Starring: Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz and Lea Seydoux
Directed by: Sam Mendes
Rated: PG 13
Running time: 2 hrs 28 mins
MGM/Sony
Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars
I’ve been a huge fan of Daniel Craig since he held his own against Tom Hanks and Paul Newman in 2002’s “The Road to Perdition.” When I heard he had been cast to replace Pierce Brosnan as James Bond, I knew he would do a good job. What I didn’t know was that he would reinvent the role, make it his own and, in this writer’s opinion, is second only to Sean Connery in bringing Bond to life. In his fourth (and rumored last) time as the man with the license to kill, Craig continues to add more to the legend of 007.
After an incredible pre-credit sequence that sees Bond taking matters into his own hands both running from, and battling inside, a helicopter. We learn that Bond, and the rest of the 00’s, are about to be decommissioned. An agency calling itself the Centre of National Security has absorbed the British MI6 agency and soon all of the familiar faces; M (Ralph Fiennes), Q (Ben Wishaw)…even Miss Moneypenny (Naomie Harris) could soon be looking for work. While this is going on, Bond receives a cryptic message from the past that implores him to undertake one more mission. One that is more personal than he knows.
Unlike a lot of the previous films in the series, “Spectre” attempts to tie all off the Daniel Craig films together. Faces and names from “Casino Royale, “ “Quantum of Solace” and “Skyfall” show up here, which is great if you’re a fan but could leave first time viewers a little confused. Director Mendes, who helmed the amazing “Skyfall,” keeps the action coming as Bond travels all over the world in his quest for satisfaction. The film is beautifully shot and the set pieces amazingly presented. And, as in the previous films, the characters are fully drawn out. Except for one. The bad guy! Christoph Waltz owns two Oscars and when I learned he was going to be the villain I jumped for joy. And don’t get me wrong. He’s great! But for some reason he’s kept in the shadows and doesn’t really make his appearance until the film is almost two-hours long! That’s right. In a film that feels about 20 minutes too long you don’t get to the money shot for almost two hours! And with that much time to kill you may find yourself dreaming of a few martinis – be they shaken or stirred!