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| Daniel Craig |
One of the many big movies of the Fall is likely to be the latest film in the James Bond series. Following the critically acclaimed and Oscar-nominated Skyfall, director Sam Mendes returns to deliver Spectre. As one can expect, there will likely be more of the familiar espionage and fast cars to keep fans of the British spy series entertained. Today marks the release of the first full trailer, which co-stars Daniel Craig and Christoph Waltz and sees the hero going on his 24th adventure. In predictable fashion, it looks just about as good as the recent Bond movies get.
To give a personal reminder for those newer to this blog, I do not really care about James Bond movies. While I can enjoy them on individual merit, the franchise as a whole doesn't fill me with excitement as I determine who played it best. To me, they are action movies with a very familiar formula full of girls, villains, gadgets, and cars. There's not a lot to differentiate Bond beyond this core. I will admit to enjoying Skyfall, but even that was more from a technical angle. Mendes brought a certain beauty to every scene. Javier Bardem was a great villain with an underlying comedic sensibility. As a whole, it was an enjoyable film that at very least keeps my faith alive that there's other good Bond movies out there.
Going in, there's not much that initially grabs me about this movie. True, it is the return of Mendes. There's even the great Lea Seydoux; an actress who has made a habit out of randomly appearing in great things. Even then, the real draw would have to be Christoph Waltz as the villain. As many film goers can attest, Waltz has become the perfect villainous role for any film. While he hasn't hit a peak as high, this is best exemplified in Inglourious Basterds in which he played a Nazi with charisma and humor. It is the archetype for what his roles would be since. With two Oscars under his belt in the past five years, I don't think we're worried about him not delivering something memorable.
Check out the trailer below:
Looks like a Bond movie to me. I don't really feel like there's any other major selling point beyond this. I could have gone in blindly and still had as much anticipation as you'd expect. I don't feel that sharing the plot synopsis will do any good in a case like this. Everything that you would see a Bond film for are on display here. There's the girl, villain, gadgets, and cars. We see a helicopter fly upside down as melodramatic score plays. It fits the model for a trailer about a Bond film. There's not much to really get excited about if you're not already excited about it.
It will be more interesting to see how this shows up on the Oscar race. While it is easy to forget, Skyfall received a big boost because of The Oscars. Along with a tribute at the actual ceremony, the franchise celebrated 50 years with a film that reestablished the appeal of the spy. Adele won Best Original Song for "Skyfall." The only thing that really was odd is how despite its acclaim and hype, it didn't show up in any of the major categories. It is in keeping with most Bond movies, but it felt like it would have been more of a clean sweep in the nominations progress.
Of course, having the team behind Skyfall on this one is enough to get me somewhat excited. I am curious to see if the theme song will be as inescapable of an ear worm. I wonder if it will look as visually succulent. Those are things that get me anticipated more than this trailer, which is perfectly fine. I don't know how we'll be talking about this film come its release. For now, however, it is evidence that a Bond movie is coming out and it's about time to hear another altered version of Marvin Hamlisch's iconic theme.
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