Movie Review: Spectre (2015)

"Bond. James Bond." I'm not gunna lie. I do have a strange love and appreciation for not only Daniel Craig, but the James Bond movies in general. Now you may or may not be wondering exactly why I have this strange love and appreciation for Bond films. For those of you who are wondering, it is because my first name was tenderly taken from a character in a James Bond film. ​Now, I am not going to detail exactly which Bond film...but if you are still full of awe and wonder I am sure a quick google search with give you the information you are looking for. With that introduction, I will leave you with an old tale:
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Truth: As the old story goes, my father (who has since gone to be with the Lord) had recently watched the aforementioned Bond film and pitched the name idea of Anastasia to my mother. His case was simple. Apparently, the character of Anastasia was very attractive, and her name also had a lasting impression on my father as well! Lord bless my mother, who took a chance on this unknown character  and warmly agreed to the name of Anastasia for their first daughter. Thanks Mom & Dad! 

Movie review disclaimer: As always, I am going to try really hard not to give anything away during this movie review. In order to do this, I will try to keep things short, sweet, and to the point. Now on we go!

What Is This Movie About?

Specter (directed by: Sam Mendes) is the latest movie in the 007 series. In this movie, Bond is on a mission to uncover the truth about this past and bring to justice a secret organization that has been operating in secret for many years. Will Bond succeed in his latest mission? What does he have to gain by uncovering this secret organization? Even more intriguingly, what does he have to lose? 

What Made This 007 Different From The Rest?

Personally, I think this movie had a much darker vibe than the Bond movies preceding it. Throughout the film there was lots of slow music and lots of low lighting. In fact, I am convinced 95 percent of this movie was shot at night in complete darkness. It also seemed like the cadence of the movie was not as fast as other traditional Bond films. Some scenes in the movie seemed to drag on, but this didn't happen often enough to make a big deal out of it.

​There seemed to be even more moments in this film where Bond was forced to make hard decisions as he frequently found himself in a multitude of high intensity situations. I must say, watching how Bond handled these situations made the movie 10x better!

What Remained Pleasantly The Same.

I get it, directors and producers like to switch things up from time to time. Especially in movies. It keeps people guessing and it keeps the audience engaged and on their toes. However, there are some thing that shouldn't be messed with - and Bond films are one of them. Here are a few aspects of the Bond film that helped the movie retained its epic 007 authenticity:

1. I am not a car girl by nature, but something about the mechanics of the cool cars featured in this movie really had me so intrigued!
2. The fast car chases were sprinkled with a healthy dose of burnt rubber, and just a touch of impeccably timed humor. Such an entertaining combination!
3. Daniel Craig's physical ability to pull some of the craziest stunts imaginable. His athletic endurance is completely insane. On top of that, you KNOW he is getting older - but that doesn't even seem to make a difference to him at all! I just get the feeling that shooting all of those running, jumping and fighting scenes was anything but a walk in the park. I just have to commend him for doing it anyway! 
4. The wardrobe team for this movie sure knew what they were doing. Not only was Daniel Craig dressed to impress at all times, but even the extras in the way way way back were doing their thing and dressed impeccably well. Kudos to the wardrobe crew for their commitment to excellence! 
5. The attention to detail that was taken in each and every scene was astounding. Especially during the opening scene! I won't give it away, but you will see what I mean when you watch it! This movie feels real. Everything about the backdrops and the environment feels normal - like it could actually exist in real life.

What I Could Have Done Without...

I did feel like all of the "physical attraction" scenes with Bond were a bit cliche and predictable. But then again, one could argue that this predictable sexual behavior is just a part of what makes Bonds character who he is! Whichever boat you are in, we can both agree that the movie did do a good job at not showing excessive amounts of skin! 

My Final Recommendations

All things considered, I absolutely think that this is a movie worth watching. Now, I would not take your 13 year old son or daughter to see it - but I do believe that it would be appropriate to watch with your close friends.

Last tip! When you get to the theatre make sure you really settle in, because this movie is pretty long. In fact, I wouldn't drink a drop of liquid starting at least 2 hours before the movie. Spectre (2015) is a total of 148 minutes long (2 hours and 27 minutes). YUP! It is a looong film! However, I do think you will enjoy every minute of it. Or at least, a majority of them anyway! I did!

​For more movie reviews & other fun stuff - subscribe to the blog! Also, let me know what you think of the movie when you watch it for yourselves! 

With Love,

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Stasia | Rose