Spectre Feelings

[lostlenore]

Some spoilery feelings about the latest movie in the 007 series below the cut. 

I'm...........not sure what I just watched, tbh. Probably my fault for going in expecting a movie of Skyfall caliber, but I wasn't expecting the movie so be such a tire fire??? There were a few plot points I thought had real potential, but weren't developed in ways that I wanted, or ways that made sense, for that matter. Fandom, please adopt this movie and fix things. It had so much potential! 







.......like I said. Potential. 

Some thoughts: 

• Q canonically has two cats. I don't know why I'm so charmed by this, but I am. 
• Bond's London flat was probably the most in-character thing about him in this movie. Honestly I was surprised he had pictures/paintings in frames, regardless if he never got around to hanging them up on the wall. But yeah, otherwise that scene was a delight.
• The really public helicopter fight scene was just the first in a long, long, loooooooooooong trend of double-oh agents (and everyone, really) being terrible at spying? I was expecting Bourne level spywork, and I would've been happy with, like. Burn-Notice level spying. It's not just that the actual spywork wasn't clever, it was just...sloppy. 
• The villain was alright-creepy, but honestly this was the final Craig film. It's like the Batman movies blowing their wad with Ledger in the second movie. Like, after that, the final movie villain was sorta underwhelming. 
• He got better at the mirror scene, like honestly this cinematographer busted his ass in this movie and deserves multiple awards. The mirror scene was genuinely amazing, because the script kept beating us over the head with the idea of ghosts, and him & bond as sort-of-brothers, but it wasn't until the mirror scene that I went oh. 
• Also I know for a fact Andrew Scott can be creepier than that. C'mon guys. 
• Back to the sloppy spywork-  M being surprised that C had spied on double-oh agents was just????? How do you create weapons like Bond, give Q branch that kind of unchecked, far-reaching power, and not keep tabs on them? Or expect everyone else not to? That scene legit made me angry, like YOU'RE M, YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE THE BADDEST BITCH IN MI6 HOW COULD YOU NOT HAVE PREDICTED THIS?
• DAME JUDI DENCH WOULD HAVE NEVER STOOD FOR THIS SHIT. 

(please!!!! Just mAKE OUT!!!) 

• *deep breath* Okay. The Bond-Q 'Make me disappear' exchange was beautiful. Their interactions were the saving grace of this movie.
• With the exception of Q being like "I can't because I'm afraid M will toss me out of MI6 for helping you.' Q in Skyfall gave the impression that he was better at playing the spy-vs-spy game than that, I thought this thread made him seem weirdly de-fanged. Bring back ruthless, hungry Q-  a trigger to be pulled. 
• Moneypenny in the first half was A+++ wonderful and banter-y with Bond, exasperated and competent. In the second half she was just kind of....there. 
• The 'you can't tell anyone, because you don't trust anyone' like yes!!!!! Bitch yes!!!!! Distrust everyone, spy on all the spies!!!! Scheme and plot against each other because why the fuck would you trust Bond? Why would you trust this M, you don't know him??? Q has ridic levels of access to everything and basically no accountability why would you trust either???  
• Quick aside- shooting down a helicopter with a handgun. Really. Q BRANCH EXISTS AT LEAST USE A ROCKET LAUNCHER IF YOU'RE GOING TO BE THAT BLATANT
• The most unbelievable thing about the drag race through Rome scene is that the streets there would be clear enough for that shit. Like, I've been to Rome. Even at ass-o-clock you'd still need a snowplow on the front of your car to get anywhere that fast.
• Back to C: why wouldn't M just...have him taken care of? Better yet, have Moneypenny or Q do it. Moneypenny because everyone constantly underestimates her, and I want to see her using that to her advantage. She was a field agent and people forget that real fast. I just wish it was intentional, part of her plan to claw her way to the top. Q because he's at his most interesting when he's a weapon like Bond, and if C is encroaching on his territory I want him to fight back, be Machiavellian. 
• Dr Swan's character was embarrassing to watch. Zero points for effort, you didn't even try at all writing team. I kept waiting for her to be interesting and she just wasn't.
• Like, even after her admission that she's good with a gun, she only holds one once.
• I can't talk about her without being upset at the writing team. Ditto with the Contessa's character.
•  Anyways. The scene with Bond walking through the demolished ruins of the old MI6 building? SO GOOD FOR ME.
• I was sitting in the theatre making *prayer hand emoji* that they were going to 'kill' him in the rubble of the ruins of the MI6 building with all his ghosts. WE COULD'VE HAD IT ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL. 
• Also team: you missed a golden opportunity to disappear Bond here and then bring back the "i'll send you a postcard' / 'please don't' Bond & Q exchange, which would've have been such a great closing scene. 
• SPEAKING OF CLOSING SCENES!!!! Oh my god, that penultimate scene with Q working all alone in the basement & Bond's whole "I came back because there's something I need' AND Q'S SMALL PLEASED SMILE. I DIED. I DIED AGAIN JUST THINKING ABOUT IT. 
• I can't find gifs of it anywhere yet, but I have faith. 
• TL:DR this movie was a beautiful disaster with giant gaping plot holes (how does a giant multinational 'secret society' like Spectre where people can just...walk into meetings even stay secret? What exactly do they even do besides sit around giant tables being #evil?) that it tries to cover up with gorgeous cinematography. 
• PLEASE fandom we need to fix all the blatantly terrible spying. I'm trying, but I am only one writer and there is A LOT that needs fixing.
•  

 

Comments

[schneefink]

I'm sorry to hear that the movie isn't that good, but I'm glad it at least has plenty of material for fic to build on and I'm looking forward to reading the stories :)