Neither shaken nor stirred

Rating: 6/10 (18 November 2015)

After Casino Royale made 'Bond' truly relevant again, Quantum of Solace had big shoes to fill...which it didn't. Then, Skyfall upped the ante again and whatever film would come next would have to at least equal its success. The hype's only grown with every film, because the next one was always a direct sequel. Spectre embodies all the typical Bond elements, but that 'certain something' that gave the Craig era its edge is missing.
"The dead are alive". So reads the opening text. We cut to the opening scene featuring a beautiful long shot overlooking Day of the Dead in Mexico City. Bond is there to spy on a secret meeting with a certain Sciarra. He overhears someone mentioning 'The Pale King'. The opening action scene ensues, but the important thing is that he's found his lead: 'the Pale King'. Back in MI6, the new M berates him for his unauthorized 'holiday' and demands to know Bond's reasons. Bond doesn't answer truthfully and is suspended. It's revealed that the previous M left Bond a tape, instructing him to go to Mexico City, kill Sciarra and don't miss the funeral. Despite being suspended, Bond enlists the aid of Moneypenny and Q to secretly go to Rome. It leads him to the place where the organization known as Spectre is meeting and where Bond sees a hauntingly familiar face...
Without spoiling anything, Spectre is the film where the story of Craig's Bond comes full circle. Ever since Casino Royale, it's been obvious that new dramatic territory was being discovered. Gone were the days of cheap thrills and winks and nods. This time, Bond was being taken seriously as a character. This meant, however, that the films had to balance this new dramatic side and the typical Bond elements (girls, cars, martinis, over-the-top villains, one-liners). It's this balance I think is lacking in Spectre. All the elements are present and accounted for, yet it never quite gels. Spectre tries to provide some dramatic character development, but it often conflicts with the overall tone of a Bond film: one moment Bond's confronted with the fact that all he leaves in his wake is death and destruction and in the next he's again causing death and destruction for no other reason than that this is a Bond film and it needs action. Do you see the tension here? I think it's bold for the creators to try turning Bond into a more three-dimensional character (which makes the casting of Craig so excellent), but Spectre is unable to adequately combine it with all the typical things we expect from a Bond film. Casino Royale and Skyfall were much better at providing a seamless experience.
Other annoyances: the comic relief sometimes gets in the way of the action, as seen in the car chase in Rome or when the secondary bad guy bites the dust. Monica Bellucci's character is wasted. The main Bond girl first seems like a tough gal, but quickly suffers from Princess Peach Syndrome. The Waltz villain has a wonderful introduction, but then disappears for about an hour! I get that the filmmakers did this to make you crave his inevitable return, but take too long and you lose momentum.
On the other hand, the action can be impressive. The opening action scene doesn't look as fake as one might expect. Yet despite all the large-scale goings-on, the most badass thing you'll see Bond do is disarm and kill two henchmen while wearing a bag over his head and handcuffs, then removing said handcuffs with a flick of the wrists and only then taking the bag off his head. Also, you can tell a lot of effort was put into making Spectre feel like the logical conclusion to Bond's story. There are references galore to the previous three films, like when M surprises a corrupt official in his office in the same way Bond surprised one in the opening to Casino Royale. Also, Bond and the new serious love interest share a breakthrough in their relationship while talking on a train in the same way Bond met Vesper on a train. All this and more gives Spectre a great sense of structure. Yet not all references feel appropriate: the attempt to tie all the bad guys and events together with Spectre's villain feels forced and undeserved. The opening credits' fragmented shots of the previous villains are infinitely more haunting, because they simply remind you of all that has come before, all that Bond has experienced and overcome, rather than saying they were simply pawns of Waltz's villain who himself doesn't even come close to reaching the heights of those previous villains.
As for Sam Smith's theme song, I'm conflicted. I deliberately held off on listening to it, so I could experience it during the opening credits. For the record, I know absolutely nothing about Smith, so don't expect any rants on how he's not suited for Bond or anything like that. I found Writing's on the Wall to be...listenable. That being said, the song is good mainly because of the opening credits themselves, filled as they are with wonderfully dark and expressive imagery, one of them being a shot of the villain's shadowy silhouette as octopus tentacles emerge from his back. Simply being in the presence of such imagery, any song would be elevated from 'meh' to 'good'. Credit also has to go to orchestrator J.A.C. Redford who--just like with Skyfall--manages to enrich the song with his sumptuous orchestral stylings. It's his orchestration that truly turns it into a Bond theme.
When it's at its best, Spectre feels like the logical conclusion to Craig's Bond. At worst, it feels like a normal action flick that jumps from one scene to the next without rhyme or reason. It doesn't reach the heights of Casino Royale and Skyfall, but it also doesn't fall on its ass like Quantum of Solace.