A Brief, Initial, Non-Spoiler-y Look at "Spectre" (2015)

Sometime in the near future I need to get back to an in-depth look at “Skyfall” and the Quadrilogy that is Craig’s Bond thus far. For now, here are initial thoughts on the latest, “Spectre.”

The song is really bad. But then again, this is a series known for really great and really dreadful theme songs. It is a crapshoot.

So, is it a compliment or some sort of advancement of women’s lib that they have a 50 year old as a Bond Girl this time around? Don’t get me wrong, I have always been a fan of Belucci’s beauty. But you would think women’s lib is all about women being clever enough not to immediately fall to pieces when Bond presumes.

While we are addressing the great questions of our time, where does Bond get all of his outfits? It isn’t like he travels with a full wardrobe and yet he always has the most fashionable outfits and they always perfectly match the color palate of his surroundings. I want to know his secret.

If Bond films are measured by their villains (and I don’t necessarily buy into that argument) then this is clearly a middle-of-the-pack entry. Waltz is as good as ever, but he exactly as ever. I would have liked to see him go full-on sinister. Not his self-deprecating evil plus quirky humor villain. And Hinx is a specimen to be sure, but in the end a rather bland one.

Ultimately this film replaces plot with call-backs. That is not a sin perhaps, but I think you could have had both. I do like the through-line of the Craig movies though.

If forced to decide where I rank this in the Bond series after just one viewing, I think I would place it somewhere around fourth or fifth place, either right before or after “Goldfinger.” It is certainly third in the Craig entries.