Weekly Review -- Dirty martinis and sexy spies

Spectre (2015) -- The long-awaited continuation of James Bond's odyssey is finally here. As we would expect, it is a stunning spectacle of glitz and glam and women and car chases. As we would also expect, it has a dynamic narrative that pulls the viewer in before the famous name is even uttered.

**THIS REVIEW CONTAINS HUGE SPOILERS** 

Following an off-the-books mission, James Bond (Daniel Craig) discovers the existence of SPECTRE, an organization in charge of assassinations, coups and other sinister global events. After clashing with M (Ralph Fiennes), who is trying to save the 00 program, Bond leaves in pursuit of information about SPECTRE and its mysterious leader (Christoph Waltz). Along the way, he evades SPECTRE's killers and meets a doctor (Léa Seydoux), who may or may not know more than she is revealing...    

One of the most intriguing aspects of Spectre is the contrast between Bond as a remnant of an epoch past -- an era of actual people doing the gritty work and sacrificing their lives for their country -- and a new intelligence service rising, one that operates through a mosaic of CCTV footage. We have heard the stories about cameras on every London corner; we constantly see news about a Big Brother type of scrutiny taking over the world. I liked this interplay between the past and the future. With this element as the background, Sam Mendes explores the man himself, looking at Bond through the prism of his job and placing the character under a microscope through artful meta techniques. Like a good Italian suit and the infamous martini, Bond's job is a part of him. As in Skyfall, there is a timely parallel between Bond's role shifting and the advent of our age of surveillance. The film might have been even more engaging if this theme had been explored in the vein of Skyfall's examination of identity and resurrection.

Paradoxically, the villain's backstory is at once clever and slightly implausible. It is clever because it is genuinely unexpected and turns the James Bond universe upside down, making us question every decision that Bond has ever made and see his life from a different perspective. It is somewhat implausible because it is unlikely that Blofeld would have embarked on such an elaborate vengeance quest due to daddy issues, but hey, the guy is obviously insane, so what do I know. Either way, the script paces itself, leading us in different directions and letting us play the guessing game, before focusing on the core of the conspiracy.

As far as the cast goes... wow. Whoever managed to assemble this cast deserves a medal. Craig has already shown that he was born to play Bond and takes the action sequences to a new level in this film, while exploring the agent's trust and commitment issues. As M, Fiennes gets to go deeper this time around, alternately questioning his character's position in the midst of Britain becoming a police state and taking part in shootouts. I know that I am not the only film buff who was dying to see Waltz as a Bond villain, and his Blofeld is an eloquent, elegant and death-obsessed creation. The man can simply do no wrong. Harris reprises her role as Moneypenny, sharing some emotional scenes with Craig and portraying the most sane and down-to-Earth character in the story. I have to say how glad I am that Moneypenny is not stuck behind a desk in her new incarnation, particularly when played by such an effervescent and versatile actress. Andrew Scott is pure charisma and I wish that we could have seen more of his character, but am happy to see that the actor has many more projects in the pipeline. The wonderful Ben Whishaw's Q gets to go out in the field and help Bond directly, again showing the great chemistry that he and Craig share.

Surprisingly, two actors that do not have much to do are Seydoux and Bellucci, even though their characters are part of the story's crux. The more I think about it, the more I believe that Seydoux's Madeleine could have been fleshed out further. However, the actress shows us a vulnerable and relatable woman, a feat not often accomplished in 007 films. It is too bad that the alluring Monica Bellucci barely has around ten minutes of screen time. The trailer and the opening scene hinted that Lucia might be a player of importance; as it is, I feel that the actress's talents are wasted here. On another note, I enjoyed the Inglorious Basterds reunion with Seydoux and Waltz. Go rewatch that masterpiece right now.

If Skyfall was a vehicle that gave Bond a parachute to land in uncharted territory, Spectre pulls the ground out from under him, forcing our favorite secret agent to plummet endlessly into the darkness. Sam Mendes has taken Bond on a more somber journey that any filmmaker ever had, putting the franchise on a new path. Let us hope that the popular series keeps evolving and transforming, entertaining the audiences and subverting expectations. 

9/10