Movie: Spectre
Direction: Sam Mendes
Cast: Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Léa Seydoux, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Dave Bautista, Monica Bellucci, Ralph Fiennes
Music Director: Thomas Newman
Cinematography: Hoyte van Hoytema
Editor: Lee Smith
Genre: Action, Adventure, Thriller
Rating: ∗∗∗½
What is it about: This is the 4th film with Daniel Craig playing the lead character as James Bond. It picks up from where Skyfall ends, with the death of “M” (Judi Dench). Bond (Daniel Craig) goes on to finish the mission given by “M” from a cryptic video message in case something happens to her. As Bond proceeds with mission unravelling the mystery he hits the worse one which makes his life topsy-turvy. This forms the crux of this sequel directed by Sam Mendes.
Why it’s disappointing: The main thing which kind of brought down the spirits of the audience was its length, which seemed like quite a travel. Because audience come in for a Bond movie with unlimited action and explosions. The writing kind of wanders and slightly loses its grip with diving in to clichés which spells cinematic liberty in bold letters. These factors makes “SPECTRE” lose its potential which was very well carried by its predecessor.
Another thing which lacked in SPECTRE was Christoph Waltz screen time, which was very less and he had hardly a scope to showcase his share of evil, which was really disappointing. Hopefully if there is a sequel to follow, and if Christoph returns it should be a great one.
What to watch out for: Bond movies are known for their great opening sequences which are the highlight of the series. And this one was spectacular. The roof scene followed by the chopper sequence. This sets the right mood for the beginning.
Since Daniel Craig happened the gadgetry became less and got limited to Aston martin and hand guns which were matched by his man to man combat techniques hitting you hard. Daniel brought a raw attire to the Bond.
Daniel’s performance was good in this as well, and he has proved again that no matter what is said he has his own charm which makes this version of Bond what the die-hard fans say a perfect characterization from Ian Fleming.
The ladies of Bond were ravishing in the order they appeared and Léa Seydoux scores high as she got the meaty part.
The action sequences were quite less, but when they were on screen they did really good and was a treat to watch. That includes the opening sequence, Aston Martin and Jaguar chase, Plane and Range Rover chase, then comes the climax sequence which was impressive.
The cinematography was spectacular with cutting edge eye which captures everything with detailed analysis of the scene by Hoyte van Hoytema. In spite of the long feature length Lee Smith managed to keep it engaging with his crisp editing. Thomas Newman gives us a great score.
Now let’s review the IMAX part of “SPECTRE”;
Even though Skyfall & Spectre were not shot with IMAX® cameras, these were the only 2 Bond movies to be digitally re-mastered in to the image and sound quality of IMAX®.
As we got a new IMAX® screen in our city, there were lot of speculations and criticism about it. Just to clarify on that, it was a different experience all together, the picture was way bigger than the usual 70mm we have been seeing all these years, also it had a resolution which seemed a lot different than what you see on regular QUBE or Digital formats. The sound is very important in motion picture and IMAX DMR® is unique because it delivers the intent of the filmmaker, how it should reach the audience. There are just 5 full range speakers accompanied by sub-woofers, but you get to see just the 2 in the hall, the rest hide behind that huge screen, which keeps the highs high and lows low.
SPECTRE action sequences were decent enough to enthral a newbie at IMAX, which gave an up-close experience. I would say it was worth the money and you’ll have fun watching those chase and fight sequences because it was visually aesthetic and the sound which you will literally hear it in your bones, trust me it was hard hitting and is the best I have heard till date.
Verdict: Sam Mendes couldn’t quite match up to the standard set by “Skyfall”, still manages to nudge the obvious with technical brilliance and the charm by the Bond. This leaves the fans little disappointed, but overall a Bond film that is confident, intelligent and cinematically perfect.
