Just came out of the theater and I'm literally blowing away! As a moviegoer and movie lover looking for a good entertaining is simply irresistible not to like this movie even just a little. But if your genre is the action or you are a Bond fan-boy (but a real fan-boy, the one who knows that Bond is a dark killer with a great sense f humor as well a troubled human being and not just a fantasy and silly spy in silly missions with a handful of gadgets) then SPECTRE will be a total feast for you.
Sam Mendes and Daniel Craig give us another triumph after the polemic "Skyfall" and this time both have managed to get a perfect balance between that intimate psychology from the previous outing and the nostalgia from a classic Bond movie (with quality, not just passable) that hadn't had hit the theater in a very while. By that way we found ourselves in a very Bond centric movie (perhaps the only one in the whole franchise in which Craig is the absolute protagonist without being overshadowed even by the handsome villain) that explores and expands the character beyond the limits from the last third of Skyfall and a truly genuine adventure full of suspense and crazy twists to maintain the attention.
Across many places (Rome, Tangiers, Austria and coming back to London for a classic suspenseful climax) we found Bond getting started in a personal mission out from the MI6 (although later he will enlist some of his confidence partners with him) that drives him from a enigmatic widow (Monica Bellucci steals the scene alongside Craig) to a beautiful and looking innocent Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux) until coming face to face to Franz Oberhauser (Christoph Waltz doing himself stills being fitted for the role and gives chills in his scenes with Craig).
The story is bigger than Skyfall, Quantum and Casino Royale all together. And that's funny because this movie is really connected to all of them (another thing that makes me love Daniel Craig's Bond era). And marrying the credible word (political games, drones included) with the preposterous touch of any of the classic movies of Bond (Oberhauser, his hidden base, his plan) as well giving the Bond past a lot more of light and an effective closure by the end makes SPECTRE to succeed over any negative expectation and to give the audience the most entertaining outing coming from Craig and probably his best Bond yet (anyone knows if he's returning for another one even at another studio?). It's clearly a movie for those of you who are truly fans of Craig's unique run, but for all the haters too (because that lack of Bondish elements are there and most notably than ever).
The humor is back (a drunken conversation with a rat makes the funniest and most hilarious moment) even at times that you couldn't imagine (the torture scene is intense, much better than the classic one in Casino Royale, but handed with dark laughs at some parts). The action is crazy and shot with class (the one shot that opens the movie is the most beautifully complex the franchise has given us so far) and the script goes along the way without going down at any moment or being lazy. It tries hard to touch a lot of plots into a big one to the final part of the film and that implies to focus on some parts more than others. But all the movie wants to be seen and experienced is explored and is a hell of a ride.
SPECTRE is the most enjoyable Daniel Craig Bond film (and probably his farewell-with-a-bang), and the best Bond movie in recent memory. I did not exactly know what to expect for this installment after being put to sleep after the breathtaking Skyfall (so all the hype surrounding it) but not such a bold movie like this. If he (Craig) really leaves after this one, he will achieve something that Connery, Moore & Brosnan failed to do: say goodbye to the character on a stunning high. My personal ranking of Daniel Craig as James Bond: SPECTRE (1º) / Skyfall - Casino Royale (2º, both deserve it) / Quantum of Solace (3º).
Sam Mendes and Daniel Craig give us another triumph after the polemic "Skyfall" and this time both have managed to get a perfect balance between that intimate psychology from the previous outing and the nostalgia from a classic Bond movie (with quality, not just passable) that hadn't had hit the theater in a very while. By that way we found ourselves in a very Bond centric movie (perhaps the only one in the whole franchise in which Craig is the absolute protagonist without being overshadowed even by the handsome villain) that explores and expands the character beyond the limits from the last third of Skyfall and a truly genuine adventure full of suspense and crazy twists to maintain the attention.
Across many places (Rome, Tangiers, Austria and coming back to London for a classic suspenseful climax) we found Bond getting started in a personal mission out from the MI6 (although later he will enlist some of his confidence partners with him) that drives him from a enigmatic widow (Monica Bellucci steals the scene alongside Craig) to a beautiful and looking innocent Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux) until coming face to face to Franz Oberhauser (Christoph Waltz doing himself stills being fitted for the role and gives chills in his scenes with Craig).
The story is bigger than Skyfall, Quantum and Casino Royale all together. And that's funny because this movie is really connected to all of them (another thing that makes me love Daniel Craig's Bond era). And marrying the credible word (political games, drones included) with the preposterous touch of any of the classic movies of Bond (Oberhauser, his hidden base, his plan) as well giving the Bond past a lot more of light and an effective closure by the end makes SPECTRE to succeed over any negative expectation and to give the audience the most entertaining outing coming from Craig and probably his best Bond yet (anyone knows if he's returning for another one even at another studio?). It's clearly a movie for those of you who are truly fans of Craig's unique run, but for all the haters too (because that lack of Bondish elements are there and most notably than ever).
The humor is back (a drunken conversation with a rat makes the funniest and most hilarious moment) even at times that you couldn't imagine (the torture scene is intense, much better than the classic one in Casino Royale, but handed with dark laughs at some parts). The action is crazy and shot with class (the one shot that opens the movie is the most beautifully complex the franchise has given us so far) and the script goes along the way without going down at any moment or being lazy. It tries hard to touch a lot of plots into a big one to the final part of the film and that implies to focus on some parts more than others. But all the movie wants to be seen and experienced is explored and is a hell of a ride.
SPECTRE is the most enjoyable Daniel Craig Bond film (and probably his farewell-with-a-bang), and the best Bond movie in recent memory. I did not exactly know what to expect for this installment after being put to sleep after the breathtaking Skyfall (so all the hype surrounding it) but not such a bold movie like this. If he (Craig) really leaves after this one, he will achieve something that Connery, Moore & Brosnan failed to do: say goodbye to the character on a stunning high. My personal ranking of Daniel Craig as James Bond: SPECTRE (1º) / Skyfall - Casino Royale (2º, both deserve it) / Quantum of Solace (3º).