27 replies to this topic

[DaveBond21]

We finally got it in Australia yesterday and I went to see it in the afternoon.
 
I am still trying to sort out my thoughts so here goes:-
 
What I loved
 
The opening shot is as good as anything in any movie - the music, the costumes, the photography, the lighting - just stunning. I love the chase through the crowds to the helicopter, reminds me of Thunderball.
 
Bond starts playing with a gun in the Q Lab
 
Rome - wonderful lighting, sinister SPECTRE meeting, Monica and then the car chase - pretty OK
 
Austria - some good action here
 
Morocco - love everything on the train, especially the Hinx fight - he's a huge guy. There is no way you'd want to fight him. Echoes of FRWL, LALD and TSWLM train fights.
 
The villain lair - great to see a proper baddie lair again. I like the Rolls Royce, the tray for the gun, the mini tour - all classic Bond moments. I love it when 007 tells Blofeld to get on with the torture as anything is better than listening to him talk.
 
The ending is better than many Bond endings - it has some proper action - I like the boat chasing the helicopter best
 
The last scene - it means that Daniel can be finished or he can continue. If it ends up being his last, then this was a fitting last scene.
 
 
 
 
Not so good
 
The music was good, but it was like a watered-down version of Skyfall. It featured my favourite action cue from that film, but it was a bit repetitive.
 
There are too many scenes of silent brooding with not much happening. We are meant to guess what the characters are thinking from standing around looking pensive. I'd rather there had been a bit more dialogue rather than little quips or three-word sentences. I'd also have preferred a longer train conversation between Bond and Madeline.
 
The car chase and plane chase are good, but they looked better in the trailer. Bond pushing the old guy along was meant to be a big laugh I think, but it wasn't.
 
Blofeld being the "author" of all Bond's pain. He keeps taunting 007 about it but Bond doesn't care that much! When Bond says anything is better than listening to him talk, I have to agree! Also I do wish that Bond had said to Blofeld at the end - "Now I am the author of all YOUR pain - especially your eye and your leg!!"
 
Moneypenny has a boyfriend???!! Noooooooo!!!!!!!!!
 
At what point did Blofeld say to his henchman, “Print off pictures of all the baddies that Bond has faced in the last few years and blu-tac them to the walls please?”. And one of them comes back and says “I can’t find a good photo of Greene!” and Blofeld replies “Just put Mr White up instead!”
 
 
 
Overall
 
 
However, overall it's a great movie - beautifully photographed. Craig is amazing as Bond - his performance is so confident and commanding.

[The Dove]

Excellent!! Glad to hear you enjoyed it Dave!! Hope you'll be seeing it a couple of more times!

[DaveBond21]

Excellent!! Glad to hear you enjoyed it Dave!! Hope you'll be seeing it a couple of more times!

 

I hope so too. My brother is visiting from the UK so I will probably see it with him.

 

-

[PrinceKamalKhan]

Good review, DaveBond21. I just got back from seeing it for the first time. What did you think of the length of the pretitle sequence?

[DaveBond21]

Good review, DaveBond21. I just got back from seeing it for the first time. What did you think of the length of the pretitle sequence?

 

Are you thinking it was a bit short?

[DamnCoffee]

Excellent! Glad to hear you enjoyed it Dave!

 

I've heard a lot of mixed opinion on the London stuff, and for what it's worth I really enjoyed it. I've read a lot of reviews saying it's hokey and falls apart but to the contary, I think this is the first time in a very long time that they've managed to actually nail the final act, which has proven in the past to be a bit of a toughy.

[Mike00spy]

Excellent! Glad to hear you enjoyed it Dave!

I've heard a lot of mixed opinion on the London stuff, and for what it's worth I really enjoyed it. I've read a lot of reviews saying it's hokey and falls apart but to the contary, I think this is the first time in a very long time that they've managed to actually nail the final act, which has proven in the past to be a bit of a toughy.

Bond films get ripped for being formulaic, but this ending is unique in that it isn't a "storming the lair" ending. Has any other Bond movie left the villain captured instead of killed or escaped?

[PrinceKamalKhan]

 

Good review, DaveBond21. I just got back from seeing it for the first time. What did you think of the length of the pretitle sequence?

 

Are you thinking it was a bit short?

 

 

No. As spectacular as it was, I think it went on a little too long. As I now think about it, it may have been a reaction to too many trailers being shown prior to the film. I'll judge it again when watching it alone.

 

I did love the long opening shot which I think had to be a tribute to Orson Welles' "Touch of Evil", a classic 1958 film noir:

[Bondage007]

 

Excellent! Glad to hear you enjoyed it Dave!

I've heard a lot of mixed opinion on the London stuff, and for what it's worth I really enjoyed it. I've read a lot of reviews saying it's hokey and falls apart but to the contary, I think this is the first time in a very long time that they've managed to actually nail the final act, which has proven in the past to be a bit of a toughy.

Bond films get ripped for being formulaic, but this ending is unique in that it isn't a "storming the lair" ending. Has any other Bond movie left the villain captured instead of killed or escaped?

 

 

TLD (Koskov)

[sharpshooter]

Glad you liked it, Dave. I enjoyed it, too. Below is not my review (that will be forthcoming), but a list I've formulated about the plot similarities in Mendes' two Bond films. 

 

Both pre-title sequences feature in public settings with scattering crowds.

Both have Bond answering set questions - evaluator in SF and Swann in SP.

Both use the terminology 'new digs' when referring to different headquarters.

Both films have gadgets given by Q focusing on Bond's physical location.

Both have Bond working his way up to the villain, who has reduced screen-time.

Both feature elements of Bond's childhood in the plot.

Both emphasise the future of the 00 program and the world of espionage.

Both villains have facial deformities.

Both have enemy characters who fall to their deaths after a window shatters.

Both finales feature the villain attacking Bond or MI6, with Skyfall Lodge and the old MI6 buildings destroyed.

Both feature helicopters brought down by Bond in the finale set pieces. 

Both feature the Aston Martin DB5.

 

I'm sure there's some others, but that's what I have for now.

[freemo]

I too saw it on Thursday.

 

It looks absoutely lovely and all the key players are wonderful. Not sure it's going to go down as a classic, though. Doesn't quite land all its punches. Less heavy than SKYFALL, but admittedly also somewhat less focused. Still, a good time had.

[sharpshooter]

I'm not sure if I'll place it above CR or SF, but indeed, I think it's a worthy entry. Definitely something around the 8/10 region. I ate up the scenes at Blofeld's lair. Something we haven't seen in Bond films for such a long time - going along with a well mannered charade. The section of film I'm less keen about is the London finale - but didn't have a problem with Bond sparing Blofeld or driving away with Madeleine. 

[DaveBond21]

 

 

Excellent! Glad to hear you enjoyed it Dave!

I've heard a lot of mixed opinion on the London stuff, and for what it's worth I really enjoyed it. I've read a lot of reviews saying it's hokey and falls apart but to the contary, I think this is the first time in a very long time that they've managed to actually nail the final act, which has proven in the past to be a bit of a toughy.

Bond films get ripped for being formulaic, but this ending is unique in that it isn't a "storming the lair" ending. Has any other Bond movie left the villain captured instead of killed or escaped?

 

 

TLD (Koskov)

 

 

Blofeld is deliberately not killed because this gives the producers the chance to use him in the next or future movies. Blofeld escaping imprisonment may be how the next film begins.

 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

[Professor Pi]

 

 

Excellent! Glad to hear you enjoyed it Dave!

I've heard a lot of mixed opinion on the London stuff, and for what it's worth I really enjoyed it. I've read a lot of reviews saying it's hokey and falls apart but to the contary, I think this is the first time in a very long time that they've managed to actually nail the final act, which has proven in the past to be a bit of a toughy.

Bond films get ripped for being formulaic, but this ending is unique in that it isn't a "storming the lair" ending. Has any other Bond movie left the villain captured instead of killed or escaped?

 

 

TLD (Koskov)

 

 

Isn't the implication "in a diplomatic gag" that Koskov gets killed, not imprisoned?

[DaveBond21]

 

 

 

Excellent! Glad to hear you enjoyed it Dave!

I've heard a lot of mixed opinion on the London stuff, and for what it's worth I really enjoyed it. I've read a lot of reviews saying it's hokey and falls apart but to the contary, I think this is the first time in a very long time that they've managed to actually nail the final act, which has proven in the past to be a bit of a toughy.

Bond films get ripped for being formulaic, but this ending is unique in that it isn't a "storming the lair" ending. Has any other Bond movie left the villain captured instead of killed or escaped?

 

 

TLD (Koskov)

 

 

Isn't the implication "in a diplomatic gag" that Koskov gets killed, not imprisoned?

 

 

Yes, I always believe that it means he is going to be killed. His reaction seems to confirm it.

[mattjoes]

At what point did Blofeld say to his henchman, “Print off pictures of all the baddies that Bond has faced in the last few years and blu-tac them to the walls please?”. And one of them comes back and says “I can’t find a good photo of Greene!” and Blofeld replies “Just put Mr White up instead!”

I couldn't help but imagine that scenario when I first watched the film.

 

Anyway, a terrific movie indeed. The script needed more polish, but the film is so stylish, and Craig so confident and funny, that its flaws are easily overcome.

[tdalton]

I don't think that it's a case of the script needing more polish. They had an absurd amount of time to get the script into decent shape. They even delayed the film for several months so that more work could be done to it.

[stromberg]

 

 

 

Excellent! Glad to hear you enjoyed it Dave!

I've heard a lot of mixed opinion on the London stuff, and for what it's worth I really enjoyed it. I've read a lot of reviews saying it's hokey and falls apart but to the contary, I think this is the first time in a very long time that they've managed to actually nail the final act, which has proven in the past to be a bit of a toughy.

Bond films get ripped for being formulaic, but this ending is unique in that it isn't a "storming the lair" ending. Has any other Bond movie left the villain captured instead of killed or escaped?

 

 
TLD (Koskov)

 

 
Isn't the implication "in a diplomatic gag" that Koskov gets killed, not imprisoned?

 

Not certain what a "diplomatic gag" is meant to be ( ), but in the German version, they use he term "as diplomat's ashes", which always made it quite clear to me that he wouldn't survive.

[DaveBond21]

 

 

 

 

Excellent! Glad to hear you enjoyed it Dave!

I've heard a lot of mixed opinion on the London stuff, and for what it's worth I really enjoyed it. I've read a lot of reviews saying it's hokey and falls apart but to the contary, I think this is the first time in a very long time that they've managed to actually nail the final act, which has proven in the past to be a bit of a toughy.

Bond films get ripped for being formulaic, but this ending is unique in that it isn't a "storming the lair" ending. Has any other Bond movie left the villain captured instead of killed or escaped?

 

 
TLD (Koskov)

 

 
Isn't the implication "in a diplomatic gag" that Koskov gets killed, not imprisoned?

 

Not certain what a "diplomatic gag" is meant to be ( ), but in the German version, they use he term "as diplomat's ashes", which always made it quite clear to me that he wouldn't survive.

 

 

Ha, excellent to read. This confirms he is dead.

 

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

[bill007]

Great review, Dave.  Glad you lot down under finally got your fix.

 

I just finished my 3rd viewing.  Still a fun ride (save for that darn title song).

 

The audience was half-filled, on a Friday afternoon, 3 weeks into the U.S. release. 

[Professor Pi]

 

At what point did Blofeld say to his henchman, “Print off pictures of all the baddies that Bond has faced in the last few years and blu-tac them to the walls please?”. And one of them comes back and says “I can’t find a good photo of Greene!” and Blofeld replies “Just put Mr White up instead!”

I couldn't help but imagine that scenario when I first watched the film.

 

Anyway, a terrific movie indeed. The script needed more polish, but the film is so stylish, and Craig so confident and funny, that its flaws are easily overcome.

 

 

That'd be a great SPECTRE henchman killing!  "What do you mean you can't find his picture?"  Then come the piranahs!

[DaveBond21]

 

 

At what point did Blofeld say to his henchman, “Print off pictures of all the baddies that Bond has faced in the last few years and blu-tac them to the walls please?”. And one of them comes back and says “I can’t find a good photo of Greene!” and Blofeld replies “Just put Mr White up instead!”

I couldn't help but imagine that scenario when I first watched the film.

 

Anyway, a terrific movie indeed. The script needed more polish, but the film is so stylish, and Craig so confident and funny, that its flaws are easily overcome.

 

 

That'd be a great SPECTRE henchman killing!  "What do you mean you can't find his picture?"  Then come the piranahs!

 

 

Blofeld:- "That's not Greene! That's Elliot Carver!"

 

Henchman:- "Sorry, I get them all mixed up!"

 

Blofeld:- "It doesn't matter. I was the author of all his pain too!"

 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

[sharpshooter]

It's hard to believe after such a long wait, SPECTRE has effectively been and gone. But that's life. I guess we now wait for the Blu-ray.

[SecretAgentFan]

Well, now the thrilling time before BOND 25 has begun!

 

And if Wilson is right we will get news about the next film in January or February - after it is decided which studio will distribute the next films.  Which will have its impact on how EON will proceed.

[mattjoes]

You know, I avoided most spoilers for Spectre. I never watched the second trailer, nor any TV spots, nor read any interviews, nor looked at any stills, not read any of the leaks. It paid off handsomely in the theater. I didn't know if I'd get the gunbarrel at the beginning, nor if Oberhauser would turn out to be Blofeld. It was exciting to find out right then and there, among other things. Now I'm in the strange situation of watching interviews and reading articles after having watched the film.

 

I don't know if I'll want to continue with that next time around. It's great fun to follow the production throughout the months leading up to the premiere, as I did with Skyfall. I'm at crossroads here!

Edited by mattjoes, 01 December 2015 - 05:34 PM.

[Professor Pi]

I somewhat followed the SPECTRE production, but knew absolutely nothing about Skyfall.  While I think SF is a better film, I imagine I'll be rewatching SPECTRE more often.   It's a movie for Bond fans and casual fans, but not critics.  Still, it's been an absolute blast participating in all these forums.  SPECTRE is still playing at my local theater.  And before Bluray it will pop up in hotels on their movie list (probably January?)  Already seen it four times.  I'd like another, but not sure when.

[dtuba]

Glad you liked it, Dave. I enjoyed it, too. Below is not my review (that will be forthcoming), but a list I've formulated about the plot similarities in Mendes' two Bond films. 

 

Both pre-title sequences feature in public settings with scattering crowds.

Both have Bond answering set questions - evaluator in SF and Swann in SP.

Both use the terminology 'new digs' when referring to different headquarters.

Both films have gadgets given by Q focusing on Bond's physical location.

Both have Bond working his way up to the villain, who has reduced screen-time.

Both feature elements of Bond's childhood in the plot.

Both emphasise the future of the 00 program and the world of espionage.

Both villains have facial deformities.

Both have enemy characters who fall to their deaths after a window shatters.

Both finales feature the villain attacking Bond or MI6, with Skyfall Lodge and the old MI6 buildings destroyed.

Both feature helicopters brought down by Bond in the finale set pieces. 

Both feature the Aston Martin DB5.

 

I'm sure there's some others, but that's what I have for now.

Both films feature an action sequence with Bond on a train where it gets effectively ripped apart but for some reason just merrily continues down the track as if nothing happened.

[DaveBond21]

I somewhat followed the SPECTRE production, but knew absolutely nothing about Skyfall.  While I think SF is a better film, I imagine I'll be rewatching SPECTRE more often.   It's a movie for Bond fans and casual fans, but not critics.  Still, it's been an absolute blast participating in all these forums.  SPECTRE is still playing at my local theater.  And before Bluray it will pop up in hotels on their movie list (probably January?)  Already seen it four times.  I'd like another, but not sure when.

 

I agree with your point about it being a film for Bond fans. There are many nods and references to past 007 movies.

 

Another one I noticed last night was the hat on the bed (like the one in LALD).