Review - Spectre

Spectre is epic failure.

Cheers to the doom!

"You are a kite dancing in the hurricane, Mr. Bond." That is the only single line of dialogue which falls in the category of substantial writing, in Sam Mendes' heart-shattering, disappointing affair called Spectre. In his newest (and hopefully the last) outing as the Bond director, Sam Mendes has staged some brilliant set-pieces, shot extremely well with his cinematographer, added some pretty girls - but has completely forgotten to build tension, or at least devise some sensible plot. But even with the big bunch of four writers no less, Spectre is half-baked and clumsy - to put in another words - very poorly written.

We have James Bond (Daniel Craig) pursuing another criminal organization called Spectre - even though he is grounded by M (Ralph Fiennes) and is not allowed to leave London. Worst, the entire double-oh programme is to be shut down and a new surveillance system is to be introduced by C (Andrew Scott), head of another privately owned intelligence agency. As Bond digs deeper into the reaches of Spectre, he travels to Mexico, Rome, Austria and Africa; makes love with Monica Bellucci and Léa Seydoux; and then goes back to England for a final showdown with head of Spectre - Franz Oberhauser/Blofeld (Christoph Waltz). 

The plot seems pretty simple, but believe me, it is indeed, without any complexity or character development. Bond seems to be hopping from one woman's bed to another like a butterfly flying from one flower to another. There is absolutely no reason for existence of Monica Bellucci's character, apart from a PG-13 sex scene. Romance between Seydoux and Bond is rushed - there is some chemistry between them, but alas, filmmakers hardly focus on that. It has so many scenes which are throwbacks to previous James Bond films, that it feels more like a rehashed version of older Bond movies. There are funny moments in between - like the one between M and C, debating meaning of the respective words. Everything else is so suppressed by mindless car chases and demolishing buildings, Spectre becomes monotone and pretty flat by its end.

Daniel Craig plays Bond with all his acting capabilities - he broods, sulks, despairs and gets annoyed- trying hard to elevate the trash script. Seydoux is serviceable, her character is underwritten and is surface-level, but her looks makes her job easy. Fiennes has done another film for paycheck, and unfortunately Waltz seem to have done the same. He has played Blofeld half-heartedly, without any dramatic flair - which could have actually worked well for a psychopath. But he performed his character with a flat, bored look, as if he is having detention during school. Only Naomi Harris and Ben Whishaw remain unscathed from the atrocious script, and for that record, the script actually develops both of their respective characters to some extent.

To give credit where its due, the film is brilliantly shot by Hoyte van Hoytema (Interstellar), the colors used here are bleak and dark. Score by Thomas Newman and "Writings on the Wall" by Sam Smith are welcome addition to Bond music. Sam Mendes is one of the best directors alive - it does not requires any proof. He should forget Spectre as a nightmare; and move ahead and do other non-Bond stuff. Maybe Skyfall was such a cinematic achievement that Spectre, even though not awful by Hollywood standards, feels awful. Perhaps it is unexpected from such a great director and such a talented actors and crew. I hope we all see better stuff from them in the future. Until then, leave Spectre and rather watch Skyfall or Casino Royale, if you are in the mood for Bond.

2.5/5