![]() While Skyfall reintroduced audiences to the series’ Q-branch (responsible for famous gadgets, too many to name), it was capped with a snarky technician ending the encounter with the quip: “what did you expect, an exploding pen?” Yet Q ( Ben Whishaw) does play a more active role in Spectre, nullifying his previous stance by giving Bond an exploding watch and supplying a car with flame-throwing exhaust pipes. While “credibility” isn’t synonymous with James Bond films, the action in Craig’s series felt more palatable than anything we’d seen in the films previous, and I felt that this in part was lost in Spectre. While the movie follows through with its revisionist promise of a more mature, politically correct secret agent, it falls short on the credibility factor. Sam Smith’s vocals blare over the barrage of images, though it still pales next to Adele’s Oscar-winning Skyfall song. Despite the level of intrigue, the payoff lends little to the narrative other than putting Bond in front of M’s desk and being scolded as if he was sent to the principal’s office. The Baroque (even by Bond standards) title sequence is replete with suggestive images of dancing women and PPKs. It starts with a tracking shot in the spirit of Touch of Evil(or even I Am Cuba given the weightless camera), and is loaded with the high-paced action, stunts, and decisive camera work that you can tell is the artful slight of hand imbued by director Mendes. source: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer PicturesĪnother tradition that Spectre set out to satisfy in Bond films is the pre-title action sequence, and the satisfaction that this loaded entry opens with was nothing short of extraordinary. This pattern of playing against form is so common that playing into form cancels it out, and the result is a narrative composed of self-referential double bluffs that inevitably takes you out of the movie. I had my suspicions that Skyfall was the product of overtly self-aware filmmakers who spend more time side-stepping what could be expected spoilers, and then recalibrating calibrated expectations of what people expect of a Bond movie – rather than simply assemble a successful Bond film. It would serve as a pat on the back for fans as well as a foreshadowing introduction that Spectre would adhere to the Bond film formula more so than we had seen in the recent thread of Craig films though this isn’t one of the film’s strong notes. This trademark opening is paramount in the Bond films, and almost a mark of authenticity to the series. Being the first Daniel Craig film with the famous barrel sequence, it was exciting to see him taking the stride of honor as did Connery, Lazenby, Moore, Dalton, and Brosnan before him. When the opening credits started, I felt a rush of excitement seeing that barrel aimed at Daniel Craig, the way we remember almost every other Bond film opening. While many considered Skyfall the best in the franchise (a bold statement), could Mendes and the EON production team outdo themselves with the eagerly anticipated successor Spectre? Better Than Skyfall? It seemed as if Bond had spanned another generation, and the international super spy would bask in the glory of a reinvigorated franchise. Fans cheered when they saw the adrenaline-filled Casino Royale, squirmed when it looked like Bond was taking too many cues from Jason Bourne in 2008 with Quantum of Solace, and cheered even harder when Sam Mendes won nearly everybody over with his superior direction of Skyfall. The proverbial return to form was the celebrated inauguration of Daniel Craig in the seminal 2006 film Casino Royale. Finally, it looked as if the series had run out of momentum that for years had seemed inexhaustible. Connery started a cultural phenomenon, Moore kept the train going if also descending the character into a caricature of itself, Dalton’s tenure was cut short after two films, and Pierce Brosnan helmed the ship with promise, though he then unfortunately steered it into an iceberg with his invisible Aston Martin and kite surfing. Well, fans and detractors of the series alike know that the success of the Bond films has gone through some high points and some low points. ![]()
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