Bonded to Its Set Formula

Rating: 6/10 (16 November 2015)

(Rating: ☆☆½ out of 4)
This film is mildly recommended.
In brief: More of the same, less of the thrill
GRADE: B-
In the latest film version from the successful James Bond franchise, number 024 to be exact, the formula is king. Heroic spy vs. evil super-villain. Check. Spectacular stunt work and speedy car chases. Check. Intense action sequences and fiery explosions. Check. Exotic locations and political intrigue. Check. Sexy women and double entendres. Check. It's all there and the filmmakers rarely stray from their set course in Sam Mendes' Spectre. That decision may again make the movie a real crowd-pleaser, but it also makes it rather predictable and dull, leaving this reviewer partially shaken but not very stirred.
For those of you who do not know the back-story, Spectre has been a global terrorist group that has been in Ian Fleming's novels from its first inception. and Mr. Bond, that is, James Bond, has been on a personal crusade to stop their evildoing. The script takes our resourceful operative to various international locales, from Mexico, London, and Italy to Austria, Tangiers and back to London again, as he battles this organization. This screenplay-by-committee (John Logan, Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, and Jez Butterworth, a talented lot) sets up the action in a stunning opening set piece during the Day of the Dead celebration with some nifty helicopter combat. (As we normally expect from the series, the opener is a real zinger which is followed by artsy credits with silhouetted babes and title tune sung by a popular contemporary singer). This leads us to our main story and Bond to his ultimate mission as he tries to discover the whereabouts of the mysterious Franz Oberhauser, the head of this organization, presumed dead.
Solidly directed by Mr. Mendes, Spectre is fine entertainment, although it is more of the same and less of the thrill this time around. The actors are all strong in their roles, especially Daniel Craig who single-handedly helped the series' continued success with his modern day spin on our anti-hero. His arch rival, played with standard menace by Christoph Waltz, doesn't have enough screen time to establish his nasty credentials and there needed to be more one-to- one stand-off opportunities between the two characters that are sorely missing. Lea Seydoux as Bond's seductive love interest, as written, hardly registers as Bond-worthy. The chemistry between the two actors never charms and is the chief misstep in this film. Also on hand lending strong support are Ben Whishaw as Q, the nerdy gadget maker, Naomie Harris as his loyal Miss Moneypenny, Ralph Fiennes as M, the newly appointed boss of M16, Andrew Scott as C, a global surveillance advocate who wants to phase out the outdated 00 agency, and its license to kill, and the burly Dave Bautista as Mr. Hinx, a prototype of another previous bad guy from the series named Jaws, here with all the muscle and without the metal dental work that makes Bond's adversary memorable.
The action is non-stop, deliciously illogical, and over-the-top as usual. The so-called twist is obvious from the start. The end result is thoroughly expected. The aforementioned script uses its convoluted plot without much of a payoff and tries to establish some character depth but lacks the witty banter and engaging dialog that is part of the series trademark. Instead, its focus is on the many action sequences which are filmed in style by Hoyte van Hoytema. Production values are high and the budget is big and expensively mounted, although Thomas Newton's score remains loud and intrusive throughout the film's long 2½ hour length.
Yet, Spectre, while diverting and interesting, fails on its mission to impress moviegoers with any originality and real suspense. This 007 is more like a 006 on the rating meter.
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