This is the twenty-fourth James Bond movie â is it the last? Weâll see. Daniel Craig appears for the fourth time as agent 007, and, as usual, gives us a great performance. I thought his best was Skyfall, but this one is not far behind. As I have stated before, Sean Connery is a legend from his Bond movies, but Daniel Craig is the best ever.
As usual, the movie gives us nasty villains, action galore, a great musical background, a love interest, and the best car chase scene since Bullit. (Nothing will ever surpass Steve McQueenâs phenomenal car chase through the hilly streets of San Francisco, but the one in Spectre is a worthy second. If you havenât seen Bullit, drop everything and rent it today. The 1968 Ford Mustang that Steve McQueen drove in that chase is now worth over $6 million to the collector who bought it.)
Weâve become accustomed to great background scenery in the Bond movies, and this is no exception. We flit from London, to Morocco, to Austria, to Rome, to Mexico City, to Tokyo, and all over England. If you are looking for a travelogue, then this movie will serve two purposes for you.
Spectre
Entertainment Rating: ★★★
Rating: PG-13: Lots of violence and gunplay as you would expect from a James Bond movie
Possible Oscar Nominations: Cinematography, Art Direction, Special Effects, and Original Music Score by Thomas Newman
In the meantime, James, as always, is tracking down those whose mission is to take over the world in one way or another. This time itâs an organization known as Spectre, whose goal is to take over all international communications worldwide. His job is doubly difficult, as new leadership in Englandâs secret service has decided the â00â program has outlived its usefulness. You may recall that âMâ (played for years by Judi Dench) died in the last Bond movie. Her worthy replacement is played by Ralph Fiennes, who excels in the role.
The female lead played by Lea Seydoux is not the typical seductress we have seen in the past movies; rather, she is in the middle of the chaos being caused by Spectre, and slowly but surely grows on our hero. Sheâs involved right up to the end and is part of an unusual but subtle moment. Keep your eyes on the screen or you may miss it.
I can summarize very simply: if you like James Bond movies, you will, in all likelihood, love this one. From the action-packed opening scene through the credits itâs a non-stop adventure. The only critique I can offer is Bond wearing the new âslim suitâ style. Those only look good on men under twenty-one.
