An amazing week in London is behind me and once you’re back home, the first thing on the schedule is to reflect on what you have experienced. From the glamorous World Premiere to fantastic meetings with old and new friends and of course seeing the new Bond film SPECTRE. I was surprisingly calm and not in a hurry to watch it, something that is really rather odd.
Together with friends, I went to see the highly anticipated 25th film of the Bond series last Tuesday at the BFI IMAX in London. Having never paid much attention to IMAX theatres, this was my first larger than life cinema experience. What better way then to start with a Bond film?
So, how to best review a film of which so much has gone through the press, about which we knew so much in advance and yet so little. With the Bond films, I always label the first viewing as the “Entertainment Screening”. I evaluate the film’s quality purely by what legendary Bond producer Albert R. Broccoli once remarked: For two hours, people want to be taken on an exciting journey through exotic locations and see their hero save the world…all for the price of a cinema ticket. This means that I don’t pay significant attention to possible plot holes, errors or bad CGI but instead just lean back and let Broccoli’s specification unfold in front of me on the big screen.
Pre-Title & Main Title
The film starts off with a thrilling pre-title sequence that already takes your breath away: beautifully filmed with the first minutes being one continuous shot, it really threw me right into the action. Masterful pace and flow dominate the scenes. The helicopter stunts, especially the 360° loop, resulted in me shaking my head in utter disbelief of how amazing and gripping this footage is. This is Bond at its best and it demonstrates the incredible dedication and expert work of everyone involved in the making of a Bond film.
The Main title sequence, once again by Daniel Kleinman, has many wonderful highlights but also some oddities that somehow stand in the way of making this the best of them all. Sam Smith’s theme “Writing’s on the Wall” is fitting but still did not possess the might of other legendary Bond title songs to blow me off my chair.
From this point on, the story is really set in motion. I came prepared for an iconic film that would bring back many elements of older Bond films. Depending on how this is done, it can be very tricky or result in a compelled overflow like we saw in “Die Another Day” (2002). In SPECTRE, the old and new Bond have been nicely and harmoniously intertwined – whether some of it is too much or too blunt is subject to each and everyone’s own perception. I thought it was just the right mix.
THE ACTION
As I love the action sequences of Bond, I was of course looking forward to finally see them in all their glory. As I said above, Mexico was a stunner. The car chase in Rome between the sleek Aston Martin DB10 and the Jaguar C-X75 was equally thrilling and enjoyable but could have profited from just a notch more fierceness. Austria took my breath away once again. A very well choreographed, fast-paced action set piece with mind-blowing visuals and an explosive finish. The Morocco action felt a bit like in a video game with Bond wielding a big machine gun and shooting targets near and far with expert precision. In London, the use of CGI effects was obvious and the big IMAX screen made them painfully visible. All in all, when you’re looking for action you will definitely get loads of it without having the feeling that you’ve seen it all before.
THE VILLAINS
With an iconic terror organisation like S.P.E.C.T.R.E. making a surprise comeback to the series, everybody initially thought about whether its leader Ernst Stavro Blofeld would also be reintroduced. It’s been a closely guarded secret surrounded by controversy and I will not go into any details here. Two time Academy Award winner Christoph Waltz plays villain Oberhauser, a performance I had been looking forward since the official announcement in December last year. Sadly, I was let down. Above all, a Bond villain needs an unrivalled menacing persona and I want to be genuinely afraid of him/her. This was not the case in SPECTRE. Oberhauser isn’t particularly frightening, nor does he come across as a menacing threat. In fact, he’s way too calm and distant in manner.
Henchman Mr. Hinx on the other hand is someone I really wouldn’t want to cross paths with. Ever! He’s big, brutal and not a man of many words. Instead, he let’s his fists do all the talking. The fight scenes between him and Bond push all the right buttons and when this brute slams a door open to fit his massive body through, you get the feeling that Bond’s face is about to undergo a fierce remodeling procedure. Dave Bautista delivered a great physical performance and thus assumed his well-deserved high ranking in the long list of evil Bond henchmen.
THE BOND GIRLS
For starters, I refrain from calling them “Bond women”. The impressive list of talented actresses who have played parts in the Bond film series is an elite club of its own and every actress should be honored to be a member. Age doesn’t matter. In SPECTRE, we are confronted with three exceptional actresses of which two occupy supporting roles. In Mexico, lovely Stephanie Sigman dazzles with beauty and mystery. Hair and Makeup to the point. Monica Bellucci takes over in Rome and delivers a strong, dramatic performance in her moment with James Bond. The scene is tense and the acting is believable. It drags you right into the moment. However, I had hoped for a little more screentime for the gorgeous Italian actress.
In her role as Dr. Madeleine Swann, French actress Léa Seaydoux portrays the main Bond Girl. Putting all the usual and overused interview soundbites aside (“she’s a strong independent woman, an equal to Bond”), Seydoux’s character is a Bond girl we have somehow seen before in recent films. True, she’s feisty and certainly not a bimbo but the same was already the case with Vesper Lynd in “Casino Royale” (2006) and Camille Montes in “Quantum of Solace” (2008). However, there is something different about Madeleine Swann. She is confronted with more than just a mysterious British secret agent crossing her path. She has a history, things on her mind and feelings that she must understand and control. We can equally witness resentment and harmony between Bond and Swann and that makes a great improvement.
THE LOCATIONS
All of the locations in SPECTRE simply look amazing and the incredible talent of cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema makes this film one of the most visually stunning Bonds. The Mexico scenes with the spectacular and lively Day of the Dead parade profit from unusual camera angles and pans. Rome is very moody at first due to the use of fascist Mussolini architecture in combination with black clothing. The nighttime car chase takes audiences on a quick tour of famous buildings of the Eternal city which is beautifully illuminated.
The scenes set in the desert of Morocco make use of vast open spaces with little room to escape. An inhospitable landscape that seems to perfectly channel the misanthropic mindset of the villain Oberhauser who chose this as the site for his lair. Last but not least, London is also a vital piece of the location mix and van Hoytema did a very good job on showing the city from different angles. We’re even given some new places to explore on future Bond location tours.
INITIAL VERDICT
Coming out of the IMAX, friends immediately ask you for your opinion. Was it good or bad? This might seem like an easy question and yet, answering it with these two choices is close to impossible. Judging by the pure entertainment factor, this is one of the best Bond films and you get superb value for your ticket price. It was great fun, a fantastic thrill ride as well as dramatic portrayal of Bond and the S.P.E.C.T.R.E. organization. You don’t feel the length of the film which I regard as a good thing. In my personal ranking, SPECTRE tops “Skyfall” which is exactly what director Sam Mendes promised to achieve. On a scale of 1-10, I give SPECTRE a solid 9.
Anything else I can only evaluate after having seen it for a second time. Moreover, there is a lot I can not get into with this spoiler-free review. So please treat this review as a definite recommendation to see the film. I will publish a second, more detailed review once the film has opened internationally.
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