Director: Sam Mendes
Year of Release: 2015
Should you watch it? Sorry, but yes.
Why?
Oh no, I like this so much more years later than I ever thought possible. It is truly embarrassing. I remember watching it shortly after it came out on streaming and just being so underwhelmed. I loved Skyfall and was so excited the team was getting back together to make the follow-up. So what was different this time? The biggest thing was recognizing that I just sort of enjoyed hanging out with Daniel Craig’s James Bond and his ever-so-slightly aimless attempt to solve a mystery that Judi Dench’s M left for him. Sure, eventually there is a take-over-the-world bad guy, some tacked-on subplot about some soulless twit causing the government and corporations to get in bed together to spy on everything, and there is a humiliating amount of exploration of the James Bond lore. But ultimately, all of that felt very insignificant in comparison to the fun of Daniel Craig being on an adventure.
How is the Bond?
“I’ve got something better to do.”
Daniel Craig’s Bond here is in a very different place than he has ever been since he took over the character. He is an odd combination of being a bit more devil-may-care and simultaneously more focused and committed to the work of saving the world. He is almost completely on his own in this film, as he was taking orders from Judi Dench’s M from beyond the grave. He ends the film aspiring to live a life with more joy in it than just death.
How is the Bond Woman?
Léa Seydoux has a rather thankless role in this film. She plays the estranged daughter of Mr. White – the inexplicably important character that keeps popping up in these Craig Bond films. Bond needs her for his mission but falls in love with her. There is not too much to say about her, and it was pretty surprising that they brought her back for the next one. Skyfall was really onto something with NOT having a love interest for Bond.
How is the Bond Villain?
Christoph Waltz obviously did a good technical job of performing the duties of being a Bond Villain. Through no fault of his own though, the thinking behind the character was very flawed. The biggest weakness of the Craig Bond films was how much they sought to focus on lore and mythology. A long-last step-brother of James being the head of SPECTRE is absurd in all of the wrong ways. The character is enough of an afterthought though for it not really to drag the film down all that much though thankfully.
Does the film irresponsibly present the West as the hero of the world and thus promote imperialism and colonialism as inherently positive?
Yes.
The Reel World 