A cryptic message from Bond’s past sends him on a trail to uncover a sinister organisation. While M battles political forces to keep the secret service alive, Bond peels back the layers of deceit to reveal the terrible truth behind SPECTRE.

Along with the return of Daniel Craig as James Bond, Spectre would also see the return of director Sam Mendes who would expand his study of the character of James Bond, while also broadening the world in which he acted in. Once again Mendes would bring the same operatic elegance he had to Skyfall in Spectre, and Spectre was an utterly gorgeous film to look upon. Where Skyfall had a punchy and polished noir quality to its visuals, Spectre instead offered up a starker, stripped-down style, and presented audiences with an even grander and bigger canvas on which Bond was able to operate in. Mendes also gave Spectre this essential retro-cool Bond feeling about it, with its setting and design feeling very much inspired by the Bond films of the Sean Connery era and the design and artistry of the great Ken Adam. Spectre also had a feeling of grand opulence about it, which was reinforced by the megalomaniacal size and scale of the crime syndicate that gave the film its name, and this really made an impression on audiences.

While it was of such considerable scale and size, Spectre also happened to be in my mind the most intimate of all of the Craig Bond films to date. In his narrative and plotting, Mendes again went back into Bond’s past and used the baggage of the secret agent’s youth to draw out a narrative of him duelling with a very dangerous and very personal villain. Spectre was also very much in keeping with the sequel narrative that Mendes was working to with its storytelling literally succeding the events of Skyfall and tieing in together the events of all of the previous Craig films to craft a single narrative thread for Bond to follow.

Daniel Craig would return in his fourth appearance as super-spy James Bond in Spectre, and whereas Skyfall was about him re-connecting back to his old self as Bond, Spectre was very much about him going into the internal mind of Bond and discovering the reasons and motivations for why he acts the way he does. While Craig has continued to deliver one of the sharpest and coolest portrayals ever of the dapper and debonair 007, Spectre gave him considerable room to explore the humanity of James Bond, along with what it would truly mean for Bond to actually fall in love and truly devote himself to one single woman. Added to this was also a sense of a hunter’s single-mindedness as he pursued SPECTRE around the globe and you had a very interesting take for James Bond this time around.

As a viewing experience, Spectre also felt more like a team film, rather than just the lone acting Bond pursuing this evil organization and its mastermind across the globe. A newly minted and sternly worded M (Ralph Fiennes), the talented and quick thinking Moneypenny (Naomi Harris), the technologically minded Q (Ben Whishaw) and the ever-dependable Tanner (Rory Kinnear), all played key roles in Spectre. And it was very fun to see Bond act as part of a group to stop SPECTRE in its tracks, especially in the third act, and this really gave the film a new and different kind of energy. Bond’s supporting team were also not mere spectators that popped up for a scene or two, but each had a key part to play within the film’s narrative and this certainly kept things interesting.

Bond would also get his fill with two thoroughly gorgeous women in Spectre, including Monica Bellucci as the sexy Lucia Sciarra and Léa Seydoux as Madeleine Swann, a beautiful and soulful woman who would finally steal away his heart. Both Belluci and Seydoux made for great Bond Girls and each of them had their own part to play in the narrative and added to the story’s impact. Bellucci, as she is prone to do, was effortless in her portrayal of the femme fatale vixen, while Seydoux was a capable new woman in Bond’s life who was on an equal footing with him. She would also give this old war dog a chance to properly explore the idea of a greater love than just the bliss of a single night’s passion. Seydoux’s Swann was also of key importance to the film’s third act, and her time spent with Bond in Tangier and the Sahara lent to some of the film’s most stunning imagery and emotionally intense moments.

Spectre had a terrific sense of history about it as it took from the past of the character and brought it back into the modern era and none was this more so clear than with the film’s chief antagonist. Stepping out of the shadows to bring the chaos down on James Bond was none other than two-time Academy Award winner Christoph Waltz as Franz Oberhauser, later revealed to be the megalomaniacal Ernst Stavro Blofeld, James Bond’s ultimate nemesis and Waltz truly made the part his own. Written as a brotherly figure to Bond, with a dangerous grudge to bear against him, Waltz gave Blofeld a calculating, sadistic intelligence that made him out as a special kind of villain for Bond to contend with, one who partook in great enjoyment in tormenting Bond, and who was more than happy to cause as much chaos as possible as long as it made Bond suffer.

Not only was Spectre a story of immense scale in the narrative, characters and location, but also in its action and Mendes certainly put Daniel Craig through the grinder with this one. His intention was to start off big, and the film’s opening chase and helicopter fight through Mexico City on a packed out ‘Day of the Dead’ was an incredibly epic spectacle to witness. From this opening, Mendes and his team expanded on this idea of big action which included an intense car chase through the darkened streets of Rome; Bond smashing through the Alps in a Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander; an intense mano-a-mano fight scene on a moving train between Bond and Dave Bautista’s Mr. Hinks, a brooding, brute of a killer sent to dispatch 007; the destruction of SPECTRE’s Sahara desert compound, which included the biggest ever explosion committed to celluloid, and a final confrontation between Bond and Blofeld in an explosive London showdown. If you were an action junkie you absolutely loved what was on offer here and I have to say that it was the film’s Mexican aerial helicopter fight that got my blood pumping the most.

For audiences and Bond fans, Spectre felt like a different experience altogether, and watching it back again you can feel that Mendes was working to explore new territory with the character, while also trying to reinterpret the historical Bond in a brand new light. Mendes was also working towards a film that was nothing short of the word ‘blockbuster’, and Spectre was a film of immense scale and size and audiences were in for a grand experience worthy of the world’s greatest super spy. While the film does have its faults, I feel like it was a very ambitious attempt by Mendes to search for new ground in the Bond franchise, along with bringing the Craig movies as a whole together as a franchise, and which will now be brought full circle in the forthcoming No Time To Die. While initially many people saw the film as Craig’s final chapter, now we can look upon it as the set up to his final act as James Bond, and acting as an intermediary narrative that sets up the things to come in No Time To Die.

Spectre is a colossal event sized movie and you certainly feel the epicness that Sam Mendes was searching for when bringing it to the big screen. It’s big, lavish and packed full of a mix of retro-cool and modern excellence, and is an important chapter to witness as we now head into Daniel Craig’s final turn as James Bond.

No Time To Die will arrive in cinemas on October 7.

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In this special 45-minute retrospective, Daniel Craig candidly reflects on his 15-year tenure as James Bond. Including never-before-seen archival footage spanning from Casino Royale to No Time To Die, Craig shares his personal memories in conversation with 007 producers, Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, in the lead up to his final performance as the iconic secret agent.

Directed by Baillie Walsh, Being James Bond is a unique 45-minute documentary that summaries Daniel Craig’s entire performance as the debonair super-spy and it offers a complete overview of what being 007 has meant to the actor. Bringing together Craig alongside longtime producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, the film is an intimate discussion piece set against a collection of footage that goes into the extraordinary intricacies of what it meant to cast Craig in the lead role and what a rollercoaster ride it has been for him ever since.

Like all good stories, we need to start at the beginning. And Being James Bond takes us right back to the start of how Daniel Craig became James Bond. Regarded as one of England’s most talented and versatile performers, Craig is very upfront that he never saw himself leading a franchise on the scale of James Bond. But all of that changed very quickly. While many people will assume it was Matthew Vaughn’s Layer Cake that nailed Craig the role, it was in fact his turn as John Ballard, an intense, psychotic and zealous Jesuit priest in 1998’s Elizabeth that caught the attention of Babara Broccoli, and she knew she had found her man to take on the mantle of James Bond.

One of the coolest parts of Being James Bond is that long time 007 fans finally get to lay their eyes on actual footage from Craig’s secretive screen test for 2006’s Casino Royale. It’s very interesting to look upon the footage and see Craig playing with the role for the first time and you see shades of what is to come. Of course, after landing the role came an onslaught of very unwanted media attention and this is discussed at length by Craig, Broccoli and Wilson and it’s extremely interesting to hear Craig’s perspective on these troubling events, along with the shock, surprise and adulation that followed with the premiere of Casino Royale in 2006 and the return of an entirely new James Bond.

Being James Bond takes us inside the thoughts and mindscape of Craig throughout his journey as Bond through projects including Quantum of Solace, Skyfall and Spectre. With each new film, we learn of the challenges around filming and just exactly what Craig was thinking and feeling. With this conversation, we really find out how each film affected him, and how he evolved with the role. And audiences are further offered an incredible collection of previously unseen behind-the-scenes footage that pulls you deeper into the process of Craig’s performance.

But beset by growing injuries Craig readily opens up about how he was willing to throw in the towel after a very difficult shoot for 2015’s Spectre, where a persistent knee injury caused him agonising pain and resulted in a much-circulated media appearance. But feeling that he still had unfinished business he soldiered on and was ready for one final crack at it and that’s where we now are with No Time To Die, which has the makings of the ultimate James Bond film.

Craig, Broccoli and Wilson give a deep insight into the new film and its significance to the franchise and Craig’s performance as Bond. Fans will also be very excited to see an incredible new collection of previously unseen footage that is sure to have them salivating for the final completed project. This is utterly the most moving part of the documentary and audiences actually get to see his final moments and a passionate final speech thanking the crew and team who brought the project to life. It’s here that we truly hear and feel what the experience and character of ‘being James Bond’ has meant to Craig and you can’t help but be touched by what this has meant to him.

Being James Bond is a fascinating inside look into one actor’s journey and craft as one of the 20th century’s greatest ever heroic characters and just what it has meant for Daniel Craig to be James Bond. For fans of the 007 franchise, it’s a must-watch documentary and it will have them amped and excited for what comes next in Craig’s final turn as super-agent 007 James Bond in No Time To Die.

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Here’s the synopsis for Spectre:

In the aftermath of the attack on MI6, a cryptic message sets in motion events that will see James Bond come face-to-face with the sinister organisation known as SPECTRE. As Gareth Mallory, the newly appointed M, continues fighting political pressures that threaten the future of MI6, Bond follows a trail from Mexico to Austria and Morocco as he is drawn into a confrontation with an enemy from his past; one who holds a dangerous secret that will force him to question the value of everything he has fought to protect.

Spectre is rumoured to be the final round for both Mendes and star Daniel Craig, and while this version of Bond is coming to an end, many wonderful memories of the film are set to live on. Here are five reasons to watch:

5. Danny Kleinman’s exquisite title sequence

While Sam Smith’s theme tune ‘Writing’s on the Wall’ received some backlash, there’s no denying that the song worked beautifully with Danny Kleinman’s title sequence. Slick, sexy and alluring, the combination of imagery was masterfully created. Never before have octopus tentacles been so suggestive.

4. Impeccable style

Following the retro-infused tone that director Sam Mendes established with Skyfall, Spectre plays out as very sexy and classy picture. The combination of production design and costuming have created an exquisite and beautiful film, with Bond dressed in the finest tailored suits courtesy of Tom Ford, while Lea Seydoux and Monica Bellucci shine in Jany Temime’s stunning costumes creations. This attention to detail really adds the all-important suave element expected of a Bond film.

3. In-your-face action

From its opening moment in Mexico City to the penultimate showdown in London, Spectre is filled with exotic globe-trotting, and some of the most intense, and inventive action scenes that the Bond franchise has ever seen. The brutal hand-to-hand combat scene between Bond and the ferocious Mr. Hinx (Dave Bautista) leaves a particularly lasting impression.

2. Madeleine Swann: a real character 

While Bond girls have often been portrayed as interchangeable play things for the various versions of Bond, there has been some level of progression over the last few films (Eva Green’s Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale comes to mind). In Spectre, Lea Seydoux’s Madeleine Swann is the new woman in Bond’s life – but she’s no damsel. The daughter of a previous Bond enemy, Swann is a sharp shooter (literally) who can more than hold her own with Bond.

1. Daniel Craig: James Bond laid bare

Over the course of four films, Daniel Craig has crafted a layered portrait of Ian Fleming’s secret agent, which has completely modernised the character in a wondrously complex way. In Spectre, Craig gives us his most raw Bond yet – a man with a purpose, but one who is becoming disillusioned with his place in the world. But while Bond may be dealing with his own issues, he is no less focused, instead compelled by a desire for answers. Spectre charts Bond coming full circle, completing a cycle for the intrepid super spy.

Image source: Sony Pictures.

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The final trailer shows off some very dynamic action sequences, as well as giving audiences the most detailed look at Bond’s sinister new adversary Franz Oberhauser (Christoph Waltz).

In the aftermath of the attack on MI6, a cryptic message sets in motion events that will see James Bond come face-to-face with the sinister organisation known as SPECTRE. While Gareth Mallory (Ralph Fiennes), the newly appointed M, continues fighting political pressures that threaten the future of MI6, Bond discovers that the only way to unravel the web of conspiracy is to protect the innocent daughter of a powerful enemy. Following a trail from Mexico to Italy, Austria and Morocco, he is forced to operate outside his purview as he is drawn into a confrontation with an enemy from his past.

Packed with non-stop action, style and a killer storyline, director Sam Mendes is pushing for SPECTRE to be the grandest entry in the James Bond mythos. SPECTRE is set to premiere on October 26 in the UK, followed by a general release of November 6 in the US, and November 12 in Australia and New Zealand.

The post James Bond Is All Action In Final ‘Spectre’ Trailer appeared first on SpicyPulp.

In the aftermath of the attack on MI6, a cryptic message sets in motion events that will see James Bond come face-to-face with the sinister organisation known as SPECTRE. As Gareth Mallory, the newly appointed M,  continues fighting political pressures that threaten the future of MI6, Bond follows a trail from Mexico to Austria and Morocco as he is drawn into a confrontation with an enemy from his past; one who holds a dangerous secret that will force him to question the value of everything he has fought to protect.

In addition to a leaner and meaner Bond, we also get our first look at Lea Seydoux’s Dr. Madeleine Swann, Monica Bellucci as Lucia Sciarra, Dave Bautista as Mr. Hinx and Christoph Waltz as the dangerous Franz Oberhauser.

Following on from the triumph that was 2012’s Skyfall, director Sam Mendes and star Daniel Craig have created a dark, compelling and exciting new chapter of the James Bond mythos with Spectre which will arrive in cinemas on November 6.

The post James Bond On Target In Brand New ‘Spectre’ Trailer appeared first on SpicyPulp.

When a cryptic message from an unlikely source sets James Bond navigating the layers of a sinister organisation known as SPECTRE. As M continues fighting political pressures that threaten the future of M16, Bond draws closer to uncovering the hidden truth at the foundation of the conspiracy that will force him to question the value of everything he has fought to protect.

The teaser is filled with mounting tension as Bond looks set to confront the sins of his past, and comes face to face with Spectre’s mysterious benefactor Franz Oberhauser (Christoph Waltz).

On November 6 get ready for a brand new chapter of the James Bond mythos with Spectre.

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