I haven't liked any of the Craig bonds.Came out of a movie theater screening Spectre a couple hours ago. It was pretty good.
Considering how much I liked Skyfall, it would have been really difficult following up its success to any major degree, but Spectre comes decently close by and large. It can't quite fire on all cylinders, but it's a rather good movie all the same. Craig gives his usual very solid performance as rugged, worn-but-still-potent bad-boy Bond, a character he's kind of made his own in these four movies - or maybe nailed closer to the original books than anyone apart from Timothy Dalton.
The movie opens in the usual way into the pre-credits sequence with a very impressive, very long single shot setting the scene and atmosphere, then an extended rather crazy action sequence follows as is the case these days. It's quite well staged. Onwards we get Bond doing some investigative agenty-type stuff to close in on his prey, which is the stuff I usually enjoy more than the over-the-top action sequences, but seems much harder to write, so doesn't take up all that much time in most movies like this one; another fight scene always lurks fairly closely around the next corner so Spectre never has a chance to become too cerebral...(L.A. Confidential being one of my all-time favs and a personal benchmark, I might add in passing.)
Where the movie perhaps fails is that Spectre as an organization fails to really scare, ultimately. It is mostly nebulous, intangible. Not quite so in your face as the Connery era Spectre in particular with their volcano crater villain lairs and whatnot. But then again maybe it's just as well there wasn't a volcano lair after all.The movie's attempt to tie together all previous Craig-Bonds also feel strained. There's really no logical ties between these movies other than what Spectre makes up on the fly, or that's the way I feel anyway.Just a crater lair, as a homage no doubt. A lair made of explosive natural gas, just like in Quantum of Solace. *ahem*
I'd rate this movie...hmmm... Maybe a strong six, weakish seven? Out of ten, where a five is a properly average movie and not kinda crap, as most reviewers tend to grade things.
I saw this one and can't say I care much for it either. It was entertaining enough but to me its like an appetizer for things to come later in the month and year.
