SPECTRE is, by far, the most anticipated film of the Killing Time community. There are a lot of good films to look forward to this fall while we’re counting the days until Star Wars Episode VII, but Bond’s 24th outing is the July poll’s winner as the one we’re most anticipating.
I have loved every one of the Craig Bond films, loved how actual character development has finally made its way into this franchise and that the team behind the outstanding Skyfall is back to do SPECTRE, only heightens my excitement. The first teaser was cryptic, built off the events of Skyfall and promised that this encounter with SPECTRE was going to be very personal for Bond. The second trailer hammers that home. Someone has been hinted at from Casino Royale at the person pulling all the strings causing mayhem in Bond’s life and it looks like it’s SPECTRE’s head (Christoph Waltz). I cannot wait for November 6, 2015.
Of course this is the most anticipated film this year that isn’t Star Wars. Was there ever any doubt? They say it could be the most expensive movie ever made, and that gives me pause (Casino Royale and Skyfall both worked as well as they did because of the performances and the stellar direction, not because they were spectacles) but Sam Mendes is one of the best filmmakers working today (even American Beauty, which I hate, is brilliantly made). I’m not a fan of Quantum of Solace, But Craig is the best Bond of all time, and I really mean that. I know he seems less than enthusiastic about the whole thing, but I hope he has at least one more in him after this one. I hope Mendes does too, despite what he’s saying in the press. Some might think it’s sacrilege, but I never knew Bond could be this good until it was rebooted with Casino Royale.
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The budget rumors don’t bother me because Mendes, like Chris Nolan, uses practical effects whenever possible and that drives the budget up. I think there’s been plenty of spectacle in the last three films (they’ve destroyed houses TWICE), but it IS the performances, not just of Craig but of the supporting cast that have grounded the films and given Bond a realism (I know that’s an odd word to use for his world) he never had. I felt the same about Quantum of Solace after the first viewing, but one day I watched it back-to-back with Casino Royale and the two flowed together seamlessly. I think Forster was trying to give a coda to Royale and more time to emphasize just how badly Vesper’s death affected Bond and changed him forever. It also has direct ties to SPECTRE as the blond woman in the trailer is the daughter of Mr. White from that film. I think a lot of ties to SPECTRE are contrained in Quantum. Royale managed to be perfect without a really strong Bond villain and Quantum lacked that which is why it is a step below the other two films. Javier Bardem is going to be such a tough act to follow but it is Waltz we’re talking about so how can I doubt him? I’m not surprised Mendes is done. I was shocked he did two based on his history of rarely doing anything remotely similar twice and the franchise’s history of a new director each film. Given his love of the franchise, I think a Chris Nolan Bond film is inevitable. As far as I know, he hasn’t chosen a follow-up to Interstellar and I would be doing cartwheels if it was Bond 25.
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Nolan says he’s finished the script for his next film, but he won’t say what it is yet. I would be very surprised if it were Bond 25. Here’s what I think. Craig does one more after SPECTRE, then they bring Nolan in to helm Bond 26, to help ease the pain of losing Craig.
Sometimes when a director has such an indelible style it doesn’t gel with a preexisting franchise, but Nolan’s style is absolutely perfect for Bond. Also…. and I don’t dare hope for this, because it’s a long shot… but how great would it be if they structured the three post-Craig films as a self-contained trilogy, and Nolan directed all three? I would say it was totally unlikely, but he did do the same thing with Batman.
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I think Craig will remain as long as they can keep him interested. I pity the person who has to follow him. I can see him doing a few more if they keep him happy. He really hasn’t had a lot of success aside from Bond, so I’m not sure why he’s always so cranky about returning.
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Reblogged this on MDellert-dot-Com and commented:
For my money, Daniel Craig is the best Bond yet (respect to Connery and Moore), and the recent series of Bond films have been the most engaging. Is it “great cinema”? Maybe not. But they’re a helluva lot of fun.
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