Bond hits another Bulls Eye

Rating: Null/10 (17 November 2015)

While I cannot recollect what the first James Bond movie I ever saw in my life was, I can testify that my love of OO7 films goes back as far as my very early childhood years. While my earliest childhood memories consist solely of my fascination of Mr. Bond's talent in engaging in battle via fast vehicles and spectacular stunts, it did not take too many years before I developed one more additional fascination about him: his incredible ability to charm, wine, dine, and er . . . engage in top secret activities between silk sheets with every drop dead gorgeous women he met on his missions! While there are without out a doubt Bond films I liked better than others, no Bond film has ever failed to captivate me; including of course the recently released, 'Spectre'. ¬ ¬ Shortly after the events leading to the murder of M (Judi Dench) that transpired at the end of, (2012) 'Skyfall', Bond (Daniel Craig) is in the process of an undisclosed assassination mission in Mexico known only to him from a private prerecorded message to him by M before her death. Upon completing his mission, he comes upon a ring with an encrypted message. Unhappy with Bond's activities in Mexico, newly appointed M (Ralph Fiennes) orders James to take an absence of leave. Bond having his own agenda, disobeys his boss and takes pursuit on a global journey to solve a mysterious puzzle of information encoded in the ring: one that leads him into a confrontation with both an enemy from his past and secrets of his past. Bond must encounter a battle of confronting his past, which he so often has evaded. While also having to comprehend and take a self-survey, he in addition must fight a threat to society.
¬¬¬In my own personal opinion, I think, 'Spectre' has been the best and most enjoyable Bond movie with Craig as the lead to date. Since Daniel Craig took the reins of the secret agent in (2006) 'Casino Royale', I've always felt a certain lack of the consistent familiar rhythm of the Bond films I grew up with. Perhaps it may be that since Craig began his role as Bond beginning his career, he was still finding himself and not yet having all of his well-known cliché habits yet; such as not knowing if he wants his drink shaken or stirred. While his films have always had fast exciting scenes, iconic editing moments did not always transpire in the right sequence.
Director, Sam Mendes best known for his Oscar winning, (1999) 'American beauty', did two things that I thought brought this film to top of the heap. First, I feel he created a Bond film that I felt like one of the ones I grew up with! Bond's iconic walk across the movie screen inside of the moving circle to the theme music in which he stops and engages in a series of shots from his gun is placed at the very beginning of the film; not at the end like one of the recent Bond films did. While 'Spectre' did have its calm moments; in tradition to the Bond films I grew up with, a majority of the film were consistent mind- bottling action sequences! Bond says all of his well-known catch phrases. While there is a variety mixture of soundtrack music; including singer Sam Smith's intriguing new Bond song, 'Writing's on the Wall' composed in the score of another exotic artistic opening credits sequence, underscores of selected familiar tunes also frequently transpires in the background.
Mendes makes a lot of very interesting artistic contributions also. The Bond film many times dwells into a mixture of colorfully crafted sets uses brilliantly use of lights, such as a boardroom scene where antagonists seem ghostlike under the very dim lights. While I will not go into any detail of the film's opening scene; I'll simply just imply that arterially this is an amazing scene that takes place at a massive 'Day of the Dead' event one afternoon in Mexico.
Cast-wise; besides another fantastic role by Craig; as usual, the Oscar winning Christoph Waltz once again does a fantastic job in portraying yet another villain, Ernst Stavro Blofeld. Young beautiful French actress Léa Seydoux plays an enticing and fun filled role as Dr. Madeleine Swann/ via Bond girl. As a matter of fact; the pair up of Craig with his female lead was much fun; reminding me sometimes of an Indiana Jones film!
Once again, Bond in 'Spectre' succeeds in delivering another fantastic delivery! As you would expect from any Bond film, this is best seen on the big silver screen.