Right from the bat, let's state the obvious. "Spectre" is way too long. But, then again, 99.9% of the movies today are. Film editing is a lost art. That said, "Spectre" is mostly action and, if your legs grow numb, you will be mesmerized.
I saw "Spectre" on a most untimely day --- the night following the terror attacks in Paris. And, in this film, there is an organization committed to creating terror attacks in cities all over the world. Luckily, Paris was spared on the big screen. This sinister group called...wait for it...Spectre is led by Blofield and it's interesting that this character has been used previously in the old Sean Connery editions. Here, the arch villain is played by Christoph Waltz and I can't remember when this actor didn't play a despicable person on screen. Here, he is ultra-creepy and the quintessential Bond bad guy.
All this nastiness is going on just as the 00 spy program is being closed. What's the world going to do? Luckily, James Bond breaks all the rules and does so with a nifty Bond girl played by Lea Seydoux. So these two travel the globe to track Waltz. By train. By helicopter. By plane. Most of the time, Bond winds up at the steering wheel of all transportation. If there's an idle moment, just wait. There will be an explosion or a gun fight or a building collapse to grab your attention one more time.
Now, there isn't the tongue-in-cheek humor we used to get from Sean Connery or Roger Moore or even Pierce Brosnan. A smile is definitely not in Daniel Craig's skill sets. But, in "Spectre," there is a wisp of a personality that is starting to come through and we can only hope that this trend continues as he stays with the franchise. At least until the day when Justin Bieber is playing the role.
Whatever the case, it's heartening to know that James Bond remains one of the more reliable constants in our film history.
LEN'S RATING: Three-and-a-half stars.
Dinner last night: Steamed veggies.
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