A positive continuation for Bond, even if it didn't fully meet my expectations.

Rating: 7/10 (20 September 2017)

Since always the 007 franchise has a special place in my personal cinematheque. I have all the movies and I really enjoy watching them. And although the majority are very good, of course, not all have been good. Some were real disappointments, however much the unconditional fans find it difficult to admit. For me, there is a difference between being a fan and being a blind. I loved to watch "Skyfall", I really enjoyed the honors that are made there to several others past movies (it was released during the celebration of the franchise's fifty years, and it made sense to pay these homage). Another point I loved about "Skyfall" was the way it made connections to previous films, creating a thread through these films since "Casino Royale", and I was excited to see how this was going to continue. And, unlike a lot of people, I've never put any objections to the way Daniel Craig plays Bond nor do I get homesick thinking the previous actors were better than him. Every actor who wore the 007 suit had his time and his personal way of being Bond, and that diversity helps franchise to become richer and appealing. It's my opinion on that. So, as you might imagine, I was really excited about "Specter". Of course, the title showed me one thing: Bloofeld was going to come back one way or another. And so it was.
As always, Craig was well on the main character. Charismatic and seductive without losing the rough and dangerous look, he never lets us forget that he is a man on a mission. Christoph Waltz was compelling and Machiavellian and rose to the challenge of embodying one of the most iconic Bond villains. Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw, Andrew Scott and Naomie Harris were impeccable in supporting roles. On the other hand, Lea Seydoux is far from being a memorable bond-girl with an uninspired performance, while veteran Monica Bellucci, despite her age, is much more sexy and could have been more interesting if she had a more active and important character. Sam Mendes is an excellent director, with good ideas, good casting skills and what appears to be a long-term plan for future films. However, the excessive length of the film, with a very slow pace sometimes and an ending that is, at least, disillusioning, showed me that this director has some difficulty in post-production work. For example, the pre-opening sequence in Mexico was more worthy of being a movie ending than what I saw in the end. Attempts to make humor or even some romance were also a resounding failure and suspense, that should be growing throughout the film, seem more to come in waves, growing and collapsing to re-grow in the next action sequence. Speaking of action, there's plenty to suit everyone, from car or train chases to truly unbelievable fights. All very well done but sometimes overdone and unbelievable. Soundtrack is unremarkable and Sam Smith's theme-song is boring, effeminate and far from the quality of its immediate predecessor (Adele's "Skyfall"), to give just one example.
Thus, "Specter" proved to be a good addition to the franchise and a very positive continuation although, of course, not as good as the film that preceded it. Let's see what will come next.