Another Mendes beauty! Bond sizzles again!

Rating: 8/10 (20 November 2015)

"To liars and killers. To liars and killers everywhere." It's official. Sam Mendes is the only person who does immaculate refined justice to Bond. It is so great to see him handle such colossal projects. Three years ago, he had done a similar job of primping and preening the Bond who was jackhammered into the debris of Solace. With the right kind of posture, demeanour and mien, he had in his mind for a Bond of our dreams, Mendes' protagonist soared to an unimaginable level. So he created Bond, a man with the right words, the right class and the right air. The depth in his eyes when he was seeking love, the fearless fluent proclamations he bore on his lips when he faced his enemies, his unique flamboyant flair, and the way he walked adjusting his cuffs. Ooh! So filled with pizazz! Daniel Craig hit a home run with every minute detail that was asked of him. He will stand tall as one of the best Bonds to have ever walked on the big screen.
Writers of Spectre do a fair job of revisiting the forgotten by punching in faces from the past to shake up an already stirred Bond. Okay, so that rarely happened in the movie. Craig looked more focused, fearless and relentless than ever.
It is one of the most realistic movies to have ever existed in the Bond saga. Even whilst Bond shoots the pawns of Blofeld, he sits, crouches and aims before shooting taking into account the distance factor, which seems quite plausible as compared to the past Bond movies. He has a story to unfurl which moves at quite an interesting pace. (I don't know why some found it lengthy!) Christoph Waltz is brilliant as Blofeld too. His villainy is soothing, calm and yet reeks of perversion. He has a bad-ass voice that he carries brilliantly throughout his ephemeral act.
We have a side plot led by Andrew Scott which runs parallel to the story. Mendes tries really hard to juggle both the stories and endeavours to hold them in the same basket, but barely manages to succeed at that. Somehow I feel Mendes could have done a better job weaving it more brilliantly.
SPOILERS AHEAD: There are extremely beautiful bits in the movie that come to my mind when I think of it. Like the one where Bond wakes up to the silencing commotion of a mouse. He points the gun at it and says, "Who are you working for?" I think watching Bond sandwiched between M and Swann was brilliantly shot. It was quite poetic if you really look at it. At one side, there were "saving-the-world-shoes" to fill, whilst at the other end there was freedom and the love of his life was gawking at him with hopeful eyes. Right at the middle, the author of his pain asks him to shoot him. As Swann had said before life gives you choices. Bond was faced with a choice to kill and not to kill, and of course, to choose a side. To Blofeld's beseeching command to kill him, he empties his barrel and says, "I would if I had bullets." and starts walking towards Swann. He chooses "to stop." What a beautiful way to go! One of the most daring acts of Bond in the flick is when he rams and tries to scooch a plane amidst a narrow path surrounded by trees. He stops at nothing whilst chasing. So he has proved in the beginning scene of Casino Royale. Another one of course, walking into the lion's den eventually, which was both bold and stupid at the same time. But hey, we are talking Bond here! The beginning of the flick is outrageously rad too. The cameras that walk alongside Bond as he strolls through Mexican streets, to a hotel room, then scales alongside him till he reaches his target, every bit of it have been gorgeously captured. Action is top-notch as well. Watch out for the Batista train duel. Perfetto! Another thing that you would notice is its score. So bloody brilliant! Thomas Newman makes the music so beautiful and bad-ass that it's hard not to notice it. Before deciding to watch Spectre, mark this on your checklist: Choose a theater you love for its sound. Right from the Mexican beats, to Sam Smith's marvelous song, to soothing violins, were downright impeccable.
Mendes frames exceptional sceneries as he ranges down beautiful landscapes all across the globe. The photography and the cinematography can't be overlooked here as well. Simply outstanding! This movie is a perfect Craig-Bond tribute. Go bid your adieus!