Movie Review - Spectre

Spectre ** (out of 5) (PG-13) For those keeping score at home, this is the 24th James Bond movie, and Daniel Craig’s fourth turn in the role. Charles Dickens would likely describe this entry in the fabled franchise as the best of times and worst of times. Many action sequences, locations, gadgets and lines of dialog live up to expectations. But much of the rest is hugely disappointing. The plot meanders among too many settings and subplots. Lea Seydoux is so bland as the “Bond Girl” du jour, it’s hard to believe she was among the first choices for the role. There just isn’t enough payoff to justify 148 minutes of running time, even for fans who’ve continued to be shaken or stirred since Sean Connery’s 1962 debut as Agent 007 in Dr. No.

Perhaps the film’s title telegraphs the problems to come. SPECTRE appeared early and repeatedly in the series as an acronym for a global cabal of megavillains. So how did this nemesis get demoted to lower-case letters for its revival? Monica Belluci and Christoph Waitz are under-utilized, compared to the unique sets of skills each could bring to any table.

The film hits the ground running with a spectacular action sequence in Mexico City during Day of the Dead festivities. That should rank among the best of those pre-credits displays. Alas, it just makes much of the rest seem less satisfying. The easy conquests of swooning hotties in the first couple of decades has been yielding to more contemporary (i.e. - less sexist) relations between Bond and the babes he meets. This one turns the sociological clock back in a couple of awkwardly anachronistic misfit moments. Much of the pre-release ink has been about record-setting production costs. Unfortunately, there’s more money than merit in the film they’ve crafted this time around.

Contracts are in place for Craig’s fifth appearance in the 25th Bond opus. They’re likely massive documents. Let’s hope they put at least as much effort into the screenplay. (11/6/15)

the4�Yv$�p