James Bond 007 - Spectre

James Bond (Daniel Craig) is back! But not for long, if Max Denbigh (Andrew Scott), the new head of the Centre for National Security, has his way. He wants to mothball the antiquated 00 program as quickly as possible and replace it with a supposedly more efficient computer and drone program. The fact that Bond has reduced an entire apartment block to rubble during a mission in Mexico City comes in handy. But despite being pulled off active duty by the new M (Ralph Fiennes), Bond continues to investigate on his own. For he is on the trail of a mysterious organization called SPECTRE. Via Rome, where he is able to infiltrate a secret meeting of the organization, Bond finds his way to his old adversary Mr. White (Jesper Christensen), who reveals to him that his daughter Madeleine Swann (Lea Seydoux) may be the key to SPECTRE's destruction. Using his very special charm, Bond manages to make contact with Madeleine, unaware of the danger he is putting himself and the young woman in. For the real enemy he's up against is far more powerful and dangerous than imagined.

Spectre has the thankless lot of being the sequel to the fan and critically acclaimed Skyfall, the most successful Bond film ever made to date. So there was no question that audience expectations would be extremely high. To be on the safe side, Sam Mendes was once again hired to direct the film and the screenwriters of the predecessor were also brought back on board. The story was to conclude the plot, which was started with Daniel Craig's debut Casino Royale, spectacularly. And of course, the whole thing was supposed to be more exciting, bigger and more involving than ever before. That this is Spectre's big problem is made clear right from the opening sequence in Mexico City. The scene starts off quite grandly with a single long tracking shot, which then culminates in the destruction of a house and an extremely cool and amusing exit by Bond from the ruins he has just created. Up until that point, this is a great sequence that offers everything a fan would expect from a Bond film. But then the higher-faster-further-devise of the makers takes hold and the whole thing ends with an arguably overdone helicopter sequence that is just a bit too much of a good thing.

And that's exactly the problem: Spectre just wants too much and thus can't reach the class of Skyfall and Casino Royale. But aside from some unnecessary lengths and overdone sequences, the film also has many excellent moments of suspense, convincing action scenes, and enjoyably dry humor, making it far superior to the rather weak Quantum of Solace. Especially the interaction with M and Q, a car chase through Rome or the explosive finale have a very high entertainment value. In some moments, Sam Mendes also succeeds very well in spreading that classic Bond feeling that has been somewhat lacking in the last films.

On the other hand, the film completely fails in two important aspects. There is Lea Seydoux, who could still convince in Mission: Impossible - Phantom Protocol as an ice-cold killer all along the line. As a Bond girl, however, she seems far too young and surprisingly pale. The spark between her and Daniel Craig just doesn't quite want to jump over, which even Monica Bellucci can't make up for with her fiery cameo. The biggest shortcoming of the film is the villain. Christoph Waltz plays once again very well and his character is in itself a worthy opponent for James Bond. Only unfortunately his connection to 007 is not exactly subtly prepared. And his big secret is then presented almost anticlimactically. This is a pity in so far as there would have been great surprise potential in this revelation. That Mendes leaves this completely unused and fobs fans off with this information virtually in passing is probably the film's biggest disappointment.

No question, Spectre is a good Bond, but just not an outstanding one. It offers a lot of good entertainment, but unfortunately it also has a few longueurs and leaves a lot of potential untapped. Still, it offers a satisfying conclusion to the cross-film storyline that began with Casino Royale and ties up all the loose threads into a coherent ending. If this were indeed Daniel Craig's last appearance as 007, it would be a round and also dignified farewell. At the same time, the ending also offers the possibility to continue the story in an extremely dramatic way - those who are familiar with Bond will know what I mean by the end. And so the bottom line is: with lowered expectations and small restrictions a must for all 007 fans and therefore also: absolutely worth seeing!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp