Too James, Too Bond
Picking up after the events of Skyfall, James Bond (Daniel Craig) finds himself in Mexico City stopping a terrorist attack. In the process, about half a city block is destroyed, but a lead on an organization is found. Bond discovers a ring on his target with an engraved octopus. Due to this event, MI6 is forced to ground him and propose a worldwide surveillance program. The program is headed by the new C (Andrew Scott). He plans to scrap the 00 program in placement of intelligence across 9 countries, called the “Nine Eyes.” Eventually, Bond finds out that the attack was linked to an organization, Spectre, and is now tasked with taking them down.
*** Warning: Spoilers ***
Overall, the story has been seen before in recent movies. You eventually find out that C is linked to Spectre to keep a constant eye on Bond, to prevent him from taking them down. This kind of World-Wide surveillance scenario was used in Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Fast and the Furious 7. With a lot of chase scenes, this felt like another version of Fast and the Furious. With that said, I was a little disappointed in the story, but they still managed to put their own spin on it.
The cinematography was definitely a step up for Bond movies in a while. The whole Mexico City scene was super awesome! The beginning has these awesome long tracking shots that make me ponder the question, “HOW DID THEY SHOOT THAT!” If you have an interest in cinematography, that is an awesomely shot scene.
As for the cast, Christoph Waltz is a highlight for the movie. He does the usual villain character that he’s known for, but he does a great job. The way he presents himself makes him so ominous and dangerous. Craig is still one of my favorite Bonds. It makes me wonder though, how he all of a sudden becomes awesome again as compared to Skyfall (where his character was supposed to have lost his shine).
If you’re a fan of Bond movies, this is a great one to watch. It ties together the Craig movies, with the exception of Quantum of Solace, but I don’t think they’re all that necessary to enjoy it. Definitely worth it, I’d watch it in any movie format.
Recap
+ Awesome Cinematography
+ Great Action Scenes
- Unoriginal Story