Blu-ray Review Spectre Blu-ray Review (1 Viewer)

[Ronald Epstein]

I am the odd man out here, as I discussed in another thread.

SPECTRE is my favorite Daniel Craig Bond movie. It's a great throwback to the old Bond movies I loved so much!

I agree the Mexico City opening was a bit pale. There are subtitles, for certain.

 

[David Coleman]

Love Spectre!

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Love Spectre!

Phew!

Glad I am not the only one

 

[Stephen_J_H]

I don't LOVE Spectre, but I like it an awful lot. Mind you, I'm also rather partial to Quantum of Solace, and believe it should be watched as a double feature with Casino Royale as often as possible.

 

[BarryR]

I liked SPECTRE, but it won't match CASINO ROYALE as my favorite Craig 007. For me CR is in my top five Bonds.

I agree that QS can only be viewed more charitably as a CR afterthought.

 

[Allansfirebird]

I can understand why...it's the worst Bond film ever. Well, then, there's A VIEW TO A KILL.

Have you never seen Moonraker or Die Another Day?

QoS only works when watched immediately after Casino Royale, as if it were the second act of the film.

 

[George_W_K]

I thought Spectre was ok. After the last couple of MI movies and The Kingsman, maybe my expectations of what a Bond film is has unfairly changed? Not sure, but this movie was only average to me. Although Casino Royale set the bar high for the Daniel Craig era for me so that may also have something to do with it.

The opening scene was really good. I'll have to watch this again for video and sound judgements. I just recently added rear speakers back into the fold after going a couple of years without them so everything sounds great to me. I also just received my 55" OLED, which replaced a 32" Samsung, so again, I'm in the novelty phase where everything is spectacular.

 

[Randy Korstick]

I can understand why...it's the worst Bond film ever. Well, then, there's A VIEW TO A KILL.

Its definitely worse than A View to a Kill. At least AVTAK isn't boring.

 

[Matt Hough]

Its definitely worse than A View to a Kill. At least AVTAK isn't boring.

It is to me. I think it's the worst Bond film.

 

[Worth]

It is to me. I think it's the worst Bond film.

Seconded. For all its faults, at least Spectre has style. View to a Kill is shot like an '80s TV movie.

 

[Stephen_J_H]

A View to a Kill has a solid theme song co-written by John Barry, kitsch value, and Grace Jones. Not much else to recommend it.

 

[Mikey1969]

A View to a Kill has a solid theme song co-written by John Barry, kitsch value, and Grace Jones. Not much else to recommend it.

AVTAK also has a great villain played by Christopher Walken of course, and a nice role for Patrick Macnee. It also has a list of faults as long San Andreas, the most notable being the frightening scene of the equine Grace Jones mounting and dominating the frail and terrified looking Roger Moore in bed. I still prefer it to Spectre though as it's never dull. I rewatched that film last night and could not even figure out if Live M even sent Bond on a mission or if he was acting as a rogue agent, or if he was just following the trail by Dead M to Sciarra.

 

[Patrick Donahue]

Rog was a bit past his Use By date in AVTAK, but no movie featuring Christopher Walkin, Grace Jones, and Dolph Lundgren appearing alongside Patrick MacNee can not be watchable

 

[Stephen_J_H]

As enjoyable as Walken is in this, he wouldn't really nail the villain role until Batman Returns 7 years later.

 

[Allansfirebird]

I rewatched that film last night and could not even figure out if Live M even sent Bond on a mission or if he was acting as a rogue agent, or if he was just following the trail by Dead M to Sciarra.

The film makes it pretty clear that he's not acting on Mallory's orders. It was a mission given him by Judi Dench's M.

 

[Randy Korstick]

Seconded. For all its faults, at least Spectre has style. View to a Kill is shot like an '80s TV movie.

I was referring to Quantum of Solace and not Spectre. I have been a huge Bond fan since the early 70's and Quantum of Solace is the only Bond film I do not like. Boring script, not unusual for a Bond film but they are normally redeemed by great action scenes. The shaky, headache inducing camera style ruins the few good action scenes there are in Quantum of Solace.
Concerning a View to a Kill I will add: No Bond film with a John Barry score is unwatchable. The Bond series has never completely recovered from the Lack of John Barry scores. One of the biggest continuities of the series from the 60's -80's was John Barry's music that set the tone and mood of the series. It would be the same if John Williams stopped scoring Star Wars films they would have a completely different feel.

 

[Mikey1969]

The film makes it pretty clear that he's not acting on Mallory's orders. It was a mission given him by Judi Dench's M.

If he wasn't under orders from Mallory, then he was rogue, which would explain why he told Bond to "stand down". It doesn't explain why he was sent to Q in the next scene and given weapons and access to the new car. I don't think Dead Ms have any status to send agents on missions, especially without informing the LIve M.

 

[Allansfirebird]

If he wasn't under orders from Mallory, then he was rogue, which would explain why he told Bond to "stand down". It doesn't explain why he was sent to Q in the next scene and given weapons and access to the new car. I don't think Dead Ms have any status to send agents on missions, especially without informing the LIve M.

Except that he wasn't given any weapons or a car. He looked at the weapons, as Bond always does in Q's shop. He's told the car is being reassigned to 008, in the light of Bond's mishaps in Mexico City. Bond stole the car, hence Q's "oh, shit" reaction when he discovers the door to the shop is open, and the car is missing.

As far as the mission - true, it's not an official mission. It's still an order from Bond's dead boss, which makes it a kind of mission.

 

[Mikey1969]

Except that he wasn't given any weapons or a car. He looked at the weapons, as Bond always does in Q's shop. He's told the car is being reassigned to 008, in the light of Bond's mishaps in Mexico City. Bond stole the car, hence Q's "oh, shit" reaction when he discovers the door to the shop is open, and the car is missing.

As far as the mission - true, it's not an official mission. It's still an order from Bond's dead boss, which makes it a kind of mission.

Bond was given an exploding watch. And yes I do know he was not given the car but he took it. If he had been truly stood down, he wouldn't not even have had access too Q or his lab. And the fact that your previous dead boss give you a clue on video, does not give you permission without official sanction from your present boss especially one that stood you down, to act on behalf of Her Majesty's Government. And also with the potential destruction of the Double O section it was pretty foolhardy to do this.

 

[Patrick Donahue]

Bond was given an exploding watch... If he had been truly stood down, he wouldn't not even have had access too Q or his lab.

The very last thing M told Bond as he was leaving his office was "report to Q tomorrow for medical," so while he might have been taken off any assignments, he still had access to Q's lab and was even expected to be there.

And Q was clearly made to have been helping Bond "under the table" so to speak, which is why he told him about the exploding watch and the ability to not track the smart blood for 48 hours in such cryptic ways (and purposely out of the ear shot of Tanner)...

...does not give you permission without official sanction from your present boss especially one that stood you down, to act on behalf of Her Majesty's Government.

That could be an argument against about 20 of the Bond films...