This is clearly exemplified in Dave Bautista‘s Hinx, perhaps the series’ best henchman since the days of Jaws. Punctuated by a bombastic score from Thomas Newman (elevated to the nth degree in a choral-backed opus during a thrilling, zippy car chase through Rome) and Hoyte van Hoytema‘s sleek, never-distracting cinematography, Mendes loses some of the self-seriousness which dragged down Skyfall, clearly having more fun this time around. Her comparative Bond girl screentime may be vastly increased when it comes to Bellucci - and certainly Miss Bala‘s Stephanie Sigman - but her eventual affection for Bond makes little sense, while the actress’s action chops left more of an impression in Ghost Protocol. Madeleine Swan, while charming, doesn’t fare much better. She’s played by Monica Belluci, who, in a single shot of mutual seduction, affirms that she shouldn’t have been so wasted here in a glorified cameo. The crumbs begin with the widow of an assassin Bond killed, Lucia Sciarra.
Much of Spectre is devoted to a connect-the-dots paper trail laid out for Bond, once again leading him to all corners of the globe, but with a sense of fun that Craig’s iteration had yet to partake in. As MI5 and MI6 are now following orders from Max Denbeigh, aka C ( Andrew Scott), the slimy head of a new intelligence-gathering organization, the end of the “00” program is threatened.Īfter throwing the Bond formula out the window with Skyfall, Mendes gratefully returns to the franchise’s more streamlined, amusing sensibilities. This results in the agent being stripped of field duty and monitored at all costs by M ( Ralph Fiennes) via the treacherous sounding “smart blood,” reluctantly administered by Q ( Ben Whishaw). Despite learning information that will lead further down a rabbit hole of mass network villainy, he does cause half a block to explode and crumble. After getting introduced to Bond, he ultimately gets entangled in an impressive, helicopter-fueled spectacle over the crowd of thousands. At its worst, its attempts to further flesh out the agent and have a timely story with Snowden-esque relevance creates a fairly muddled entry into the Bond canon.Īs in his franchise debut, director Sam Mendes kicks things off with a sustained bang: a single shot (albeit aided by some clear digital edits) through the streets of Mexico City during a Day of the Dead celebration. At its best, the partial return to form is an A-to-B thriller that packs enough surface-level intrigue and thrills to entertain. His latest outing, Spectre, is a culmination of these predecessors in both story and execution, for better or worse.
Nevertheless, the colours fit within the screenplay, the mood of the latest Bond film, and cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema's award-winning signature touch working with a 35mm.Ī five star form of entertainment now out on DVD.Daniel Craig‘s residence as 007 has delivered unexpected emotion ( Casino Royale), unprecedented polish for the spy franchise ( Skyfall), and the major misfire ( Quantum of Solace). At times, though, it does feel like one is driving along an endless road with the same view… camel, camel, camel, gold, camel, brown, camel, gold, brown etc… It would have been good to have contrasted the storyline's monochromatic colours with vibrant reds, brilliant blues, greens, yellows, oranges etc during the opening scene in Mexico. Javier Bardem's acting skills as the ultra-villain in No Country for Old Men is a close contender to the skills he portrayed as Raoul in the previous Bond film Skyfall.Ī cinematographic landscape of monochromatic colours set amidst a darkened theme contrasts with earlier versions of the Bond films set-designed with pop-culture colour. (Above: Blofeld reincarnated as Dr Evil in Austin Powers)Īn honourable mention goes to 21st century's Javier Bardem's portrayal of the twisted Raoul Silva in the previous Bond film released in 2012 called Skyfall. Mr Blofeld increased his global notoriety when he skipped over into the comedy genre appearing as ultra-funny Dr Evil in Austin Powers. Although his fluffy white cat, which first appeared in For Your Eyes Only (1981) and Never Say Never Again (1983), makes a brief reappearance in this latest version.
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