Going All In: Spectre and the Legacy of Bond

2015
Writers: John Logan, Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, Jez Butterworth
Director: Sam Mendes

Other than perhaps the upcoming Star Wars sequel, the heady dread of anticipation hasn’t been higher this year than it has been for Bond 24, Spectre. Frankly, with the return of both Daniel Craig and director Sam Mendes, as well screenwriters John Logan, Neal Purvis and Robert Wade (plus Jez Butterworth this time), music by Thomas Newman and cinematography by Hoyte van Hoytema (Interstellar; Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), it would be tragic if the film didn’t turn out good. Thankfully, it’s emerged pretty darn great, maybe not as accomplished as Skyfall, but still oodles of fun and a hella good action film.

Whilst Skyfall was a more character-driven, intimate (as much as Bond can be) revenge movie, Spectre is a massive, flamboyant and actually quite playful romp much more in line with films of Bond past. Mendes kicks off this lush stylish film with a super-scaled pre-credits sequence set in Mexico City on Day of the Dead, complete with giant skull parades and a cast of thousands. Surely the sign of a director in complete confidence and control of his material, the scene opens with a very impressive nearly 5 minute long take, coolly gliding through a carnival, up a lift several floors, out a window and across rooftops. Then what follows is probably the biggest opening sequence yet, complete with exploding buildings and a loop-the-looping helicopter, very much in the vein of the noisy vehicle stunts and close calls of the Pierce Brosnan era. It’s hugely enjoyable, and can’t help leave you wondering how the hell they’ll top it.

Bond’s antics in Mexico cause tension with new M (Ralph Fiennes), who dismisses Bond off active duty. M is under pressure from a competing new government security agency, the Joint Intelligence Service, led by slimy bureaucrat C (Andrew Scott), which is threatening the existence of the Double-O program. Working off a hunch, Bond ignores orders and embarks on his own investigations, which leads him on a direct path with the shady organisation SPECTRE.

What struck me most watching this is, after the more self-contained and self-conscious 21^st century films, Spectre is the first Craig film to really embrace what I consider to be the classic Bond film formula. Skyfall had plenty of neat little nods to Bond’s past antics, but Spectre is the film that really is identifiably Bond in character. There’s the luxurious globetrotting (including desert, ultramodern mountaintop clinic and an especially sumptuous-looking Rome); the return of the super-secret giant lair; the unspeaking henchman (Dave Bautista); quippy one-liners and nods-to-the-audience humour; increasingly outlandish stunts (example: a skiing wingless plane); and one of my personal favourites – the fight on the train. The film even opens with the iconic gunbarrel sequence, much to my delight.

These throwbacks to the past in my view, whilst mostly welcome, don’t always sit too comfortably with the more austere tone set by the last three films. The big car chase is intercut with several jokes which I couldn’t help finding distracting, and Craig’s performance, previously tense and somewhat tormented, is given less space to explore Bond’s failings, instead presenting him more as a determined soldier who is at times almost quite arch when he speaks lines. The inclusion of these more classic features is likely down to problems with the script, which clunkily struggles to link the various location-changes of Bond’s mystery solving beyond tenuous links and action setups to fill time. This is the longest Bond film yet, and there are times when it does feel it, despite the breathless nature of other scenes.

I did feel we get more glimpses of some of Bond’s other flaws, such as his alcoholism and at times his dismissive attitude to women. I’m not sure how I felt about Bond’s romance with Dr. Madeleine Swann, played perfectly by Lea Seydoux. It did seem a little more forced, especially when you think about how naturally it seemed to occur with Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale. But that’s not to dismiss Dr. Swann, who is an excellent engaging character who can hold her own against Bond and the villains, and who, unlike some previous Bond girls, is believable as an intelligent professional woman (I’m looking at you Dr. Christmas Jones).

On the other hand, I felt Monica Belluci was entirely wasted as Lucia Sciarra. Much was touted about her age, and her proclaiming herself as a “Bond woman” rather than girl, but we get practically no glimpses of this – she appears for probably no more than five minutes and is nothing more than a foil for Bond to pump information from. It’s somewhat similar to Teri Hatcher’s Paris Carver in Tomorrow Never Dies, but at least in that film her character had some personal resonance for both Bond and Jonathan Pryce’s villain.

On a better note, we get more from the dream team of M, Q (Ben Whishaw), Moneypenny (Naomie Harris) and Tanner (Rory Kinnear) – fine actors all, and standouts thanks to bigger roles and the chance to share some of the action with James. Most importantly, Christoph Waltz is fantastic as Franz Obenhauser, the head of SPECTRE, imbuing him with a genuine menace few previous villains ever could muster. His welcome decision to downplay theatrics with only the odd touch of camp helps make him a convincing counterpart to our hero.

What did leave me a little disappointed was the film’s approach to SPECTRE itself. What made the best villains of the more recent films work so well is that they speak to our modern fears of the unknown enemy. Danger now can come not from any known foreign government, but by any number of sources, from terrorist organisations to cybercriminals. At one point, M and C talk about the interplay of shadows and light, and about how many of the threats and much of the work to combat it remains in the shadows. SPECTRE could play into this perfectly, and we do indeed get glimpses into their work, mostly via news footage of disasters and reports during a shadowy Masonic meeting (probably my favourite scene in the film). Yet in time, SPECTRE’s reasoning for their current plot are overwhelmed by the personal vendetta of Obenhauser himself, which leads him to come across as extremely petty and diminishes the threat of SPECTRE’s plan. Attempts to link Bond’s past with SPECTRE are strained at best, and the very final setpiece of the film is underwhelming, simply because it favours the more personal battle between Bond and Obenhauser over the threat of SPECTRE.

What did strike me is how the goal of the villain has changed over time. As others have pointed out, this is the first post-Snowden Bond film. Whilst previous villains were seeking money (Thunderball, Goldfinger, Goldeneye), political chaos and war (The Spy Who Loved Me, You Only Live Twice, Tomorrow Never Dies) or simply global destruction (Moonraker), SPECTRE is now interested in data and information, represented within the film through the power of surveillance. It’s surprising how much a film this big takes a more liberal opposition to the notion of a super NSA-style program, This ties into the film’s multiple links with the past in valuing men on the ground, ones who can look the enemy in the eye and pull the trigger, over the potential of warfare from afar. This is perhaps one added reason why gadgets remain minimal, firstly because they don’t possess the exoticism they once did, and second because they can’t always provide the safety and support we expect from them.

Despite how critical this piece has sounded, I think I liked this film much more than a lot of people did. It unusually seems to have been better received by more critics than with a lot of the public. It’s definitely one of those movies where to enjoy it is to not think too much about it and simply savour the spectacle. It’s hardly the best Bond – both Casino Royale and Skyfall were much more successful films – but I’d say it looks set to be one of the better Bonds. I’m looking forward to watching it again.

Some thoughts on Bestival 2014

A few days ago, I went to my first ever music festival. More than that, I was working there too, or rather, volunteering. My brother and I were also trying out Oxfam festival stewarding for the first time. So what to make of all this? It was definitely a major new event in my life, and a complete shift from near anything else I’d ever done before. I mean, I’d never even been camping before either! But overall, it ended up being something pretty special. I don’t know how Bestival compares to other festivals, but I feel it’s always going to have significance to me as my first taste of musical slumming.

My extended weekend was probably a lot more unusual than of most festival-goers, not just because I was one of about 1300 Oxfam stewards at a festival of nearly 60,000 visitors, but also because I actually spent a good deal of it by myself. It was just my brother and me who went together, and we decided to go for different shift times, meaning there were certain times when he was working and I was free to explore for myself. And what a place to explore! I adore getting lost in new places, and spending hours wandering around trying to see and learn as much as I can. Bestival was nice and vast, with all sorts of different fields and tents to discover. My natural curiosity had a great time, not only getting to see new bands and DJs, but simply to see different types of performer in the Grand Palace of Entertainment or the Ambient Forest Amphitheatre, sample some street food (I honestly had the most delicious garlic bread I’ve ever had here, of all things!), peruse the thrift stores and visit the local landmarks, such as the Inflatable Church and the world’s biggest disco ball.

Of course, it was mostly about the music, and I was lucky enough to see some really extraordinary gigs of bands both known and new. My personal highlight was Beck – I’ve been a huge fan for years, and finally getting the chance to see him after so long was a joy. Even better, he did a veritable greatest hits set, covering tracks from ‘Loser’ to great chunks of Odelay, Guero and The Information, up to three tracks off his newest Morning Phase. Never has one gig made me so happy, I was genuinely fangirling the whole way through. Whilst it sometimes felt he was simply doing the rounds, this being one set among many this summer, he and his band still put on a genuinely great show, doing a much heavier gig than I was expecting.

This also brings me onto one of the other great things about festivals – meeting people. Whilst many aren’t going to be friends for life, I couldn’t believe how easy and enthralling it was to get to know people. The vibes overall were so welcoming – everyone was glad and thrilled to be there (and yeah a good number of them were pumped with booze and MD too). It made my solo trips and gigs feel less lonely; every event had a weird feeling of belonging to it. This all sounds complete rubbish right now, but there haven’t been many other places I’ve been where everyone has been so upbeat and simply happy to be there. There were also chances to get to know some peeps more comprehensively. I met one girl, Sam, at the Beck gig, also there alone. We both really appreciated having someone to freak out with and nudge when favourite songs came on. We also chilled with a drink after at Caravanserai, and in that brief time I learnt about her job, her life the last few months and how it’s changed, as well as her music tastes and previous Bestival trips. She, and Beck of course, helped make that night probably my favourite of the whole weekend.

Anyway, back to the music. Thankfully for me, my shift hours were pretty reasonable so I was lucky enough to see a great deal of the acts I wanted to see. Tune-Yards were another highlight. Her album WHOKILL has been a regular on my iPod for years, and new album Nikki Nack is just as imaginative and playful. After seeing her Glastonbury set on TV, I couldn’t wait to see it in the flesh, and she didn’t disappoint. Primal, percussion based, with some awesome bass guitar, her band is just as upbeat as she is, and her voice is amazing live, as she multi-tasked with many instruments. It was fantastic. Another standout was Public Service Broadcasting. I’d only heard the odd track of their ramshackle rock, combining samples from old public service newsreels with their pounding art rock. It’s always spectacular finding music you instantly love, and their show was one of those moments. Somehow the broadcast clips simply work with their clever sound, which is surprisingly big considering there’s only two of them. They were genuinely excellent, and I can’t recommend them and their album Inform – Educate – Entertain highly enough.

Yep, that’s me

I was pleasantly surprised by La Roux. I would call myself a big fan, and was looking forward to their set. But I couldn’t believe how much fun it ended up being – a proper upbeat retro disco where everyone simply loved to dance. It consisted mostly of their new album, which I haven’t heard too much, but which I know to be far more sophisticated and layered than their first album. Despite their relative newness, these tracks played out really well. Of course, hearing ‘In for the Kill’ and ‘Bulletproof’ drove the crowd into a frenzy which was awesome to be a part of.

Finally, closing night gig Chic with Nile Rogers proved to be something genuinely special. Whilst it was at the main stage with huge crowds which I generally dislike (all the other sets I’ve mentioned were in the Big Top, which was still one of the bigger stages, but one where you could easily see the stage and get near the front), this was still a show which felt intimate. It was emotional – starting with the lighting up presentation of the world’s largest disco ball, Rogers then announced to the crowd that he had just been informed that his friend and former roadie Terry Brauer had died. He dedicated the gig to him, at times often on the verge of tears. But he played each song with all he had, and as the crowd cheered Terry’s name, it was genuinely moving. The show itself was incredible – covering Chic’s biggest hits like ‘Le Freak’ and ‘Good Times’, they also played a huge range of Rogers’s other Number 1s for the likes of Sister Sledge, Madonna, Duran Duran, David Bowie and Daft Punk. It was incredible to be part of a crowd where everyone knew all the words to the choruses and were boogieing down!

There was something so otherworldly about the whole festival, especially now I think back to it now a few days later. These vibes, where everything was so chilled, everyone feeling free to do what they wanted, to take a few days off, feel especially abstract and distant now I’m back home, or stuck working a shift at a job I don’t particularly enjoy. Many of the other Oxfam stewards I met work at several festivals regularly, and I can now understand the addiction. Getting any chance to help out and be part of the running of a festival is pretty exciting, and the fairly long shifts can be surprisingly fun. I was lucky to share my shifts with Anita, a professional artist from Poole who specialises in animation and regularly stewards at festivals. It was great getting to know her well and she helped make my first festival a proper experience.

Finally, I think what made my Bestival trip more unusual was that, unlike the majority of others there, I hardly drank and didn’t do any drugs. This was purely down to me wanting to be sober and ready for work, but I would definitely recommend it! Given the state of my drunk memory, and how forgetful I can get after just a few drinks, I now appreciate how much I took away from the gigs I saw, purely because I was sober. That’s not to say if I ever went again, I would never drink or anything. Going this time made me desperate to go with friends, as there were many moments which I wished I could have shared with them. It was a party, and of course I’m gonna want to get a bit fucked up sometimes, but frankly I’d feel a lot of peeps would relish in the festival even more if they stayed a little bit more sober. I now wonder why so many make the effort to get to the Isle of Wight, and pay so much for a ticket, if they’re gonna get so wasted and probably miss a lot of it. But that’s just what I’m thinking now; I’ll probably contradict myself sometime in the future. Overall though, I’m super glad I got to fully appreciate my first festival. It’s something I’ll definitely make time for. Anita recommended one called Beautiful Days, and Latitude has always been on my list!