Spectre

You are empty, Mr. Bond, and you live in a world full of ruins. I think this was heard somewhere, and Mendes filmed it. Spectre is lethargic in its pace, muffled by Hoyte Van Hoytema's darkened visuals. Only Newman tends to push it forward dramatically. A Bond film wrapped in squid and drenched in the ink of ruin. In many ways naive, superficial, but it kept my attention reliably for 150 minutes. Objectively, the film does not deserve to be under full fire, because in a similar rank this year, a thematically similar MI V reigns uncompromisingly. But this stumbling walk through depopulated areas before demolition concludes in a dignified way the four-part psychotherapy of the most tired Bond, who doesn't really want to be who he is. But he doesn’t know how to be anyone else... If this is the end of the series, I'm happy. Btw. props for the hidden message that Heineken is only good enough for watering mouse holes. (11/05/2015)

Probably the weakest Bond with Craig... Primarily it doesn’t make sense and yes, it’s great that it contains so much wink-wink references to older Bond movies and hidden meanings, but... it doesn’t make sense and doesn’t answer questions that the viewer asks himself during this expensive spectacle. The excellent casting is degraded by illogical changes in characters’ behavior, badly thought-through jokes in Roger Moore style Bond from the 70s which are ok for the Muppet Show, but in a dramatic action thriller this is seen as unsuitable (the villain simply says “Fuck" in the face of unavoidable death) and spoils the whole effect of an otherwise brilliantly directed scene. I don’t know if the screenwriters went on the rampage, or if Sam Mendez wanted the abandon the brand because he’s had it up to here with Bond. No consistency, just a couple of great moments that you mustn’t think too much about. It stinks of big money. (11/08/2015)

It’s not as dark as Skyfall. Actually, objectively it is significantly worse than Skyfall. James Bond is like a walking robot in this one. He knocks down everyone who just look at him the wrong way. Nobody can stop him, and I literally mean nobody. Count on it being much worse than usually. Plus there is a huge amount of cool lines. Even though there are no emotions, it shows that kind of harshness possessed by old action heroes in the nineties, which I’ve never seen in any Bond movie with Daniel Craig before. It’s a pity that the title song is so extremely slow that it’s really a pain in the ass. Similarly, the arch enemy Christoph Waltz was not really scary. The only strong positive of this movie is Léa Seydoux, who was a great fit. Maybe because I’ve known her for a while now and she is nice to look at. A little bit different Bond movie, but when it comes to the good old action movies, it fulfilled my long-time desired dream. (07/12/2018)

Skyfall was already a precise reflection of our times and an homage to the current intelligent high-budget blockbuster. It didn't have the pull, emotion and inner strength of Casino Royale or Quantum of Solace, but it's clear why; there was something going on there. But the Vesper references are very much evident in this fourth mashing of the plot, which was fully capitalized on in Daniel Craig's very first Bond, and it became a complex and full-bodied film that took the story of Agent 007 a level further in the film industry. It became a mass appeal, not a fan thing, thanks to its means of expression. Logically, there are not many ways they can go without taking it in a completely different direction, which Spectre fails to do, and it even wasn't intended to, unfortunately. Fans will try to "find it there" for the entire 150 minutes, but they won't. The few iconic scenes that warm the heart or dazzle with their sophistication are just carbon copies of previous episodes (most of the train scenes, the base in the desert). It's clear that filming the same thing twice in a row the result will not be the same. After a second viewing, the rating has to go up. Essential and visually incredibly lavish and sophisticated filmmaking. Emotionally, it's not the ride that Casino Royale was, and Léa Seydoux is no Eva Green, but Spectre assaults the other senses and does so excellently as well. (11/07/2015)

The most recent Craig film thus far is a very enjoyable part of the Bond franchise. A great opening reminds one of Live and Let Die, the first girl is the pleasant Monica Bellucci, the second - her complete contrast - Léa Seydoux (the fashionable Frenchwoman we primarily know for her blue hair), but the time period mainly favors Christoph Waltz's styling. Spectre flows nicely, developing the story already begun in Casino Royale, and I'm simply glad that James Bond will return. (08/22/2016)