After recently watching Quantum. Yes Spectre is Craig's worst, with the boring padded plot, boring action sequences, all of the recons of Craig's previous movies, the ending and the worst Blofeld's being Bond's foster brother was unforgivable!
I agree with you. When I first watched Quantum of Solace, I would always rage and call it the worst of the Craig Era. But when Spectre came out, it made me change my mind about Quantum of Solace. I re-watch Quantum, and I was like “okay I might’ve been too harsh on Quantum and I thought it was the worst. But seeing this, is gotta be the WORST of the Craig 007 movies”
@@joerperez290 I still don't think Quantum is good movie, with the unfinished messy script, poor villain and the awful editing which ruined the action sequences. But it has an awesome soundtrack, Craig is great. It just has more individual badass moments than Spectre.
William Southall I know it still not a good movie. But I still enjoy elements of Quantum. Like the foot chase sequence in Siena, Italy regardless of the editing as you mentioned. Yea I understand the movie has some flaws with a messy unfinished script, weak villain, and terrible editing. I even have the soundtrack of it and listen to it while I go jogging and sprinting as I’m chasing a terrorist. But other than that I still enjoyed the movie
The main issue with Spectre is that it's boring. Put a score of the quality of Quantum of Solace and better editing and I think it would be a better movie.
What makes Spectre so bad is that there was no reason for it to be. Craig knew the role inside and out, it had a great cast, a seasoned director. At least QOS had outside forces that made it what it was. Writers strike, last second rewrites, etc. Spectre was like Joe said, bland. I walked out of the theater so bored, the ending felt like a bad ripoff of Lethal Weapon.
spectre is an awesome movie I`ll rate it 8.5/10 until Bond gets capture by blofeld and is reveal to be his brother and is about to poison his brain or something like that then the movie goes south with no return :/ it sad because I feel it could easily surpass skyfall if the third part of the movie was well write the movie didn't need any ties with pass movie could be a great stand alone movie and even open the way to future sequels vs specter organization
@@MikaelLV Even the opening falls flat. The one take wasn't that impressive and ends in such an anticlimactic fashion. They should have done the whole thing as a one take. That would have been a legendary opening.
Yeah, pretty much every time I watch it it's better than the last. However, there are parts that clearly could have been done better and it's obvious that it was due to the writers' strike. I wish Felix Leiter was in it more, and I wish the first third was not just action scene to action scene to action scene. Danial Craig is badass as hell in it though.
I liked SPECTRE all the way up until the ending in London. The climax of the movie should’ve been in the desert, with more buildup and a more prolonged escape from the bad guy’s lair by Bond and Bond Girl, reminiscent of Dr. No and others. Btw, I thought the reason Blofeld played the video was ostensibly to reveal that Bond handed him the gun, but that ultimately didn’t develop into anything.
@@andrewharper4296 Thanks. Just to elaborate a little, I feel like "escape from the bad guy's lair" is a pretty standard Bond trope. Dr. No, You Only Live Twice, OHMSS, Diamonds are Forever, The Man with the Golden Gun, The Spy Who Loved Me,, and Moonraker, just to name a few, all climax/end with an escape from some elaborate villain hideout, usually as it blows up. Missed opportunity for a satisfying ending that would've carried on that tradition, IMO.
Christopher Fernandez Of course (and I need to check the articles of course) but I think in the original draft of the film this was the ending they had in mind? I think the studio executives got a bit too involved at that point! Haha :)
spectre is an awesome movie I`ll rate it 8.5/10 until Bond gets capture by blofeld and is reveal to be his brother and is about to poison his brain or something like that then the movie goes south with no return :/ it sad because I feel it could easily surpass skyfall if the third part of the movie was well write the movie didn't need any ties with pass movie could be a great stand alone movie and even open the way to future sequels vs specter organization
The fight scene on the train is one of the best fight scenes I’ve ever seen. The thing that makes this so frustrating is that absolutely none of it makes sense in the context of story. Directly before the flight there are passengers and employees on the train and everything seems normal. Then out of nowhere Hinx shows up and suddenly the train is empty. If Blofeld knows that bond is on the way to him and wants him to come there so that he can do his big reveal and then personally kill bond then why is Hinx showing up on the train to kill bond and stop him from coming there. Wouldn’t he try to capture James Bond to deliver him to Blofeld? Directly after the scene when they’ve shot a part and busted apart half of the suddenly empty train it’s time to make love. Is this a dream sequence? What in the world just happened? And seriously, where did all of the passengers and train employees go? Was Hinx on the train the whole time? Was Bloefeld controlling the entire train? Did Bloefeld want Hinx to kill Bond and prevent him from arriving at his HQ? The following scenes don’t suggest anything of the sort. I’m not being picky here, I’m genuinely confused.
I thought it was Craig’s worst by far. The relationship with Blofeld, wasted DB10/Jag in a mundane “chase”, wasted a potentially great henchman in Hinx. Drilled in the head made him the perfect shot at a base made out of nitroglycerin and a finale with the Scooby gang blowing up the riverhouse (which is still there last time I looked) and driving away to retirement in the DB5 which was blown up in Skyfall to get away from doing this for a bit. Makes Diamonds look like a classic. Not a fan.
I literally just watch spectre 5 hours ago! My main gripe is how under utilize the christoph waltz is use. Comical escape scene in the desert and the shooting a helicopter with a pistol.
Nailed it David. It’s the simple things that set Bond above all the competition. Brosnan dodging the bullet in Goldeneye. Sean’s hat toss at Universal Exports. Giving Sylvia Trench his card ( instead of asking for her contact info) and then politely exiting. Handing Lucianna her shoes for something to wear. etc
This film was essentially the studio going "oh, oh, oh WE HAVE THE SPECTRE RIGHTS! Quick, let's make a movie. What's that? Take time? No, do something with spectre. Anything!!"
So glad to finally hear someone criticising that horrible sepia tint over the beginning of SPECTRE, to spend that much time and money on a set piece and then make it look like CGI was utterly baffling.
Spectre has some really great scenes, I loved the Mexico one shot, the Altausee and Rome scenes and the plane crash. The movie also has some of my favorite bond outfits. But the movie completely falls apart in the London finale for me. It's a poorly written, rushed ending. The gun range scene, finding Madeline in this huge complex basically by accident, convenient net they can jump into, even more convenient rhib to chase the heli and then shooting it down with a 9mm handgun... What the hell?! This completely destroyed the immersion and the movie for me.
I agree with everything in this review. And I'd add: the casting of Andrew Scott. Thanks to his work on "Sherlock", whenever he comes on the screen now it practically screams "VILLAIN!!"
I guess it's me, I'm a lone voice here. I'm a life long Bond fan and I liked Spectre. I liked it better than Quantum. I've seen it 4 or 5 times and I still enjoy watching it. I loved the action, I loved Blofeld (2nd best after Telly Savalas), I loved the car chase. 2 things I did not like, neither of you brought up. I did not like the childhood connection between Blofeld and Bond, the whole "I hate you because you stole my daddy" thing was unnecessary and bit ridiculous. I did not like the easy escape from the building at the end. That net was just too convenient. But I have to say I loved everything else. I thought the plot was good, the fact that Spectre was going to be hooked into every intelligence agency in the world was awesome and scary to me. I care about my privacy. But art is subjective. A midst all the criticism, I still manage to enjoy Spectre every time. As a Craig film it still takes the Bond seriously and plays him to reality. I'm not a Roger Moore Bond fan. Except for Live and Let Die and For Your Eyes Only all his films were farcical and almost Austin Powers comedies. I thought Moore, who is a great actor, just made fun of Bond and treated him with a little contempt. A View to a Kill is the worst Bond film by far, it's unwatchable. That's a bad movie, not Spectre.
I think it definitely had a better "coolness factor," so to speak, that QoS. The overall style and visual look of it was better. Like they said in the video, there's moments where Bond looks cool just doing stuff like walking, whereas QoS, in my opinion, is basically one long chase scene. I just think the plot of QoS is a little more coherent, albeit kind of simplistic. I agree with you about the childhood connection and, on a similar note, it seemed unnecessary to basically make Quantum like a subsidiary, for lack of a better word, of Spectre. Instead of tying all the films together it kind of just reinforced that Quantum was invented by the screenwriters because they didn't have the rights to Spectre at the time. It also kind of cheapened the whole idea because it made it seem like this massive criminal organization existed for the sole purpose of toying with James Bond's emotions.
One name... Christoph Waltz... if they had a script that fully realized his talents as an actor and developed the Bond/Blofeld backstory... the film would have been ten times better. Just look at him in Inglorious Basterds or Django... the script was a waste of his talent.
spectre is an awesome movie I`ll rate it 8.5/10 until Bond gets capture by blofeld and is reveal to be his brother and is about to poison his brain or something like that then the movie goes south with no return :/ it sad because I feel it could easily surpass skyfall if the third part of the movie was well write the movie didn't need any ties with pass movie could be a great stand alone movie and even open the way to future sequels vs specter organization
end of casino royale: bond is bond quantum: bond is amateur bond skyfall: bond becomes bond again spectre: bond is the bond we see in goldfinger-thunderball
Actually I just rewatched Spectre and Quantum tonight, back to back. Surprisingly I actually liked QOS! I don't remember it being that good. I guess I was comparing it to Casino Royale when it first came out. Craig was in great Bond form. I also liked Spectre better this time around, despite the flaws mentioned, which are still valid (horrid song, ridiculous yellow filter, botching Blowfeld). Some beautiful segments in the film though. The biggest flaws were in the last half hour.
QoS is a late bloomer. Many of us in the fandom seem to have grown a new love for the film. Its one of my favorite now. A short bond film with great action and locations.
It's always hard for me to understand why such high budget movie has such a bad script..... not understand why they hire the same writers time and time again. by the way: great video guys!
The writers of Craig's movies (and most of Brosnan's) are Neal Purvis and Robert Wade. They are atrocious. "Casino Royale" only works because it's a Fleming story and had a re-write.
It's a bit like the amount of script writers on No Time to Die which seems to have had several people working on it at one time or another-get a script locked well in advance of filming, you do have the time and it makes for a better movie overall
The yellowing of Mexico City scenes has always angered me (and I lived there for 2 years). This piss-yellowing frequently gets applied to so-called third-world countries in western-made films for contrast, I guess, but it's almost a put-down. The City if strikingly beautiful without filtering!
Yeah, it almost does feel like a put-down. What a shame they did that especially in such a beautiful scene showcasing the day of the dead festivities. I don’t really like Sam Mendes. Find him to be a pretentious filmmaker.
Falls apart in third act. Crazy thing is, from the Sony email leaks we know THEY knew the script had a weak third act. And yet...they still shot it. Weird.
Actually the original third act was 'Bond held in a desert prison by the villain and something to do with a missing file. The third act was re-worked from this which probably explains why it doesn't really work. Apparently Sam Mendes said 'that the lack of a planned final act caused the final film to suffer immensely.'
In the Cinema here was just four of us for an early morning showing and when I saw the urine coloured screen I thought "do I need to tell someone about this?" I literally spent ten minutes wondering if the colour balance was off on the projector. awful.
Love the “Zeki Laurent trailer”! They should still make the trailers this way, (or bring it back), as it actually makes me look forward to seeing this film.
Interesting thing I've found is that people who are not Bond fans and just general film fans, they enjoyed it. But your point is valid, is it a proper Bond film, no not really! lol
There is a lot to love about this movie. The simple solution to its flaws would be to make the climax in London the penultimate scene and to stage the final confrontation with Blofeld in the desert with maybe a bit more exposition in their relationship.
The only quality action scene in Spectre was the train fight. Even that doesn't hold a candle to any of the action in Casino Royale. Almost every action scene in Casino Royale felt like a finale. Ahhhhhhhh........ Oh yeah, we're talking about Spectre. Spectre sucks.
Oh I really enjoyed this! Spectre for me is easily the worst of Craig's. I've come to appreciate QoS a lot more since the last two, because it has more energy, great action, and Bond is mostly on his own, without the Scooby Gang as you say- although they're still often on the phone.. It also has a lot of great funny quotable moments such as " I don't think he smoked" and M saying "damn him, he killed him", to name a few. It's a memorable Bond film and Marc Foster is unfairly criticised for certain stylistic choices he made. But at least he didn't bog the film down with 'emotional' baggage, 'secrets', the modern popular way of selling a film (the promise of twists and reveals) and clumsy self aware references to older films. I was hoping for a similar film from NTTD but it seems to be a mix of the best and worst aspects of Craig's films. But let's hope they all fit together for a more satisfying film of which we can confidently say "yes, that was a great Bond film!" and still enjoy each time we rewatch it. ALSO you did a great job with the retro trailer at the end there! I'll have to watch some of your other reviews in this series. Cheers.
It’s so interesting getting the perspective of the non-British audience. To us Brits Bond can do no wrong. But you can look at it more objectively. I am also impressed with your observations around the subtleties of the character
Oh definitely! That was what Timothy Dalton needed. He had a really good start and LTK was a huge step back. He needed at least a third movie to define his take on the character.
Ricardo Cantoral he was right with all of them except The World Is Not Enough. So far that’s the one exception. Brosnan just improved more in the role but it wasn’t anything too groundbreaking like with Connery, Moore and Craig. TWINE wasn’t particularly groundbreaking either although it was certainly a much needed improvement over TND.
I don’t know which I dislike more, Spectre or NTTD. Both had great scenes, but both had glaring flaws. Casino Royale was definitely Craig’s best, Skyfall second.
I really thought Skyfall ended beautifully so much so I believed Daniel Craig would have signed off with a trilogy. Spectre was quite underwhelming for me. Craig’s best films were Casino Royale and Skyfall.
18:15 - Bond shouts at Blofield to shut off the video of him and Mr. White, because he doesn't want her to see her dad blowing his brains out, because he is in love with her.
Rewatched Spectre last night, and had to pause it and do some other activity half way through as it just wasn't engaging enough. I recall dozing off in the cinema on my first viewing. I watched the supercar chase scene, in the beautiful Rome setting, perplexed how it could feel so boring. Mendes got Skyfall so right and this so wrong, or the writers did, at any rate.
And the torture scene, Blofeld drills into Bond's brain, says it's broken now but...he's totally fine? Does Blofeld not know how to use his own equipment? Did the writers forget what they wrote previously again??
Enjoyed the debate ... Agree Spectre ( The yellow wash movie) was a missed oppertunity.... DC posted in the performance of Bond ... Blofeld was mis written and played .... And the story was clunky ... Fingers really crossed for NTTD.
Spectre is one of my favorite Bond films. So many great nods and Blofeld reborn is fantastic. Madeline Swan is great, the DB10, the opening sequence is fantastic and they broke a record with the largest film explosion in history.
I THINK with time 'spectre' has grown on me, but. i think you have to invest in the fact that Bond & Blowfeld have a back story. once you are able to do this the film is better & the car chase was epic !
Hi David, and Joe. Here are my thoughts. Of the four Daniel Craig films it is my personal favourite. Infact it's my favourite Bond film. Partly because I saw it at the cinema, as well as Skyfall. I loved the locations, I loved the pace, I enjoyed the soundtrack. I admit that there are problems with it though. But I don't mind them. The interesting thing for me was a local television channel in England ran Spectre with cuts in it, that annoyed me. As it softened the film too much. Thanks for the chat though
The film is an absolute mess. Everything appears phoned in and the script is secondary to the film. I'd describe this piece of crapola as one big Vanity Fair photo shoot in sepia tone. Honestly, I don't think 'Skyfall' was much better. 'SPECTRE' suffered from the same faults in scriptwriting with a director who was clearly more focused on hodgepodge "poetic" evocations than logic and quality.
Completely agree, also on the very overrated and embarrassingly pseudo-deep "Skyfall", with boring action and kitchen sink psychology. It was also high time to bash Sam Mendes a bit, a terrible choice for director of a Bond film.
I'll certainly agree that Skyfall wasn't much better. I'm still flabbergasted so many people like that film. It's utter nonsense - easily my least favourite of Craig's. Spectre at least had cooler locations and action scenes - i personally love the opening sequence.
There are many satisfying scenes, like the whole Monica Belucci sequence. There are many more cringe-worthy moments- like the step-brother reveal, "touch it!", and the ending (Bond "arrests" Blofeld??). 3. The movie feels completely deadline-driven, like it was finished in a panic. Like David, I feel it was a missed opportunity, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy parts of it.
Totally agree! When they get to Blofeld‘s lair the whole thing jumps the shark. Shame. Especially the „it was about you all along“ twist made me hurl. Knowing there was a different version of the last part makes this even sadder.
Craig is EON’s worst 007. While Casino Royale was a good movie the entire Craig era is a lowered standard. They should have made him a different double character and rebooted the franchise with him as 006,5,4,3,2,8 or 9
I am gong to say "Yes" it is the worst of the Craig films so far despite many saying "Quantum of Solace" being the worst one. I can see why many would say Quantum of Solace" is worse than "Spectre", but like how the two great Craig films in "Casino Royale" and "Skyfall" have one thing over another whether it depends on taste or objective points, the same goes for the two weaker ones. The weakest for both films are the scripts, but I think I will give Quantum of Solace" over "Spectre" on this one on the basis that it at least has the excuse of the writer's strike for its faults, something "Spectre" really can't even before the Sony leak. The feeling that I get after watching "Quantum of Solace" is a very middling like feel or to quote Futurama: "I have no strong feelings, one way or the other", whereas with "Spectre" I get a huge sense of frustration as I am watching it. None helping factors include the fact that as follow ups to their previous films, I say "Quantum of Solace" works a lot better as it at least for the most part understood the point of "Casino Royale" from a thematic stand point even if the film in places feel like one of those DLC missions from a video game that doesn't really add anything to overall story. "Spectre" felt like a film that missed the point of "Skyfall" with it continuing to go back to Bond's past despite the ending to "Skyfall" making it clear that a back basics of the Connery era and moving forward from the past was the direction they were going to go for. Sure "Spectre" had some Bondian elements to it, but they have the same issues to that of the Brosnan film in which they felt they were there to fill in a checklist and the film kind of has an identity crisis of wanting to be a tradition Bond film in terms of scope and humour, but also ants to carry on with the psychology and character development that has somewhat defined the Craig films and doesn't do well in either cases. It also helps that "Quantum of Solace" is mercifully short as parts of "Spectre" REALLY drag on.
Do I think this is Craig's best? No (Casino Royale is the best, in my opinion). Do I think this is Craig's worst? No (Quantum is hard for me to enjoy, coming off of the greatness of CR). However, I do enjoy SPECTRE a lot. My whole problem with it is the whole Blofeld/Bond connection and that all the previous movies have been Blofeld tormenting Bond. Just seemed silly and too convenient.
The building they used for MI6 in Spectre is the treasury building in Westminster. Churchill lived there for much of WW2 (the Churchill War rooms you can visit are in the basement) and gave the VE speech from its balcony. As someone who has worked in that building that was my highlight. Film felt like a bit of a mess with too many ideas.
Loved this video. I agree with everything both of you have said. Such a huge opportunity to bring back Blofeld as an intimidating presence in an elaborate lair (not a freakin' conference room) and to leverage Christoph Waltz's maniacal side and they blew it. I'm hoping No Time To Die comes back strong and is more cohesive. Casino Royale had one main goal. Goldfinger had one main goal. The last few were all over the place. After the strong Bond song for Skyfall, I thought the one for Spectre was putrid. Bring back Shirley Bassey or Nancy Sinatra or even Tom Jones for chrissakes, or st least get someone who can do a Bond-type song. The other thing I'd love to see brought back from the old days is Bond's worldliness, his bon vivant side with knowledge of fine wines, caviar, etc., I know Craig could do it if the writers captured Bond a little better and weren't trying to compete with Bourne and Mission Impossible. Casino Royale captured the magic (probably because Martin Campbell understands Bond). None since have captured it, not even Skyfall, which was a far sight better than Quantum or Spectre, and a great film in general, but broke from the Bond formula a little to much for me. Just my 2 cents.
Jerry Manas They’d never do it as she doesn’t match the bond singer image but Beth Hart is a favorite of mine and she’s easily done three or four songs that are so bond’esk in the past. Fire on the Floor being one. Brilliant singer and writer.
@@andrewharper4296 she would be a good one! As long as it sounds like a classic Bond song, I'm fine with new people (though I have a soft spot for the classic singers) . I loved Adele's. I really loved KD Lang's, which was only used in the end credits for some mysterious reason. I thought that last one for Spectre was crap. But I know some people liked it.
I actually thought the conference room scene with Blofeld in shadow and everything was great and it kind of reinforced that this organization is like "amongst us" unseen in normal places. I do wish the Morocco lair had been more elaborate and that that had been the climax of the film though.
@@christopherfernandez4157 I'll have to watch it again, I actually forget the whole Morrocan lair scene lol. I just remember it being the first Bond film I wasn't compelled to watch multiple times and thinking how underwhelming the Blofeld character was vs all his other incarnations. I also wasnt crazy about their past relation being tied together. I vaguely remember him being in the shadows when we first saw him and as I recall that part was effective. I'm going to watch it again.
@@christopherfernandez4157 the strangest thing happened. I rewatched the film tonight and I enjoyed it much more this time. My biggest complaints are the frequent scenes shot in a muted yellow, the horrendous song, and yes the Morrocan lair should've been more elaborate and Bondian, and they could've wrapped up the "C" subplot quicker. I also felt they didnt need the brother relationship thing, which goes against the whole canon. Now I'll have to rewatch Quantum.
I would have preferred to have seen Lucia Sciarra be with Bond throughout the movie instead of Madeleine Swann...even though it would stuff up the plot - not that it was the best anyway lol! Excellent retro take on the No Time To Die trailer too...looks and sounds much better than the original (thumbs up)
You are right-When I first saw this I loved it! As time went on....and I saw it several times....well not so much. It’s got lots of great moments...I like the pre-titles...I loved seeing Blofeld again...I thought Hinx was a classic 007 Henchman...Craig was great as usual... but the film overall seems flat. The action-outside of the great train fight-is very average and forgettable. I especially hate the action at Spectres base...just compare that with YOLT base and it’s not even in the same universe! (And that was almost 50 years ago!!) Everything about the finale was awful-I bet all of us 007 fans could have come up with a cooler ending than they did! And of course,the Austin Powers -Dr Evil brother connection was so ridiculous that it’s unbelievable someone at EON didn’t say “NO!” Hopefully No Time To Die will be get everything back on track!! Hey-FANTASTIC trailer at the end David!!😎😎😎👍👍
The happiest memory of seeing Spectre for the first time was the fact they got the classic gun barrel back at the start. It features the dullest car chase in the franchise, but the train fight echoes FRWL and was great. The ending was just too dragged out, would have preferred a helicopter chase in the desert after escaping.
I thought Quantum was much better thatn Spectre, even taking my first impressions into account (Quantum's fast cut editing was very annoying but the film was otherwise ok and has grown on me somewhat) - but i think what you say about Craig is very true - He was still all-in when he did QoS, he seems to not give a shit anymore, which makes his pouty performances that much worse to watch.
I hate that some stuff from spectre found its way into NTTD ( obviously ofcourse). Blofeld, madeleine having a kid, Bond having more luck than skill. I really dislike that.
Just look at this as your typical Bond movie and it’s great. Viewed as your typical Craig movie it’s a huge step down. It’s the evolution of the typical nuttiness they were reintroducing in Skyfall like a larger than life megalomaniac and the usual puns that were featured more prominently in the older movies.
17:40 Bond asked Madeleine to look at him while the video of the suicide was being played by Blofeld coz Bond didn't want her to see her dad committing suicide on video. Yes, she already knows he took his own life as told by Bond, but it would be traumatising for her if she had seen that happening on video. Hence why Bond asked her to look at him and not watch the video. I'm surprised you guys didn't really see it for what it was. I thought it was a powerful and very emotional scene.
Some harsh truths from the 'A Tale of Two Cardigans' team there but fair nonetheless. I don't want to be disappointed in Spectre because I love Craig and I love the idea of Spectre's return to the series. But yeah, there are some clunkers in there which seem inexplicable in hindsight. Piss yellow is not a good look for a film either. It has in no way dampened my enthusiasm for the next film however. Maybe the opposite actually. Anyway, good review and worth watching to hear David's attempt at the song which was almost as great as his 'Another Way to Die' rendition!
I went to the James Bond cinematic museum on a 10,000ft mountain 🏔 in Austria 🇦🇹 ski resort called Sölden. It’s where they filmed most of Spectre. The museum is spectacular and you can visit whilst wearing your ski boots. I can tell you, the first room which is a long tunnel like a battery of a gun plays the Spectre music and it’s spectacular. So whilst you may not like the song with the lyrics, the instrumental is extremely powerful
If you didn't like Smith's song, here's mine which I recorded BEFORE the film, but knowing the title - enjoy! www.reverbnation.com/rene/song/23848206-spectre
The reason why bond told her not to look is because it is much different when someone is told how your father died and actually to watch your father's death. It makes sense. It's the psychology of how the brain processes information. As a trained spy/assassin bond is trained to understand how someone will respond or not respond. Mi6, cia, mossad, ccp etc are trained in psychological warfare. I think you forget who james bond character is in the movie's.
Loved it guys. True Bond speak hear. To me key issue of Spectre is the same as Quantum. It just feels rushed and diced together. There are moments at make you smile and feel like they had the right idea but overall it doesn't fit together cohesively.
Just because she knows her father dies doesn't mean she wants to see her father die. T'would be a but traumatic, no? James was just trying to protect her.
The problem is it's a jigsaw of different script drafts which is why the characters are all over place and it's a patchwork of the worst ideas from substandard writing which probably confused the actors so affecting their performance just making things worse Quantum at least had a writers strike as a reason for it's problems this hasn't
I 1000% agree with you David, Craig's portrayal in Quantum is much better than anything since. Part of what set Craig apart was how ruthless he was in those first 2.
As of doing my most recent ranking (not just of the Craig films but of the whole series) I was shocked to realize that Sam Mendes directed both my favorite and least favorite Bond films out of the entire series. Wild, man. Just goes to show how all-important the script is.
He does have the strangest Bond filmography. Two of the very best with Casino & Skyfall. I personally regard them as my joint no1 Bond film ever. Two of the weakest with Spectre & Quantum. I recently rewatched all four with my son & we both felt that Quantum was the worst film of the four. It really is a bad piece of filmmaking. The pacing of the film is all over the place. The editing at times is just amateur. Spectre's problems are all with the script. Quantum could have been a good film but it's just so badly executed. Spectre on the other hand production wise a very well put together film. It's issues are all script. I have to say that as much as Spectre annoys me there is still a lot to like. There should be a lot to like in Quantum but it's so poorly done that it for me has to be the worst of Craig's Bond films.
First comment: at about 32:00 David says that Craig feels the new one is a passion project: absolutely incorrect IMHO. He's there for a paycheque plain and simple. You can see it in the trailers. Post Spectre comments (i.e.: would rather slash my wrists etc) will always prove what he feels about being Bond (and i"ve always flat out hated him in the role - even in Casino which was a good film DESPITE Craig, not because of him). For me, the filmmakers with Spectre tried soooooooo hard to make it relevant to the die-hard fans of the classic films of 62-02 that they thought re-introducing many of the plots, characters and tropes would be enough to make up for the obvious shortfalls. Which it doesn't. Too much of this film screams ineptness and no through-line that ties up with earlier points. Sam Mendes was always the wrong choice to direct a Bond film (and while i loathe Skyfall with a passion) he seemed to find a nerve that many people liked so the producers (who continue to make many franchise-killing decisions in recent years) thought it would be a good idea to bring him back here and it was a huge mistake. The only good and really entertaining part of this film was Dave Bautista. Everything else should have a massive Edit-Undo performed on it.
Telling someone what happened and showing it is two different things so it's easy for me to understand that part. The Plane sequence might not be Daniel Craig bond scene, but it is a bond scene and this is a bond film.
22:09 There's a similar theory about Minority Report - after Anderton is captured and put into a coma in the future-prison, the rest of the movie (including his escape) is just his dream.
I have mixed feelings about Spectre. It's by no means a bad Bond movie (or a bad movie in general) but my issue with both of the Sam Mendes movies is he's an arty style director. In my opinion he has real trouble doing action scenes. I watched Road to Perdition the other day. A brilliant movie but I realised it's the same deal, even during the scenes where there are bullets flying everywhere, it's slow motion, moody music, arty lighting, etc. Not bad by any means but does that style fit in with a Bond film? My answer is no, the Mission Impossible and Bourne movies show how you can create brilliant action scenes that grip the viewer rather than think "ooooo that looks pretty" lol. The car chase in Spectre was just dull and as mentioned in the other comments a real wasted opportunity. The one stand out action scene for me was the fight sequence on the train but again, where is everybody? The train is empty all of a sudden, lol. The story was almost like they decided, "hey let's do this and hey let's make Blofield because we haven't used him before, let's make him Bonds brother because that would be cool" without really thinking about whether they should. I would have been happy if they continued with the Quantum story. It didn't HAVE to be Blofield in Spectre, they could have created another great villain and we would have been happy. Which is my worry that they'll bring back Dr. No for the next one. The story was just not very well written and jumps around a lot. With regards to the music. Thomas Newman, is Sam Mendes's co-creator. A little like Spielberg and John Williams. Thomas seemed to have real issues with the music and the Bond films and he openly admitted in one interview I read that he wanted to get away from the Bond theme and do his own thing. Which I thought was shame as when he did use it with the full band effect it was brilliantly done. In contrast David Arnold loved to use the theme, it was his way of saying "here's Bond" as he used it in almost every scene that Pierce appeared in. He didn't use it in Royale until the very end as he felt he Craig wasn't Bond "yet" but created of course the CR themes which is used throughout the movie and works very well. Thomas Newman is a great composer (and actually I felt Spectre was the best one he did) but like Mendes I'm not so sure if he's an action composer like Arnold is. I am worried about NTDD, I'm really not sure about this whole "Bond's gonna get his arse kicked by women" routine. They did a great reboot of the Character with Daniel Craig and made him more real, more fallible but there are ways of doing this without bashing the character. Again, look at the last few Mission Impossible movies. Some great female characters in those films but they show what they can do on-screen without having to spell it out, but with some great humour too "hold my heels, or be careful this is a Versace dress!". They need to get the balance right and I'm worried they will screw it up. Fingers crossed. BTW I'm seeing 1917 at the weekend (Sam Mendes again) and the reviews I've read confirm the above, brilliant war scenes.....that look beautiful....lol.
After recently watching Quantum. Yes Spectre is Craig's worst, with the boring padded plot, boring action sequences, all of the recons of Craig's previous movies, the ending and the worst Blofeld's being Bond's foster brother was unforgivable!
I agree with you. When I first watched Quantum of Solace, I would always rage and call it the worst of the Craig Era. But when Spectre came out, it made me change my mind about Quantum of Solace. I re-watch Quantum, and I was like “okay I might’ve been too harsh on Quantum and I thought it was the worst. But seeing this, is gotta be the WORST of the Craig 007 movies”
@@joerperez290 I still don't think Quantum is good movie, with the unfinished messy script, poor villain and the awful editing which ruined the action sequences. But it has an awesome soundtrack, Craig is great. It just has more individual badass moments than Spectre.
William Southall I know it still not a good movie. But I still enjoy elements of Quantum. Like the foot chase sequence in Siena, Italy regardless of the editing as you mentioned. Yea I understand the movie has some flaws with a messy unfinished script, weak villain, and terrible editing. I even have the soundtrack of it and listen to it while I go jogging and sprinting as I’m chasing a terrorist. But other than that I still enjoyed the movie
The main issue with Spectre is that it's boring. Put a score of the quality of Quantum of Solace and better editing and I think it would be a better movie.
@@mikepretty7768 Definitely. Also a completed script would of made things better.
What makes Spectre so bad is that there was no reason for it to be. Craig knew the role inside and out, it had a great cast, a seasoned director. At least QOS had outside forces that made it what it was. Writers strike, last second rewrites, etc. Spectre was like Joe said, bland. I walked out of the theater so bored, the ending felt like a bad ripoff of Lethal Weapon.
spectre is an awesome movie I`ll rate it 8.5/10 until Bond gets capture by blofeld and is reveal to be his brother and is about to poison his brain or something like that then the movie goes south with no return :/ it sad because I feel it could easily surpass skyfall if the third part of the movie was well write the movie didn't need any ties with pass movie could be a great stand alone movie and even open the way to future sequels vs specter organization
SPECTRE was a huge disappointment. Worst Craig Bond movie, and one of the worst overall Bond movies, IMO.
I agree. Spectre is one of the weakest Bond films. Has an amazing opening, but the rest is boring.
@@MikaelLV Even the opening falls flat. The one take wasn't that impressive and ends in such an anticlimactic fashion. They should have done the whole thing as a one take. That would have been a legendary opening.
Nah
@Jack The Film Fanatic its trash.
I disagree. While Spectre isn't great, it is still better than a couple of other Bond films.
Everybody says Quantum was Craig's worst but I disagree!
It's definitely not nearly as bad as many people online try to make it seem.
@Captain Ireland quantum of solace is awesome because you see james bond eyes angry and pain in action
Quantum of Solace works well if you watch it continuously immediately after Casino Royale.
@@imranbecks yes. That's the best way to enjoy it. I just wish someday we could get a re-edit of it, without the copy-cat Bourne-style editing..
Yeah, pretty much every time I watch it it's better than the last. However, there are parts that clearly could have been done better and it's obvious that it was due to the writers' strike. I wish Felix Leiter was in it more, and I wish the first third was not just action scene to action scene to action scene. Danial Craig is badass as hell in it though.
I liked SPECTRE all the way up until the ending in London. The climax of the movie should’ve been in the desert, with more buildup and a more prolonged escape from the bad guy’s lair by Bond and Bond Girl, reminiscent of Dr. No and others.
Btw, I thought the reason Blofeld played the video was ostensibly to reveal that Bond handed him the gun, but that ultimately didn’t develop into anything.
Interesting comment and yes, that could have been a good finish to the film.
@@andrewharper4296 Thanks. Just to elaborate a little, I feel like "escape from the bad guy's lair" is a pretty standard Bond trope. Dr. No, You Only Live Twice, OHMSS, Diamonds are Forever, The Man with the Golden Gun, The Spy Who Loved Me,, and Moonraker, just to name a few, all climax/end with an escape from some elaborate villain hideout, usually as it blows up. Missed opportunity for a satisfying ending that would've carried on that tradition, IMO.
Christopher Fernandez Of course (and I need to check the articles of course) but I think in the original draft of the film this was the ending they had in mind? I think the studio executives got a bit too involved at that point! Haha :)
@@christopherfernandez4157 putting it that way, and watching the 'No Time To Die' trailer, there's bound to be an escape scene in this one also.
spectre is an awesome movie I`ll rate it 8.5/10 until Bond gets capture by blofeld and is reveal to be his brother and is about to poison his brain or something like that then the movie goes south with no return :/ it sad because I feel it could easily surpass skyfall if the third part of the movie was well write the movie didn't need any ties with pass movie could be a great stand alone movie and even open the way to future sequels vs specter organization
Original producers Albert Broccoli and Harry Saltzman would have been greatly disappointed in Spectre.
This is perhaps the most scathing criticism I've read of Spectre. Well said, sir.
And the next upcoming film.
@@RobimusPrime nah, it's too early to say that. Nobody has even seen it! Lol
Broccoli did say that there were parts of 'Golden Gun he'd re-do again'. He didn't say what but that seemed to be the Bond he was most unhappy with
The fight scene on the train is one of the best fight scenes I’ve ever seen. The thing that makes this so frustrating is that absolutely none of it makes sense in the context of story. Directly before the flight there are passengers and employees on the train and everything seems normal. Then out of nowhere Hinx shows up and suddenly the train is empty. If Blofeld knows that bond is on the way to him and wants him to come there so that he can do his big reveal and then personally kill bond then why is Hinx showing up on the train to kill bond and stop him from coming there. Wouldn’t he try to capture James Bond to deliver him to Blofeld? Directly after the scene when they’ve shot a part and busted apart half of the suddenly empty train it’s time to make love. Is this a dream sequence? What in the world just happened? And seriously, where did all of the passengers and train employees go? Was Hinx on the train the whole time? Was Bloefeld controlling the entire train? Did Bloefeld want Hinx to kill Bond and prevent him from arriving at his HQ? The following scenes don’t suggest anything of the sort. I’m not being picky here, I’m genuinely confused.
theblondebomber I’ve been saying that for over four years. The scene nonsense and it is there just to look cool.
Never thought about that before, it's complete nonsense.
I thought it was Craig’s worst by far. The relationship with Blofeld, wasted DB10/Jag in a mundane “chase”, wasted a potentially great henchman in Hinx. Drilled in the head made him the perfect shot at a base made out of nitroglycerin and a finale with the Scooby gang blowing up the riverhouse (which is still there last time I looked) and driving away to retirement in the DB5 which was blown up in Skyfall to get away from doing this for a bit. Makes Diamonds look like a classic.
Not a fan.
Also not to mention the terrible love story...
I literally just watch spectre 5 hours ago! My main gripe is how under utilize the christoph waltz is use. Comical escape scene in the desert and the shooting a helicopter with a pistol.
Shoots one valve with a gun. Entire base blows up
Shoots down a moving helicopter 1000 yards out with a handgun at night time
Wtf
Perhaps They dumbed down Waltz’s dialogue and performance so he wouldnt completely steal scenes from the anemic acting of Daniel Craig
Nailed it David. It’s the simple things that set Bond above all the competition. Brosnan dodging the bullet in Goldeneye. Sean’s hat toss at Universal Exports. Giving Sylvia Trench his card ( instead of asking for her contact info) and then politely exiting. Handing Lucianna her shoes for something to wear. etc
This film was essentially the studio going "oh, oh, oh WE HAVE THE SPECTRE RIGHTS! Quick, let's make a movie. What's that? Take time? No, do something with spectre. Anything!!"
How many years between Skyfall and SPECTRE? Shameful.
@@MartinIrwin3 years
So glad to finally hear someone criticising that horrible sepia tint over the beginning of SPECTRE, to spend that much time and money on a set piece and then make it look like CGI was utterly baffling.
Spectre has some really great scenes, I loved the Mexico one shot, the Altausee and Rome scenes and the plane crash. The movie also has some of my favorite bond outfits. But the movie completely falls apart in the London finale for me. It's a poorly written, rushed ending. The gun range scene, finding Madeline in this huge complex basically by accident, convenient net they can jump into, even more convenient rhib to chase the heli and then shooting it down with a 9mm handgun... What the hell?! This completely destroyed the immersion and the movie for me.
I agree with everything in this review. And I'd add: the casting of Andrew Scott. Thanks to his work on "Sherlock", whenever he comes on the screen now it practically screams "VILLAIN!!"
If Lynn spilt Sunny Delight over my copy of Spectre, I wouldn't give a toss.
Alan Partridge fan. 😂
" Yeah they're ruined "
Alan, I've spilt Sunny Delight all over the worst Bond film.
Lynn, you... shouldn't worry about it! Let me just check them. Yay! it's ruined!
Lmfao
I guess it's me, I'm a lone voice here. I'm a life long Bond fan and I liked Spectre. I liked it better than Quantum. I've seen it 4 or 5 times and I still enjoy watching it. I loved the action, I loved Blofeld (2nd best after Telly Savalas), I loved the car chase. 2 things I did not like, neither of you brought up. I did not like the childhood connection between Blofeld and Bond, the whole "I hate you because you stole my daddy" thing was unnecessary and bit ridiculous. I did not like the easy escape from the building at the end. That net was just too convenient. But I have to say I loved everything else. I thought the plot was good, the fact that Spectre was going to be hooked into every intelligence agency in the world was awesome and scary to me. I care about my privacy. But art is subjective. A midst all the criticism, I still manage to enjoy Spectre every time. As a Craig film it still takes the Bond seriously and plays him to reality. I'm not a Roger Moore Bond fan. Except for Live and Let Die and For Your Eyes Only all his films were farcical and almost Austin Powers comedies. I thought Moore, who is a great actor, just made fun of Bond and treated him with a little contempt. A View to a Kill is the worst Bond film by far, it's unwatchable. That's a bad movie, not Spectre.
I think it definitely had a better "coolness factor," so to speak, that QoS. The overall style and visual look of it was better. Like they said in the video, there's moments where Bond looks cool just doing stuff like walking, whereas QoS, in my opinion, is basically one long chase scene. I just think the plot of QoS is a little more coherent, albeit kind of simplistic. I agree with you about the childhood connection and, on a similar note, it seemed unnecessary to basically make Quantum like a subsidiary, for lack of a better word, of Spectre. Instead of tying all the films together it kind of just reinforced that Quantum was invented by the screenwriters because they didn't have the rights to Spectre at the time. It also kind of cheapened the whole idea because it made it seem like this massive criminal organization existed for the sole purpose of toying with James Bond's emotions.
2nd best? Nah
If it helps, I'm guessing the net was there to catch fallen masonry and Bond notices it when he enters the building.
One name... Christoph Waltz... if they had a script that fully realized his talents as an actor and developed the Bond/Blofeld backstory... the film would have been ten times better. Just look at him in Inglorious Basterds or Django... the script was a waste of his talent.
spectre is an awesome movie I`ll rate it 8.5/10 until Bond gets capture by blofeld and is reveal to be his brother and is about to poison his brain or something like that then the movie goes south with no return :/ it sad because I feel it could easily surpass skyfall if the third part of the movie was well write the movie didn't need any ties with pass movie could be a great stand alone movie and even open the way to future sequels vs specter organization
end of casino royale: bond is bond
quantum: bond is amateur bond
skyfall: bond becomes bond again
spectre: bond is the bond we see in goldfinger-thunderball
I like that way of putting it
James bond fan And the plot is straight outta Austin Powers Goldmenber.
Loved that one.. There are far far far far worse Bond films...
Actually I just rewatched Spectre and Quantum tonight, back to back. Surprisingly I actually liked QOS! I don't remember it being that good. I guess I was comparing it to Casino Royale when it first came out. Craig was in great Bond form. I also liked Spectre better this time around, despite the flaws mentioned, which are still valid (horrid song, ridiculous yellow filter, botching Blowfeld). Some beautiful segments in the film though. The biggest flaws were in the last half hour.
QoS is a late bloomer. Many of us in the fandom seem to have grown a new love for the film. Its one of my favorite now. A short bond film with great action and locations.
QoS is Craig's era best Bond.
@@martam4142 not as great and complete As Casino but Still The same Raw Uncandy zero Fucks Badass He is!!!
@@dereklewis4321It was rushed into production with first draft script during 2007nwriters strike pure greed😂
It's always hard for me to understand why such high budget movie has such a bad script..... not understand why they hire the same writers time and time again.
by the way: great video guys!
The writers of Craig's movies (and most of Brosnan's) are Neal Purvis and Robert Wade. They are atrocious. "Casino Royale" only works because it's a Fleming story and had a re-write.
Friedrich Schmidt i know .... they suck... except casino royale
It's a bit like the amount of script writers on No Time to Die which seems to have had several people working on it at one time or another-get a script locked well in advance of filming, you do have the time and it makes for a better movie overall
It's far and away his weakest. Shame too since I love CR, QOS, and SF.
The yellowing of Mexico City scenes has always angered me (and I lived there for 2 years). This piss-yellowing frequently gets applied to so-called third-world countries in western-made films for contrast, I guess, but it's almost a put-down. The City if strikingly beautiful without filtering!
Yeah, it almost does feel like a put-down. What a shame they did that especially in such a beautiful scene showcasing the day of the dead festivities. I don’t really like Sam Mendes. Find him to be a pretentious filmmaker.
Falls apart in third act. Crazy thing is, from the Sony email leaks we know THEY knew the script had a weak third act. And yet...they still shot it. Weird.
Actually the original third act was 'Bond held in a desert prison by the villain and something to do with a missing file. The third act was re-worked from this which probably explains why it doesn't really work. Apparently Sam Mendes said 'that the lack of a planned final act caused the final film to suffer immensely.'
@@jamesatkinsonjaOriginal endings was better Spectre not bad QOS is
I was laughing so hard when you imitated the singing. It made my day 😂
In the Cinema here was just four of us for an early morning showing and when I saw the urine coloured screen I thought "do I need to tell someone about this?" I literally spent ten minutes wondering if the colour balance was off on the projector. awful.
You two should review every Bond movie like that
Love the “Zeki Laurent trailer”! They should still make the trailers this way, (or bring it back), as it actually makes me look forward to seeing this film.
I managed to watch the whole Spectre only once..worst bond movie ever
Interesting thing I've found is that people who are not Bond fans and just general film fans, they enjoyed it. But your point is valid, is it a proper Bond film, no not really! lol
All of the locations and action scenes are desolate giving the movie a lifeless feeling. The desaturated color makes it even worse.
It's not just one of Craig's worst, it's easily in the bottom three of all Bond films, truly shambolic film
"SPECTRE: Is It Craig's Worst?"
That's like asking, "Was Tommy Wiseau's 'The Room' a bad film?"
There is a lot to love about this movie. The simple solution to its flaws would be to make the climax in London the penultimate scene and to stage the final confrontation with Blofeld in the desert with maybe a bit more exposition in their relationship.
Quantum of solace is the most hard core daniel craig james bond serious with broken heart fighting is one of the best after casino royale
True!
The only quality action scene in Spectre was the train fight. Even that doesn't hold a candle to any of the action in Casino Royale. Almost every action scene in Casino Royale felt like a finale. Ahhhhhhhh........ Oh yeah, we're talking about Spectre. Spectre sucks.
In Casino Royale hands were gripped to the chair in suspense. The train fight I couldn't but roll my eyes at the end of that train fight
It was a pretty good green screen fight
Is it Craig's Worst? YES! love your content David. No Time To Die is less than 90 days away.
Wow, you're right. I know it's 2020 but in my head I was thinking it was a year out.
Quantum of solace lookin like 👀🥴😅
Craig is a good james bond I'm used of brosnan before
Wow you are right!
Not watching that crap.
Boy it's not a good sign when a Bond actor has two movies that are so bad it's hard to decide which is worse
SPECTRE: Is it Craig's Worst?
Me "YES"
Oh I really enjoyed this! Spectre for me is easily the worst of Craig's. I've come to appreciate QoS a lot more since the last two, because it has more energy, great action, and Bond is mostly on his own, without the Scooby Gang as you say- although they're still often on the phone.. It also has a lot of great funny quotable moments such as " I don't think he smoked" and M saying "damn him, he killed him", to name a few. It's a memorable Bond film and Marc Foster is unfairly criticised for certain stylistic choices he made. But at least he didn't bog the film down with 'emotional' baggage, 'secrets', the modern popular way of selling a film (the promise of twists and reveals) and clumsy self aware references to older films.
I was hoping for a similar film from NTTD but it seems to be a mix of the best and worst aspects of Craig's films. But let's hope they all fit together for a more satisfying film of which we can confidently say "yes, that was a great Bond film!" and still enjoy each time we rewatch it.
ALSO you did a great job with the retro trailer at the end there! I'll have to watch some of your other reviews in this series. Cheers.
"I don't think he smoked' is fantastic.
What I miss about the Craig films is the scuba diving scenes but that is just me.
It’s so interesting getting the perspective of the non-British audience. To us Brits Bond can do no wrong. But you can look at it more objectively. I am also impressed with your observations around the subtleties of the character
New Theory: The 3rd film is where the actor finds his Bond.
That's what Cubby firmly believed.
Can't say I liked Goldfinger though...much more preferred FRWL and YOLT.
Oh definitely! That was what Timothy Dalton needed. He had a really good start and LTK was a huge step back. He needed at least a third movie to define his take on the character.
It's not a new theory though.
Ricardo Cantoral he was right with all of them except The World Is Not Enough. So far that’s the one exception. Brosnan just improved more in the role but it wasn’t anything too groundbreaking like with Connery, Moore and Craig. TWINE wasn’t particularly groundbreaking either although it was certainly a much needed improvement over TND.
I don’t know which I dislike more, Spectre or NTTD. Both had great scenes, but both had glaring flaws. Casino Royale was definitely Craig’s best, Skyfall second.
I really thought Skyfall ended beautifully so much so I believed Daniel Craig would have signed off with a trilogy. Spectre was quite underwhelming for me. Craig’s best films were Casino Royale and Skyfall.
Honestly should have been that way. A perfect trilogy of films. Now i fear craigs run will end with 2 of the worst bond films made.
No Time to Die is better than Skyfall Spectre and QOS butniotnas CR
18:15 - Bond shouts at Blofield to shut off the video of him and Mr. White, because he doesn't want her to see her dad blowing his brains out, because he is in love with her.
So glad you mentioned that bit in the hotel from QOS David, I Love it!
Gents: The ease of infiltrating SPECTRE via the ring is simply Blofeld 'letting' Bond into his lair - he's clearly expecting him.
Rewatched Spectre last night, and had to pause it and do some other activity half way through as it just wasn't engaging enough. I recall dozing off in the cinema on my first viewing.
I watched the supercar chase scene, in the beautiful Rome setting, perplexed how it could feel so boring. Mendes got Skyfall so right and this so wrong, or the writers did, at any rate.
Another excellent video - love your joint videos! Spot on as always!
And the torture scene, Blofeld drills into Bond's brain, says it's broken now but...he's totally fine? Does Blofeld not know how to use his own equipment? Did the writers forget what they wrote previously again??
Enjoyed the debate ... Agree Spectre ( The yellow wash movie) was a missed oppertunity.... DC posted in the performance of Bond ... Blofeld was mis written and played .... And the story was clunky ... Fingers really crossed for NTTD.
Spectre is one of my favorite Bond films. So many great nods and Blofeld reborn is fantastic. Madeline Swan is great, the DB10, the opening sequence is fantastic and they broke a record with the largest film explosion in history.
I THINK with time 'spectre' has grown on me, but. i think you have to invest in the fact that Bond & Blowfeld have a back story. once you are able to do this the film is better & the car chase was epic !
Hi David, and Joe.
Here are my thoughts. Of the four Daniel Craig films it is my personal favourite. Infact it's my favourite Bond film. Partly because I saw it at the cinema, as well as Skyfall. I loved the locations, I loved the pace, I enjoyed the soundtrack. I admit that there are problems with it though. But I don't mind them. The interesting thing for me was a local television channel in England ran Spectre with cuts in it, that annoyed me. As it softened the film too much. Thanks for the chat though
The film is an absolute mess. Everything appears phoned in and the script is secondary to the film. I'd describe this piece of crapola as one big Vanity Fair photo shoot in sepia tone. Honestly, I don't think 'Skyfall' was much better. 'SPECTRE' suffered from the same faults in scriptwriting with a director who was clearly more focused on hodgepodge "poetic" evocations than logic and quality.
Completely agree, also on the very overrated and embarrassingly pseudo-deep "Skyfall", with boring action and kitchen sink psychology.
It was also high time to bash Sam Mendes a bit, a terrible choice for director of a Bond film.
Skyfall sucks.
I'll certainly agree that Skyfall wasn't much better. I'm still flabbergasted so many people like that film. It's utter nonsense - easily my least favourite of Craig's. Spectre at least had cooler locations and action scenes - i personally love the opening sequence.
There are many satisfying scenes, like the whole Monica Belucci sequence. There are many more cringe-worthy moments- like the step-brother reveal, "touch it!", and the ending (Bond "arrests" Blofeld??). 3. The movie feels completely deadline-driven, like it was finished in a panic. Like David, I feel it was a missed opportunity, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy parts of it.
Did you upgrade your camera...looked like amazing video quality.
Totally agree! When they get to Blofeld‘s lair the whole thing jumps the shark. Shame. Especially the „it was about you all along“ twist made me hurl. Knowing there was a different version of the last part makes this even sadder.
Craig is EON’s worst 007. While Casino Royale was a good movie the entire Craig era is a lowered standard. They should have made him a different double character and rebooted the franchise with him as 006,5,4,3,2,8 or 9
I am gong to say "Yes" it is the worst of the Craig films so far despite many saying "Quantum of Solace" being the worst one.
I can see why many would say Quantum of Solace" is worse than "Spectre", but like how the two great Craig films in "Casino Royale" and "Skyfall" have one thing over another whether it depends on taste or objective points, the same goes for the two weaker ones.
The weakest for both films are the scripts, but I think I will give Quantum of Solace" over "Spectre" on this one on the basis that it at least has the excuse of the writer's strike for its faults, something "Spectre" really can't even before the Sony leak. The feeling that I get after watching "Quantum of Solace" is a very middling like feel or to quote Futurama: "I have no strong feelings, one way or the other", whereas with "Spectre" I get a huge sense of frustration as I am watching it. None helping factors include the fact that as follow ups to their previous films, I say "Quantum of Solace" works a lot better as it at least for the most part understood the point of "Casino Royale" from a thematic stand point even if the film in places feel like one of those DLC missions from a video game that doesn't really add anything to overall story. "Spectre" felt like a film that missed the point of "Skyfall" with it continuing to go back to Bond's past despite the ending to "Skyfall" making it clear that a back basics of the Connery era and moving forward from the past was the direction they were going to go for. Sure "Spectre" had some Bondian elements to it, but they have the same issues to that of the Brosnan film in which they felt they were there to fill in a checklist and the film kind of has an identity crisis of wanting to be a tradition Bond film in terms of scope and humour, but also ants to carry on with the psychology and character development that has somewhat defined the Craig films and doesn't do well in either cases.
It also helps that "Quantum of Solace" is mercifully short as parts of "Spectre" REALLY drag on.
Do I think this is Craig's best? No (Casino Royale is the best, in my opinion). Do I think this is Craig's worst? No (Quantum is hard for me to enjoy, coming off of the greatness of CR). However, I do enjoy SPECTRE a lot. My whole problem with it is the whole Blofeld/Bond connection and that all the previous movies have been Blofeld tormenting Bond. Just seemed silly and too convenient.
Another great discussion David just stated listening to Being James bond too
I still like this film but def a step down
The building they used for MI6 in Spectre is the treasury building in Westminster. Churchill lived there for much of WW2 (the Churchill War rooms you can visit are in the basement) and gave the VE speech from its balcony.
As someone who has worked in that building that was my highlight. Film felt like a bit of a mess with too many ideas.
Loved this video. I agree with everything both of you have said. Such a huge opportunity to bring back Blofeld as an intimidating presence in an elaborate lair (not a freakin' conference room) and to leverage Christoph Waltz's maniacal side and they blew it. I'm hoping No Time To Die comes back strong and is more cohesive. Casino Royale had one main goal. Goldfinger had one main goal. The last few were all over the place. After the strong Bond song for Skyfall, I thought the one for Spectre was putrid. Bring back Shirley Bassey or Nancy Sinatra or even Tom Jones for chrissakes, or st least get someone who can do a Bond-type song.
The other thing I'd love to see brought back from the old days is Bond's worldliness, his bon vivant side with knowledge of fine wines, caviar, etc., I know Craig could do it if the writers captured Bond a little better and weren't trying to compete with Bourne and Mission Impossible. Casino Royale captured the magic (probably because Martin Campbell understands Bond). None since have captured it, not even Skyfall, which was a far sight better than Quantum or Spectre, and a great film in general, but broke from the Bond formula a little to much for me. Just my 2 cents.
Jerry Manas They’d never do it as she doesn’t match the bond singer image but Beth Hart is a favorite of mine and she’s easily done three or four songs that are so bond’esk in the past. Fire on the Floor being one. Brilliant singer and writer.
@@andrewharper4296 she would be a good one! As long as it sounds like a classic Bond song, I'm fine with new people (though I have a soft spot for the classic singers) . I loved Adele's. I really loved KD Lang's, which was only used in the end credits for some mysterious reason. I thought that last one for Spectre was crap. But I know some people liked it.
I actually thought the conference room scene with Blofeld in shadow and everything was great and it kind of reinforced that this organization is like "amongst us" unseen in normal places. I do wish the Morocco lair had been more elaborate and that that had been the climax of the film though.
@@christopherfernandez4157 I'll have to watch it again, I actually forget the whole Morrocan lair scene lol. I just remember it being the first Bond film I wasn't compelled to watch multiple times and thinking how underwhelming the Blofeld character was vs all his other incarnations. I also wasnt crazy about their past relation being tied together. I vaguely remember him being in the shadows when we first saw him and as I recall that part was effective. I'm going to watch it again.
@@christopherfernandez4157 the strangest thing happened. I rewatched the film tonight and I enjoyed it much more this time. My biggest complaints are the frequent scenes shot in a muted yellow, the horrendous song, and yes the Morrocan lair should've been more elaborate and Bondian, and they could've wrapped up the "C" subplot quicker. I also felt they didnt need the brother relationship thing, which goes against the whole canon. Now I'll have to rewatch Quantum.
I would have preferred to have seen Lucia Sciarra be with Bond throughout the movie instead of Madeleine Swann...even though it would stuff up the plot - not that it was the best anyway lol!
Excellent retro take on the No Time To Die trailer too...looks and sounds much better than the original (thumbs up)
Totally, Monica Bellucci has a much better chemistry with Craig than Léa Seydoux, one of the most boring actresses around
You are right-When I first saw this I loved it!
As time went on....and I saw it several times....well not so much.
It’s got lots of great moments...I like the pre-titles...I loved seeing Blofeld again...I thought Hinx was a classic 007 Henchman...Craig was great as usual...
but the film overall seems flat.
The action-outside of the great train fight-is very average and forgettable.
I especially hate the action at Spectres base...just compare that with YOLT base and it’s not even in the same universe!
(And that was almost 50 years ago!!)
Everything about the finale was awful-I bet all of us 007 fans could have come up with a cooler ending than they did!
And of course,the Austin Powers -Dr Evil brother connection was so ridiculous that it’s unbelievable someone at EON didn’t say “NO!”
Hopefully No Time To Die will be get everything back on track!!
Hey-FANTASTIC trailer at the end David!!😎😎😎👍👍
I like to think that the torture scene re-tunes 007 and he gains this massive accuracy skill.
4:37 That's my favorite James Bond fight scene, easily. I've watched it over a dozen times, it's amazing. But the rest of the movie is mostly dull.😴
I actually really like Spectre.
No way. QoS is 1000x better than this crap.
QOS was rushed
The happiest memory of seeing Spectre for the first time was the fact they got the classic gun barrel back at the start. It features the dullest car chase in the franchise, but the train fight echoes FRWL and was great. The ending was just too dragged out, would have preferred a helicopter chase in the desert after escaping.
I thought Quantum was much better thatn Spectre, even taking my first impressions into account (Quantum's fast cut editing was very annoying but the film was otherwise ok and has grown on me somewhat) - but i think what you say about Craig is very true - He was still all-in when he did QoS, he seems to not give a shit anymore, which makes his pouty performances that much worse to watch.
I hate that some stuff from spectre found its way into NTTD ( obviously ofcourse). Blofeld, madeleine having a kid, Bond having more luck than skill. I really dislike that.
Just look at this as your typical Bond movie and it’s great. Viewed as your typical Craig movie it’s a huge step down. It’s the evolution of the typical nuttiness they were reintroducing in Skyfall like a larger than life megalomaniac and the usual puns that were featured more prominently in the older movies.
17:40 Bond asked Madeleine to look at him while the video of the suicide was being played by Blofeld coz Bond didn't want her to see her dad committing suicide on video. Yes, she already knows he took his own life as told by Bond, but it would be traumatising for her if she had seen that happening on video. Hence why Bond asked her to look at him and not watch the video.
I'm surprised you guys didn't really see it for what it was. I thought it was a powerful and very emotional scene.
Some harsh truths from the 'A Tale of Two Cardigans' team there but fair nonetheless. I don't want to be disappointed in Spectre because I love Craig and I love the idea of Spectre's return to the series. But yeah, there are some clunkers in there which seem inexplicable in hindsight. Piss yellow is not a good look for a film either. It has in no way dampened my enthusiasm for the next film however. Maybe the opposite actually. Anyway, good review and worth watching to hear David's attempt at the song which was almost as great as his 'Another Way to Die' rendition!
They cant all be winners. ;)
I went to the James Bond cinematic museum on a 10,000ft mountain 🏔 in Austria 🇦🇹 ski resort called Sölden. It’s where they filmed most of Spectre. The museum is spectacular and you can visit whilst wearing your ski boots. I can tell you, the first room which is a long tunnel like a battery of a gun plays the Spectre music and it’s spectacular. So whilst you may not like the song with the lyrics, the instrumental is extremely powerful
If you didn't like Smith's song, here's mine which I recorded BEFORE the film, but knowing the title - enjoy! www.reverbnation.com/rene/song/23848206-spectre
9:05 the song is a ball squeezer
The reason why bond told her not to look is because it is much different when someone is told how your father died and actually to watch your father's death. It makes sense. It's the psychology of how the brain processes information. As a trained spy/assassin bond is trained to understand how someone will respond or not respond. Mi6, cia, mossad, ccp etc are trained in psychological warfare. I think you forget who james bond character is in the movie's.
Loved it guys. True Bond speak hear. To me key issue of Spectre is the same as Quantum. It just feels rushed and diced together. There are moments at make you smile and feel like they had the right idea but overall it doesn't fit together cohesively.
what kinda watch are u wearing here David ?
Just because she knows her father dies doesn't mean she wants to see her father die. T'would be a but traumatic, no? James was just trying to protect her.
The problem is it's a jigsaw of different script drafts which is why the characters are all over place and it's a patchwork of the worst ideas from substandard writing which probably confused the actors so affecting their performance just making things worse
Quantum at least had a writers strike as a reason
for it's problems this hasn't
Craig and Forster write better things than these so called 'professional' writers.
@@martam4142 well it worked for me
Spectre is Craig's worst but No Time to Die ended up being his last thus breaking the streak of the last film being the actor's worst.
Personally love Spectre and find it the most re-watchable Bond. Weak ending in comparison to the first 2 acts, but overall really enjoy Spectre.
I 1000% agree with you David, Craig's portrayal in Quantum is much better than anything since. Part of what set Craig apart was how ruthless he was in those first 2.
Unfortunately, Quantum is unwatchable. The editing combined with blocking gives me the sensation of car sickness.
@@crobeastness The editing is indeed terrible.
As of doing my most recent ranking (not just of the Craig films but of the whole series) I was shocked to realize that Sam Mendes directed both my favorite and least favorite Bond films out of the entire series.
Wild, man. Just goes to show how all-important the script is.
You forgot to mention the step brothers BS.
I really like Spectre one of my favourite Bond movies, Daniel Craig is a fantastic James Bond , looking forward to No time to die.
Me too… and you will love it even more now that you have seen the garbage of no time to die.
Spectre?! In NTTD, James Bond dies CRYING and holding a DOLLY named "Du Du." Check and mate.
He does have the strangest Bond filmography. Two of the very best with Casino & Skyfall. I personally regard them as my joint no1 Bond film ever. Two of the weakest with Spectre & Quantum. I recently rewatched all four with my son & we both felt that Quantum was the worst film of the four. It really is a bad piece of filmmaking. The pacing of the film is all over the place. The editing at times is just amateur. Spectre's problems are all with the script. Quantum could have been a good film but it's just so badly executed. Spectre on the other hand production wise a very well put together film. It's issues are all script. I have to say that as much as Spectre annoys me there is still a lot to like. There should be a lot to like in Quantum but it's so poorly done that it for me has to be the worst of Craig's Bond films.
They could have done so much more with this. The best part was Sam Smith song. Waltz was a boring Blofeld, Telly Savalas was the best.
First comment: at about 32:00 David says that Craig feels the new one is a passion project: absolutely incorrect IMHO. He's there for a paycheque plain and simple. You can see it in the trailers. Post Spectre comments (i.e.: would rather slash my wrists etc) will always prove what he feels about being Bond (and i"ve always flat out hated him in the role - even in Casino which was a good film DESPITE Craig, not because of him). For me, the filmmakers with Spectre tried soooooooo hard to make it relevant to the die-hard fans of the classic films of 62-02 that they thought re-introducing many of the plots, characters and tropes would be enough to make up for the obvious shortfalls. Which it doesn't. Too much of this film screams ineptness and no through-line that ties up with earlier points. Sam Mendes was always the wrong choice to direct a Bond film (and while i loathe Skyfall with a passion) he seemed to find a nerve that many people liked so the producers (who continue to make many franchise-killing decisions in recent years) thought it would be a good idea to bring him back here and it was a huge mistake. The only good and really entertaining part of this film was Dave Bautista. Everything else should have a massive Edit-Undo performed on it.
Telling someone what happened and showing it is two different things so it's easy for me to understand that part. The Plane sequence might not be Daniel Craig bond scene, but it is a bond scene and this is a bond film.
I enjoy Spectre very much. My only problem is that it lacks a proper climatic action sequence.
The only real issue I have with spectre is the love angle. Didn’t make sense. They had no rapport and just met.
I was nonstop laughing throughout this whole video... you guys are spot on, haha I'm dead.
The next one looks worse, judging by the trailer
>judging by the trailer
Oh boi
I loved this series. I hope you guys review all the movies.
The reason Craig was snoozing through his lines in Spectre was because he was on painkillers after his knee operation.
I love SPECTRE
22:09 There's a similar theory about Minority Report - after Anderton is captured and put into a coma in the future-prison, the rest of the movie (including his escape) is just his dream.
I have mixed feelings about Spectre. It's by no means a bad Bond movie (or a bad movie in general) but my issue with both of the Sam Mendes movies is he's an arty style director. In my opinion he has real trouble doing action scenes. I watched Road to Perdition the other day. A brilliant movie but I realised it's the same deal, even during the scenes where there are bullets flying everywhere, it's slow motion, moody music, arty lighting, etc. Not bad by any means but does that style fit in with a Bond film? My answer is no, the Mission Impossible and Bourne movies show how you can create brilliant action scenes that grip the viewer rather than think "ooooo that looks pretty" lol. The car chase in Spectre was just dull and as mentioned in the other comments a real wasted opportunity. The one stand out action scene for me was the fight sequence on the train but again, where is everybody? The train is empty all of a sudden, lol. The story was almost like they decided, "hey let's do this and hey let's make Blofield because we haven't used him before, let's make him Bonds brother because that would be cool" without really thinking about whether they should. I would have been happy if they continued with the Quantum story. It didn't HAVE to be Blofield in Spectre, they could have created another great villain and we would have been happy. Which is my worry that they'll bring back Dr. No for the next one. The story was just not very well written and jumps around a lot. With regards to the music. Thomas Newman, is Sam Mendes's co-creator. A little like Spielberg and John Williams. Thomas seemed to have real issues with the music and the Bond films and he openly admitted in one interview I read that he wanted to get away from the Bond theme and do his own thing. Which I thought was shame as when he did use it with the full band effect it was brilliantly done. In contrast David Arnold loved to use the theme, it was his way of saying "here's Bond" as he used it in almost every scene that Pierce appeared in. He didn't use it in Royale until the very end as he felt he Craig wasn't Bond "yet" but created of course the CR themes which is used throughout the movie and works very well. Thomas Newman is a great composer (and actually I felt Spectre was the best one he did) but like Mendes I'm not so sure if he's an action composer like Arnold is. I am worried about NTDD, I'm really not sure about this whole "Bond's gonna get his arse kicked by women" routine. They did a great reboot of the Character with Daniel Craig and made him more real, more fallible but there are ways of doing this without bashing the character. Again, look at the last few Mission Impossible movies. Some great female characters in those films but they show what they can do on-screen without having to spell it out, but with some great humour too "hold my heels, or be careful this is a Versace dress!". They need to get the balance right and I'm worried they will screw it up. Fingers crossed. BTW I'm seeing 1917 at the weekend (Sam Mendes again) and the reviews I've read confirm the above, brilliant war scenes.....that look beautiful....lol.