My rating: 3 stars
In this fourth outing for Daniel Craig as the world’s superest super spy, we are given what is supposed to be, I suppose, SPECTRE’s origin story. The film opens with Bond being suspended for the umpteenth time after a bit of an incident in Mexico City. MI6 has been dismantled (see “Quantom of Solace”), and the new bosses are not having any of Bond’s excuses or his tried-and-true tactics. Bond is sent a message by his M, recorded just before she dies that sends him off and running to track down the mastermind behind the deaths of many MI6 operatives.
Okay, so it wasn’t a great movie by intellectual standards. Maybe it promised more than it delivered. Maybe the script wasn’t brilliant, the acting only okay in some areas, and the plot a bit hinky at times. Do we really care? Is all of that why we watch a Bond movie? I don’t know about you, but that ain’t why I watch them. I watch them for the pretty cars, prettier locations, action bits (reality, be damned!), and British accents. On all those counts, “Spectre” delivers.
I will admit that it took me awhile to warm up to Craig as Bond. In his first film, “Casino Royale”, I really didn’t like him much. He’s grown on me since. His Bond is colder and more remote than many of the past Bonds, but that pretty much fits the character as Ian Fleming wrote him. Bond was essentially an assassin, working under the British government. Craig brings that aspect to his portrayal well. The rest of the cast is, if not brilliant, at least competent. Again, the emphasis here is on the action-adventure, not character development.
The film kind of has a superhero/comic book sort of feel to it in some ways, but I suppose with the popularity of the comic franchises today, that’s acceptable. And if you’re going to overlay a superhero without cape and mask onto anyone, James Bond is a decent choice.
Overall, while it wasn’t the best Bond film ever made, “Spectre” was decent, and as long as you don’t expect deep and personal enlightenment, it’s a reasonable watch.
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Coming in December 2018: Two’s Company, a sci-fi novel in the space opera tradition.
Medusa “Deuce” Grainger is smart, confident, and as good a pilot as she is a poker player. A freelance shuttle jockey working for an independent terraforming company, she’s left her former life, and her father, behind. Mostly.
Now, her AI has downloaded another Personality off a wrecked ship, and he’s acting oddly ever since. Someone wants to sabotage her friend’s company out of business, evidence of tampering is being corrupted, and people have died. With an investigation looming that could shut down the company and cut off her main source of income, Deuce needs to figure out what’s going on. And she needs to do it fast, because there’s more at stake than anyone realizes.
Two’s Company is listed on Goodreads. If you like what you see above, I’d appreciate you adding it to your Want To Read list. Thanks!
Available now :
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And So On... 