installment (depending on how you count them) of the 007 series. It鈥檚 just聽that, like all of his licensed-to-kill actor predecessors, he looks played out聽as the series plays on. Especially compared with 鈥淪kyfall,鈥� Craig鈥檚 last聽outing, the film seems played out as well. Time, I think, for another reboot聽and another Bond. (My vote is for Idris Elba.)
Sam Mendes directed this reputedly $250 million production, but聽it鈥檚 difficult to determine where all that money went. Mostly what we see聽are the usual explosions and demolitions and high-speed chases aground聽and aloft. The locations, including Mexico City (during the Day of the聽Dead festivities), Rome, Morocco, and the Austrian Alps, are not聽especially well utilized 鈥� they could just as well be CGI backdrops. And聽too many characters and sequences from previous Bond films, particularly聽from the Sean Connery/Roger Moore era, are referenced without providing a fresh聽spin. For example, a punch-out between Bond and a big lug on a train is a聽dim echo of the Connery-Robert Shaw slugfest in 鈥淔rom Russia With聽Love.鈥澛�
The film鈥檚 attempt, after 鈥淪kyfall,鈥� to extend Bond鈥檚 psychological聽back story, is sketchy at best. Bond鈥檚 killer instincts apparently emanate聽from an unhappy childhood. Oh.聽
His romantic scenes, first with an underworld widow played by Monica聽Bellucci, and later with the Proustianly named Madeleine Swann (L茅a聽Seydoux), are neither shaken nor stirring. Ralph Fiennes turns up as M,聽ditto Ben Whishaw as Q, to minimal effect.聽The Bond villain 鈥� who 聽wants to take over the world, natch, but in high-tech-style 鈥� is played by聽Christoph Waltz. He can play this part in his sleep but manages to be聽semi-aroused most of the time.聽
Even a subpar James Bond movie is worth seeing because, well, it鈥檚聽James Bond. But if one of the most successful and long-running聽franchises in movie history wants to keep pumping, it鈥檚 once again time to聽change the formula. Grade:聽C+ (Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action and violence, some disturbing images, sensuality and language.)
