Movie theatres filled with people eager to see James Bond, an iconic character created by Ian Fleming in 1953, return to the big screen. Bond, with his license to kill, has graced movie theaters again with Spectre, the 24th Bond movie in the series.
This Bond movie, which came out Nov. 6, portrays 007’s attempt to fulfill the former head of MI6’s last mission of taking down SPECTRE, an organization responsible for many attacks around the world. But despite the anticipation and hype that preceded its release, Spectre fell short in some key areas.
English actor Daniel Craig has played British Intelligence agent 007 in the last four Bond movies and has garnered praise and attention for his portrayal. Unfortunately, Craig emanates a sense of disinterest in the character as his lines and persona fail to deliver the allure expected from the one and only James Bond. In certain key scenes and pivotal moments, Craig’s eyes seem to glaze over invoking a feeling of detachment.
The first scene of the movie is an engaging action sequence in Mexico that introduces the audience to Bond, as he attempts to kill a man trying to decimate a stadium full of people.
While the first action scene, along with an incredibly stylistic and aesthetic opening credits sequence set to Sam Smith’s “Writing’s On The Wall”, gives the two and a half hour movie a strong beginning, the middle lacks substance. The movie becomes very dry half an hour in as it follows a rather standard pattern: Bond finds a name, tracks down the person, engages in an action sequence and so on and so forth. Every two or three action sequences, he is usually charming some girl.
Bond, along with his leading lady Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux), jumps from one exotic location to another, leaving little room for smooth transitions. Coupled with the fact that the movie also alternates between scenes in London makes it a bit hard to follow and requires the audience to be sharp and attentive.
The action sequences themselves, however, did not fail to deliver as expected for a James Bond movie. From hand to hand combat in a moving train and helicopter to a high speed chase between a car and an aircraft, these scenes will keep the audience’s attention. Captivating special effects along with intense sequences will provide the audience with a reason to keep watching until the end.
Popular movies series like James Bond, Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings have attracted so much critical acclaim and attention that it’s hard not to have higher expectations for each new movie. Although Spectre suffers with a dull plot, seeing exotic settings and agent 007 achieving the impossible on the big screen is why many will still enjoy the action packed movie.
