SPECTRE (2015) // James Bond Review and Whisky Pairing
"Spectre" Plot
Bond's (Daniel Craig) long lost adopted brother (Christoph Waltz) is revealed - and he's kind of a jerk.
Whiskey Lore Review
This whisky and the movie SPECTRE have a lot in common for me. Both were highly anticipated; both initially disappointed, but they've slowly won me over.
I think my initial disappointment came from all the hype from the Bond community and the fact that we had been spoiled recently by two stellar no nonsense portrayals of a gritty Bond. SPECTRE is more art than it is grit. It also introduces us to the fact we've been watching a story line we didn't even know existed. Apparently this Blofeld character is behind each villain in the first three movies. Then when we meet this Blofeld character, we are suddenly told Bond wasn't an orphan exactly, but instead he grew up with Blofeld? And then we backslide into the tired themes of the early years with dragged out endings, the tedious view of a villain's lair, the scar. To me, it felt like they threw out all the good works they were doing with the franchise and went back into cliche.
But over time, I started watching this movie with a fresh lense. There is a lot to like here...the feel of the opening scene - filmed like it was a single shot; Bond stealing the DB10 only to find out it had Sinatra as one of its features, the way the scene is shot when he drops the assassins behind Lucia Sciarra, his call to Moneypenny during the chase, coming down nonchalant with the parachute, the boat scene in Austria, the Solden clinic (reminiscent of Piz Gloria), the scene with the mouse at l'Americain "Who sent you?" The fight on the train and how it ends...the scenery, the action, and the good timely humor.
Still, this movie is not as action packed and hits the breaks for some unbearable amounts of time, like the slow drawn out boardroom scene or the needle torture. But in the end, I don't mind making my way through those scenes, while hunting out the gems.
Best of the movie: Well it definitely has a lot to do with Daniel Craig, but also the stunning locations in Mexico City, London, Morocco, Switzerland, Austria, and Rome. My favorite line is when Mr. White says "you're a kite dancing in a hurricane." So many good action scenes and the coolness factor for the assassins being dropped is off the charts.
Memorable moment: I'd be lying if Madeleine in that classy silver dress doesn't make my jaw drop for a moment, but I'd give that all up for the Aston and Ferrari chase through Rome (including the hilarious gadgets that sometimes don't work and sometimes work with unexpected results).
Where it goes wrong: There was a lot of excitement with having Christoph Waltz as Blofeld. Honestly, to me he's the worst part of this movie. Also, could someone tell M that "careless" was about the lamest line in the franchise?
Paired Whisky: Laphroaig 10 Sherry Oak
Well, just like SPECTRE had some tough acts to follow, PX and Cairdeas had built my anticipation to a hard to reach level. I even like my own blend of Laphroaig 10 Cask Strength and GlenDronach Batch 8 Cask Strength better...but like with SPECTRE, Sherry Oak need not be judged against it's counterparts. It is good on its own.
Whiskey Lore Rank: 4 (Score 8.06) > Next Movie
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Go Back: 26, 25, 24, 23, 22, 21, 20, 19, 18, 17, 16, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5
MUSIC (8): By now you know the modern scores are all good to me. The Sam Smith song, like the movie drags at points and is a little too Josh Groban for my taste, but it has grown on me.
Love the DB10 and Craig doesn't disappoint with the "loud" Omega Seamaster 300.