Keeping all the comparisons aside, SPECTRE directed by Sam Mendes with Daniel Craig in the lead offers a fresh visual treat at one side and the usual supposed to be thrilling drama on the other resulting in a mixed bag that can easily be rated as an above average venture that might not be able to satisfy many, especially the Bond fans.
Beginning with a terrific opening 10-15 minutes before the famous titles, the film scores a big star right away taking you onto a tour of the festival of the Dead in Mexico City blowing off a whole building post a worth noticing single shot following the Bond heading towards his chosen shooting spot. Further ending the sequence with a sensational scuffle in a dangerously flying helicopter frightening hundreds of people running away on the ground, SPECTRE raises your expectations a lot and then keeps delivering the well shot exciting moments before the ‘forced’ interval (in India) quite impressively. The plot focusing on a secret message left by the chief pointing towards a funeral that in turn leads to an international syndicate of criminals called SPECTRE lays a fine base for the much needed suspense element in the film. But sadly the same goes missing in its second hour, wherein the pace drops and it all falls down to the same routine stuff with only the cinematography and action thankfully maintaining the excellence displayed in its opening hour.
To be specific one strongly misses the suspense factor in its script and emotional depth in the key characters, becoming a major drawback of the film post its initial 50 minutes. Besides the two main attractions Monica Bellucci and Christoph Waltz delivering nothing entertaining enough as per their individual persona turns out to be the biggest disappointment unarguably. On the other hand, its supporting cast plays it fine but a few insertions like the ‘Special Car-Buttons’ and the huge henchman trying to kill Daniel, does remind you of ‘the classic Bond movies’ and its famous characters like the one played by Kabir Bedi in OCTOPUSSY (1983).
In all, SPECTRE does have Craig in a good form well supported by some spellbinding action, background score and breathtaking cinematography keeping you hooked onto the screen in its first hour. However it’s the less enjoyable script losing its charm post intermission, a lengthy duration of more than 145 minutes and lackluster performances of both Monica and Waltz that force you to rate it as an above average venture falling short of the expectations raised.
Interestingly the Indian Censor Board has trimmed the duration of ‘a long kiss’ featured in the film as per their new norms or guidelines raising a relevant question that, ‘how long a KISS should actually be in India, giving you the right amount of satisfaction or pleasure?” Hoping that the arguments given for the cut might be having the exact duration mentioned in second or minutes, you can surely try SPECTRE if you are a BOND-series fans since many years, but only for the opening 15 minutes and the visual treat it offers being the two major merits rising above everything else.
Rating : 2.5 + 0.5 / 5 (with the additional 0.5 just for the introductory sequence.)
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SPECTRE Movie Review by Bobby Sing, SPECTRE Film Review by Bobby Sing, New English Releases Reviews at bobbytalkscinema.com, English Film Reviews by Bobby Sing, James Bond Latest Movie by Sam Mendes, Daniel Craig's SPECTRE Review by Bobby Sing at BTC
