Spectre

Spectre, the latest film from acclaimed director Sam Mendes is a twisting, turning, action packed film filled with covert actions and flashes of violence. Spectre spans the world putting Bond in the harshest environments and pitting him against some of the most ferocious villains seen in Bond film is a very long time. If you're a fan of the Bond films then Spectre will most assuredly entertain and because of that I give it four buckets of Killer Korn.













I'm just going to put it out there, I thought Skyfall was a decent Bond film but I wasn't head over heels in love with it. It had some truly magical moments but I thought it could have been better in a lot of ways. It seems Sam Mendes felt the same way because he improved on the good things he did and discarded all the things that didn't work in Skyfall. Spectre is a throwback to Bond films of the Connery/Moore days and that was refreshing. Instead of going over the top with the villains and the toys from Q, Spectre brings a sense of brutal realism to the world of Bond. There's a menacing, hulking villain in Spectre that rivals the likes of Odd Job and Jaws that honestly makes you question what would happen to Bond if the two went toe to toe. I have been looking for  a weakness in this film since I saw it and I can't find one which is surprising after I read about all the major rewrites and reshoots of the third act. That's a testament to the skills of Sam Mendes as a director and his editing team but that may also be the reason why Spectre may be Daniel Craig's last ride as 007.

Starring alongside Daniel are the normal cast of talented actors from Skyfall. Ralph Fiennes as M, Naomi Harris as Moneypenny, Ben Winslow as Q, and Rory Kinnear as Tanner. This time around Christoph Wentz is the big bad guy who in typical Bond fashion for it's bad guys talks WAY too much. He plays Oberhauser and is the leader of the underground all powerful Spectre organization. Lea Seydoux plays the latest "Bond girl" Madeleine Swan who captures the dichotomy of fragility and fearlessness better than most Bond girls before her. At first she got on my nerves but eventually she won me over. Andrew Scott plays C, the man who seeks to shut down the double 0 program, Dave Bautista who plays the dangerous Hinx, and Jesper Christensen who plays the tragic Mr. White.
The chases were gripping, particularly the one in the Alps that made me absolutely giddy because it brought me back those incredulous Bond chases of the past. The fights were physical, frenetic, and just flat out awesome (yeah, I said it).

Spectre was a gorgeous film to watch. The sets, the mountains, and the framing of the shots were impressive. The cinematographer on this Bond film was the award winning Hoyte Van Hoytema who's last project was the Christopher Nolan space odyssey Interstellar. Thomas Newman was once again tasked to score his second Bond film and I have to say in my opinion, he did a vastly better job of it this time around. I was disappointed in his score for Skyfall but he hit all the right notes here. It was a job well done. I vociferously recommend this film for those looking to be entertained at the movies and even more so for Bond fans. Spectre will not disappoint in any way. I'll see you at the theater.