TV Review : Iron Fist - Episodes 7 - 13

TV Review : Iron Fist ; Episodes 7 -13 

Series continues to stumble, then falls flat on its face 

Rand looks puzzled, a common look during the series that never really changes. 

I wanted to like Iron Fist. I really did. I had  hoped that the initial problems with the series would be gradually ironed out as the show gained momentum. Granted, it did not have the ferocious pace and shocking realism of Daredevil, but it yet showed in the middle of the series that it might grow into something decent. Instead, the character of Danny Rand never developed, and interesting characters were benched in favour of the badly written mediocre ones that we had started with. 

In the middle of the season Madame Gao and the Hand lifted the series, and hinted at a greater story arc more interesting than the Meachums. Unfortunately, Gao was soon sidelined by an offshoot leader of the Hand, unconvincing played by  Ramon Rodriguez. Danny is later  joined by an old ally from home, Davos, who likewise has neither the physical presence nor the lines that can help prop up the ailing show. Even a competent veteran actress like Rosario Dawson, who was so good in Daredevil, cannot help when given cringingly bad lines in a plot that lurches around awkwardly, then ends with a disappointing anti-climax. 

But the main problem is the character of Danny Rand himself. He shows no growth or development, and continues to be the vehicle for the amateurish writing, that as many critics have pointed out, violates the golden rule of visual drama and great stories ; "Show, Don't Tell" . Rand and Colleen continue to spew out awkward and cringe-worthy dialogue as they point out the obvious and look like idiots, being outwitted by not particularly witty villains. The main villain now becomes again David Wenham, who continues to ham it up as Harold Meachum. He seems more suited to the sneaky take-over of a country club than a part of New York. Although the character of Ward Meachum becomes mildly interesting, the final battle is embarrassingly bad and leaves us still caring little about any of the main characters. Throughout, the feel is of a cheap production thrown together for daytime TV, rather than the high quality Marvel/Netflix collaborations we have become accustomed to. Disappointing. 

5/10

TV Review : Iron Fist by Marvel/Netflix

TV Review : Iron Fist by Marvel/Netflix 

Season One : Episodes 1 to 6  

Inferior to Daredevil, but then isn't everything ? 

 

image courtesy of tvweb.com

Iron Fist has come in for some pretty heavy flak from reviewers, but has been perhaps misunderstood and judged too harshly against Daredevil

 

In the latest Marvel offering, Finn Jones plays Danny Rand ; son of a billionaire and apparently  returned from the dead after a plane crash long ago. In this new Netflix collaboration then,  the last of the Defenders is ushered in. Rand has been training with warrior monks since the plane crash that orphaned him, and has become the Iron Fist ; a martial arts legend who can summon enough Chi to punch through anything. 

This is a slow start to the series, as Danny's first challenge is to re-establish his identity and claim to his inheritance, something that perhaps takes up too much story time. The initial villain is rather uninspired ; a little more Phantom of the Opera than criminal mastermind, and Danny himself comes across as naive and self-preoccupied. Some of the dialogue needs editing, and the fight scenes do not have the bone crunching realism of Daredevil. I can see why some reviewers have criticized the characters as dull, and the hero in particular as a little unlikable. Who cares what happens in this story ? 

Nonetheless, Iron Fist slowly gains momentum, particularly when some old enemies  ( and friends ) from the Daredevil world crash the party. Rand gains a sidekick who adds interest, perhaps romantically too, ( Colleen Wing as a martial-arts teacher ) and the series begins to delve into the darkness and develop a flavour of its own. Iron Fists fighting style is the more elegant dance-like Kung Fu as opposed to Daredevil's boxing and improvised brawling. Think Donnie Yen in Ip-man rather than the Punisher turning inmates into mince-meat. At first this leads to some rather unsatisfactory fight scenes, as barely any blood flies, and Danny's style seems more about dodging as opposed to dispatching opponents. Later however, the martial arts develops into some pretty spectacular flying double kicks, and our hero actually accrues the type of battle wounds that laid Daredevil on the couch so often. You begin to appreciate the beauty of the choreography, even if it still seems a little unrealistic.  Even the intro and music improves, as Trevor Morris lays down tracks reminiscent of Daft Punk in Tron Legacy.

The character of Iron Fist himself is more problematic. It takes time to reveal his code of conduct and his mission. In the first few episodes Colleen Wing is actually more interesting as a character struggling with moral dilemmas and developing a new identity. Danny seems annoyingly ignorant, and he's not the only character to seem a little unbelievable. His rivals, and then later business partners, the Meachams, lack depth and complexity, despite their centrality to the story. Luke Cage and his enemies ( and even friends ) were far more believable and interesting. It's worth remembering however, that Danny  is supposed to be returning from fifteen years in the wilderness, an isolation he was dropped into as a ten year old child. In many ways he still has the mind of a child, and one who is new to the New York city of 2017. As he gradually wises up and the battle with the real villains comes into focus, the series develops a more satisfying pace. Iron Fist still seems a little uneven  and scattered with its story lines and characters, but at least you begin to have faith that things will settle down. Maybe even the Meachams will become interesting and develop personalities beyond the corporate boardroom !

 

Ultimately this is a series that  should be given a chance and judged on its own merits. I think some reviewers are looking back and seeing Daredevil as perfection, and perhaps Luke Cage and Jessica Jones as better than they really were. Finn Jones never quite has the charisma to hold the series up on his own, but with a collective effort it bumbles through. Iron Fist stumbled a little with its entrance, but that doesn't mean it won't grow into something satisfying. People need to remember they're watching TV, not judging some new-found work of Rembrandt. Yes it's art, but it's not to be taken that seriously, and it's not finished yet.

 

7/10

Film Review : Fury by David Ayer

Under rated war film with a stand-out soundtrack

image courtesy of Columbia Pictures

 Fury passed relatively unnoticed at  the box office, making modest profits and garnering respectable nods from critics. Recently on Netflix and DVD, this war film is well-worth a second look.

In Fury, Brad Pitt plays 'WarDaddy' ; a veteran tank commander during World War Two, leading a squad of under-armoured Shermans into Germany. The Nazis may have been out-numbered and  losing at this stage, but they still had the edge in tank technology. Monster Tiger tanks are able to shoot through Shermans like butter, and shrug off their own shells like pebbles. The collapsing German front is still laced with fanatical SS, often press-ganging civilians into the last desperate gasp of the Third Reich.

Playing opposite Pitt is the rookie Norman ( Logan Lerman ), a typist drafted into the crew as an emergency replacement. The squad find themselves fighting a desperate delaying action that may well turn out to be the ultimate sacrifice. Perhaps too many shades of Private Ryan ?

In most respects though Fury stands up to Saving Private Ryan and comes off better. It's not as epic in its vision, and is purposely focused on the intimacy of five guys trying to cope with the war in a claustrophobic death-trap. Otherwise it has the same shocking realism that made Saving Private Ryan such a stand-out film in 1998. The soundtrack by Steven Price is one of the best I've heard in a long time and may live with you long after the film. Choral voices and violins are as raw as the brutal imagery.

Like truly great war films though, the most memorable moments are in the brief reposes from the action (excellent though the action scenes are in Fury ). It says a lot about this film that even Shia LaBeouf is convincing as a religious man stubbornly clinging to his faith despite the horror around him. He delivers what is probably the most chilling line in the film when he bluntly tells Norman, in the prelude to battle:
 " Wait till you see it."
"What ?"
" What men can do to each other."
The statement hangs coldly in the air, with a touch of reverence, as if the horror that man has made almost equals God's power.
Jon Bernthal is particularly effective as a frightening black-toothed southerner; the kind of bully you are uncomfortably pleased is on your side. Michael Pena rounds off a solid cast.

Halfway through the film the Americans get a brief respite in a village. A rare moment of domestic comfort occurs as WarDaddy and Norman happen upon a couple of local ladies and enjoy a home-cooked meal and a tune on the piano. When the rest of the crew crash in and ruin the moment, the superiority of the film to Private Ryan is made clearer. War ruins men, turns them into savages. Jon Berthnal's bully sours  the atmosphere like an abused child become the abuser.  Likewise, the scene portrays perhaps the central dilemma of war, or any job associated with violence. How do you fight effectively without losing all your humanity ? When Pitt eats a ruined egg rather than beat Bernthal senseless for licking it, he hints at a way. Yet Pitt, suitably physical, controls his crew with an aura of barely restrained violence, rather than with rank. What he makes Norman do in order to survive is horrifying, yet logical ;  " Do your job" is another line delivered by the crew with chilling banality. Ethics are largely out of the window for now ; especially when fighting the SS on German soil, because hesitation costs American lives.

Grim as it is, Fury ends on a satisfactory note. There's a nod to the humanity left on the other side, and the main characters redeem themselves as best as they can given the circumstances.

My only criticism of the film is we never really get to know much about the characters, but perhaps this is part of the point ; they were all just meat in a giant war-machine. Pitt's character speaks German, and there is a hint this is his heritage, not training. How does it make him feel, to fight Germans in Germany ? We never really find out, though it is hinted at with his visceral hatred of the SS compared to his relative restraint with  civilians. Likewise, the opening scene takes a moment to show him mournfully petting a German horse before regretfully sending it on its way. It's a rare moment of humanity in an otherwise blisteringly raw film, and notably one that shows gentleness to an animal, not a person. In war, people have a role to play, and unfortunately must be treated as such.

8/10

Here's a taste of that special soundtrack :
The War Is Not Over by Steven Price

Film Review : Get Out by Jordan Peele

Film Review :  Get Out by Jordan Peele

Horror-Comedy hits all the right notes and is a surprisingly  effective allegory of slavery and the African - American experience.

image courtesy of Blumhouse Productions and QC Entertainment

'Vague' Spoilers ahead.

Yes, 'Get Out' is as good as they say. 

Daniel  Kaluuya plays Chris, a young black man in America about to go through the awkwardness of meeting his white girlfriends parents for the first time.  The pair ( Alison Williams plays the girlfriend Rose ) are heading out of the city to visit the folks in an isolated rural area. Chris is already nervous about the coming weekend, and has been warned by his cousin, ( the comic relief played by Lil Rel Howery ) who only seems to be half-joking about the dangers of  being at the mercy of white folks in the middle of nowhere.  Though the initial meeting goes okay ( Rose's Dad proclaims he was a huge Obama fan and seems eager to put Chris at his ease ), Rose's mom and brother seem weirdly intense. Worse, ' the help' at the large country home are black, and seem either cowed or mentally disturbed. Chris will find no allies here. Then it turns out the entire white family is converging on the country-estate for some sort of anniversary weekend in honour of passed on Granddad.  Chris finds himself slowly confronted with a horrible truth in stages, as awkwardness turns to fear. At the end of Saturday's party, when Rose's brother ( complete with horrendous wispy hilly-billy moustache ) starts playing a banjo on the porch, to some sort of Deliverance-like tune, you know this ain't turning out good.

Throughout, Peele masterfully builds the tension with awkward humour and jarring shocks. Lead  Kaluuya is one of those gifted actors who can convey a range of emotions in a subtle shift of facial expression. We feel with him his increasing isolation as his girlfriend Rose seems only half clued in to what is going on. Why does Rose's Mom insist so on hypnotising Chris to help with cigarette addiction ? Why does the housekeeper unplug Chris's phone and then appear to have some sort of break-down when called on it ? Meanwhile a beacon of hope lies with Chris's cousin Rod, a TSA agent dog-sitting for Chris, who is determined to keep tabs on his friend.

Peele's genius is to have made this modern horror-comedy simultaneously a stunningly powerful allegory of the African American experience. For me, the pivotal moment of the film is actually when comic relief Rod reports his concerns to the local police station. Even though the officer is of colour, the palpable lack of concern for a missing black man is well conveyed.  Had this been a young blonde middle class girl, the choppers would have been in the air five minutes ago. But the knock-out punch comes when Rod delivers his theory of what may have happened. Earlier, we laughed it at  because it was intended to be comic relief. It was Rod, making us laugh, playing his role. But when we hear it delivered again and to police, the absurdity and the tragedy hit home : white people, abducting black people, and forcing them to be slaves ? It sounds ludicrous ; so viciously inhumane and ridiculous that it could not be real. Yet it did happen, to millions of Africans. Meanwhile as the horror unfolds on Chris, the bluntness of how Africans were literally treated like livestock is punched home more effectively than Twelve Years a Slave, precisely because it is portrayed in a modern context. When you  watch a film like Twelve Years a Slave, you can intellectually acknowledge it but perhaps not really feel it precisely because it is portrayed ( relatively far ) in the past. It's over, right ?  With Get Out, it's as raw as it gets. When a police car arrives near the end and you automatically expect Chris to get shot because he's black, you realise, it's not over. Not by a long way yet. 

Don't let the heavy undertones put you off from seeing Get Out. It's almost flawlessly written, shot, directed and acted, and there's enough laughter and suspense to make the horror bearable and even enjoyable in a Scream-like way. The final horror of what is to happen to Chris is original enough ( a la Human Centipede ) to make this a fresh take on the genre of horror-comedy, and will simultaneously leave you thinking about what slavery really meant, what it actually may have felt like. Powerful stuff, and skillful enough to be exhilarating and  entertaining.

9/10

 

Star Trek : Voyager

Sci-fi enjoying a second life on Netflix and aging well

 

With Netflix Canada recently posting all the Star Trek series, Trekkies have been enjoying some true 90's nostalgia with the Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and Voyager.  I was drawn back  to Voyager, and a recent episode in particular reminded me what I used to enjoy so much about this program.

Voyager follows the progress of a lone Federation ship trying to get home after being thrown across the Galaxy by a particularly inconsiderate but powerful alien. For it's time Voyager was noticeable straight-away for its' female captain, and notable other characters including a holographic doctor and a rescued Borg drone. Like most star treks of the 90's, the special effects and tone remain remarkably relevant even 20 years later. It's worth pointing out for example that the ipad-like devices that crewmen use on Federation ships were nowhere near to us in 1996. The nano-probes that often featured in Borg episodes remain a tantalising possibility in medicine. Star Trek was visionary in its inspiration for much future tech, not just high-level theory about worm-holes.

More pertinently, like most Star Trek productions, Voyager consistently tackled relevant and difficult  issues in society,  usually in a provocative and humane manner. It was the idealism, optimism and intelligence of Star Trek that drew in most viewers, and I suggest will continue to do so as the world undergoes further growing pains. Here's hoping to a future that one day contains something like the Federation, when we have conquered poverty, division, and left the likes of Putin and Trump long behind !  

In 'Critical Care' (season 5 episode 7), a little slower and more thoughtful episode,  the ship's holographic doctor is stolen ( or rather kidnapped ; he is a sophisticated A.I) . In perhaps a take on human trafficking, he is forced into service in a highly stratified society. As ever, Roberto Picardo puts in an entertaining performance as the opera singing and paradoxically emotional hologram. Soon realizing that this society rations medical care according to a computer algorithm that determines 'usefulness', the doctor aims to shake things up. The analogy to 90's America could not be more obvious. Hilary Clinton, the First Lady at the time, was trying (and failing)  to bolster health care for the less fortunate in society.The doctor seeks to equalize the situation in a more mundane way. Given duty on the top floor, where the elites use resources on youth restoring treatments, the doctor fudges patient records in order to sneak life-saving drugs downstairs. The theft and deception seem obviously justified. Should the American health care system now consider how many surgeons perform cosmetic surgery as opposed to life-saving treatments ?

At first it seems the doctor is making a difference. A promising youth is saved and a local doctor converted to the subterfuge. It isn't long however before the supervisor, an economizing bureaucrat, busts up the doctors schemes.  The promising youth of earlier dies, and it turns out the doctor is partly responsible. The rations allocated to the lower floor have now been exhausted. Has the doctor just made things worse?  The defence given by the supervisor is almost persuasive. A water engineer is responsible for providing thousands with drinking water ; surely, with limited resources,  their medical attention should take priority ?  At first, the idea of being reduced to a mere number ( a 'Treatment Coefficient' ) and treated accordingly seemed abhorrent, but the supervisor's defence sows some doubt. In true Star Trek fashion, Voyager offers no easy answers, only provokes thought and suggests these are issues worth considering. The death of the young man downstairs though, perhaps hints that we should treat everybody  equally because of our potential. If Star Trek was about anything, it was about potential, of both individuals and all intelligent life.

Eventually the Doctor concocts a plan to strong-arm the supervisor into allowing the care of lower status patients, but it's an unsatisfactory solution ; ethically dubious, and no long-term answer. Finally, inevitably rescued by Voyager ( dealing with their own slightly morally dubious interrogation of the Doctor's thief - is mild torture to rescue a valuable innocent justified ? ), the Doctor asks Torres the engineer to check his program. It turns out he is functioning perfectly, and his morally questionable action to harm an individual to save others seems to be an evolution of his A.I. More questions are raised ; how might A.I eventually evolve beyond its' original programming, and should a moral decision ever involve sacrificing an individual to save the majority ? Is it true indeed, that "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few"? 

If you're a 'young-un' who never caught Voyager first time round, it's worth a look. It dodged the stumbling of the Next Generation in Season One, and did not degenerate into the drawn out war that made Deep Space Nine a bit of a drag in the end. Voyager was an  interesting vehicle for exploring some of the challenges of gobalization, clashing cultures and the rise of technology in society. Perhaps it's nostalgia from me, who watched this during my university years, but the series seems to be aging well. 

Film Review: Star Trek Beyond

Star Trek Beyond : Into Lightness ?

Latest Star Trek offering will please fans of the original series, but may lack the complexity and darkness that won over newer converts

IMAGE FROM DEADLINE.COM

 

Star Trek Beyond is  a pleasing summer blockbuster ; well paced and well acted with the high level of special effects you would expect from a Star Trek movie. It also explores character development in a feel-good way that fans of the original series will appreciate ; in particular the relationship between Bones and Spock. Spock especially is given some major character developments and this almost feels more his movie than Kirk's.

The basic story is simple enough ; the crew of the Enterprise are trapped beyond the help of Starfleet on a remote planet. They are at the mercy of  a villain, Krall, who seeks to retrieve a weapon of mass destruction which Kirk earlier stumbled upon. Enterprise is grounded, and the crew seem only to have one main ally on the ground, the resourceful Jayla ; a young alien who has likewise been stranded on the planet long ago and learned to survive on her wits. She is almost the space version of the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. On their journey to save their crewmen, Kirk and co will of course bond and learn more about themselves and each other.

There is an old joke about the original series ; if an unknown actor beams down to the ground in a red shirt, they're gonna get it . Other than that though, you always knew the core of original characters were going to be safe. This film returns to that tradition, and in the oftentimes hectic action more than a few 'red-shirts' bite the dust, especially in the initial attack on Enterprise. This is not in itself necessarily a problem, and has a practical necessity. Star Trek doesn't have a huge cast like Game of Thrones ; it actually needs to keep its core of main characters alive whilst trying to maintain a suitable aura of danger. This does however create a slight air of un-believability about it all that nags at the fourth wall. An example might be Lt. Uhora defeating with ease an enemy soldier in hand to hand combat. How exactly does she elbow a helmeted soldier unconscious without hurting her elbow ? Create an imaginary fantastical universe by all means, but within that universe stick to the bounds of believability.

In Into Darkness,  one pivotal scene involves a savage attack on Starfleet headquarters. A main character, Kirk's mentor, is mortally wounded and dies unpleasantly. The scene has all the feel of how you might imagine a modern terrorist attack feels, much like Khan's earlier bombing of the fleet 'archives' in London. The action scenes have a gritty realism despite their futuristic setting.  Meanwhile, in Star Trek Beyond, Kirk's initial reaction to a dead crewman seems to be mainly  disgust at their walnutty appearance ( they have been drained by the enemies vampiric like technology )  - but hey, it was just  a 'red shirt' after all.

None of this is to suggest that the action scenes in Star Trek Beyond are not impressive. Director Justin Lin, of Fast and Furious fame, delivers the spectacle you might expect. The camera movement can sometimes be annoyingly choppy, but the first battle of the Enterprise is particularly impressive in terms of its scale and speed. Krall's bee-like craft make short work of the Galactic class starship, and Krall himself is  a fairly imposing villain, with his character giving more than a nod to Darth Vader. But it is often the slow, tense micro-scale that an audience can connect with and feel more acutely. Remember Into Darkness, when Lt. Uhora on Kronos was lifted off the ground by a Klingon, who then threateningly and slowly withdrew a jagged knife from his boot ? The technological and futuristic setting was the background, not the focus of the moment. Such a slow, tense and simple scene can convey more genuine terror than a Starship being frenziedly torn apart by a fleet of CGI enemy ships. 

The Science element of this latest installment has also fallen a little to the more Fiction element. The nature of the weapon of mass destruction is only vaguely hinted at. Challenging problems are overcome with the flip of a few switches and some wires hurriedly plugged into various outlets. This is what I mean by very much the sixties original series feel as opposed to the physics heavy theory of the Next Generation that even inspired new technological design.

More seriously perhaps, the  morality questions of this installment are also much simpler ; the distinction between good guys and bad guys is almost annoyingly stark. There are no real moral dilemmas to be dealt with here ; in fact a potentially interesting one is discarded when we discover one particular character is a baddy anyway. We are in no doubt here that the Federation are all good guys, and the bad guys have no redeeming qualities. Only the loyalty of a lieutenant hints at any real depth to the main villain.

On the plus side this installment is, as promised, more fun. There are more laugh out loud moments, and the conflict between the crew is largely absent. Even Kirk's own internal struggle is pretty minor and dull ; does he give up spaceflight and become a vice-admiral? Problem is, those conflicts on the 'good guy ' side actually made the franchise more interesting. 

Ultimately your opinion of Star Trek Beyond may depend a lot on what you want in Star Trek ; a more space opera type of escapism with a lighter touch and gentler humour, or a more nuanced and realistic vision of what the future might look like with some nagging political and moral questions that stay with you long after the film. 

At the risk of sounding patronising, which is probably my de-facto voice anways, I'm going to summarise this as Star Trek for Kids, in stark contrast to the more disturbing and cerebral Into Darkness. It's an enjoyable and visually impressive film, and the actors did the best with the plot they were given. 

7.5 / 10

Film Review : Spectre ( James Bond )

'Spectre ' by Sam Mendes ( 2015)

Images Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

 Daniel Craig Hemmed in by 'Playing it Safe'  Scriptwriting

When I was a spotty faced youth in college, I studied History. Sometimes, at least. A fellow undergrad and buddy explained to me how he chose his history courses ( It wasn't easy deciding what to focus on - the intricacies of the wool trade in the thirteenth century, or fourteenth century farming methods ?) .
" Yeah" he explained " I just choose the courses that are closest to what I studied in high school" .
" Really ? " I asked ; " Isn't that kind of boring ? Don't you want to study new stuff ?"
" Nah" he replied : " This way I just have to rehash my old high school essays, which are already good,  and then I'm passing easy, with time to kill."
I kinda feel like that is what Sam Mendes has done with Spectre.

The appeal of Daniels Craig's Bond, at least to me, was the dark realism of what we imagined spy work was really about. When Bond contemplated  his first kill in Casino Royale, and later almost had his man-bits smashed off with a rope in a  torture scene, we knew were dealing with a fresh, if somewhat unsettling take on the debonair British spy. It was chilling, but exciting, and rang true. This was Bond post 9-11 ; he was a thug with high tech skills, who radiated menace in a world of no mercy. But, in an apparent homage to the old Bond traditions, Mendes now plays it safe in Spectre. Consequently he somewhat loses the unique appeal of Daniel Craig's Bond that was such a breath of fresh air in Casino Royale.

 

A small detail in the opening action is perhaps a  hint of things to come. As Bond inadvertently collapses a building, he flees a wall that tumbles towards him. In Casino Royale, he would have run faster and made it out of there unscathed. In Skyfall, he would have slipped and twisted an ankle with dark but interesting consequences. But in Spectre, he plops nonchalantly onto a sofa that has fallen with him. It' s a telling metaphor for what is to come  ; some chuckle-level humour is substituted for breathtaking danger. Bond is never quite up to it, and yet we never feel he is in real danger either. In Skyfall the consequences of being an aging spy were laid bare and grim ; in Spectre they are politely ignored. Bond breezes airily through the danger of the movie, only really fighting for his life in one scene (  reminiscent of Connery and Shaw's classic train fight in From Russia With Love ). It's a promising slug-fest that is thrown away at the end. David Bautista's henchman had a promising introduction, and should have been sent off with a more intimate and brutal end. Eyeballs for eyeballs, me thinks. But Craig's character now seems unable to summon the dark, cool rage that would have kept Casino Royale's Bond alive. This was always part of the problem inherent though in Craig's Bond. The menace was in no small part due to physical presence and attitude ; difficult to maintain in late middle age. In Skyfall this was confronted head-on and dealt with effectively. In Spectre, Mendes tip- toes unsatisfactorily around the issue. Bond has transferred an inch from his arms to his belly, and the response is to scale down the effectiveness of most of the villains. The latter part of the movie is guilty of  'storm-trooper syndrome', as Waltz's henchmen can't seem to shoot fish in a barrel.

The story of the film revolves around the organisation Spectre, who it turns out is behind all the previous machinations since Casino Royale ( a stretch, and sloppy plot writing, or at least uncomfortably contrived ). In a plot akin to Quantum of Solace ( not a good sign ), Bond must penetrate the shadowy organisation that is threatening to take control of the worlds spy agencies. The problem is, the implications of Spectre actually winning are not really made menacing enough. Bond is not be killed by Spectre, but instead... fired by them, as the 007 program will be closed down in a menacing merger. Oooh ! Corporate callousness and job insecurity ! Shiver ! Will Bond survive without dental benefits ? He is British after all ! A '1984' scenario is only hinted at, as is Spectre's amoral involvement in the sex trade and human trafficking. It's all rather vague and never really made real and concrete to the viewer. At least in The Winter Soldier the war machine was going to proceed immediately to liquidate liberals and opposition with some really big guns. Or even in Skyfall, Bond actually met a victim of human trafficking, and the personal tale of revenge felt more real from Javier Bardem.

Christoph Waltz is part of the problem here ; his villain in Spectre is far less frightening than the Nazi of Inglorious Basterds. His personal connection to Bond is revealed with as much passion as the reading of a menu in a cheap restaurant. Perhaps the scriptwriters needed to think back to what made Le Chiffre so chilling in Casino Royale ; the man swung a low tech rope to devastating effect. Waltz meanwhile, in the formulaic 'Bond trussed up' torture scene, directs needles with a laptop whilst wearing slippers. He seems disconnected and mildly bored . So was I. The effect is of a slightly uncaring dentist. Perhaps it was intended to be reminiscent of Dr Mengele, but it falls flat. When Bond jokes that he would prefer death to listening Waltz anymore, you can hear some seriousness in Craig's voice and tend to agree with him. He really does seem a little less excited than in previous outings.

The dentist will see you now.

Throughout this film, we constantly feel like we have seen this all before. Exotic locations, bad guy headquarters, car chases, etc. Its pleasant, it's comforting, it's safe. Even the soundtrack is 50 % Skyfall, as if Mendes was afraid to venture beyond the confines of any previous Bond film. The theme seems to be a mix and includes that of Skyfall ; that 'the old ways are sometimes the best' ; but it's clumsily handled and lacks focus. There are few memorable quotes in this outing. The one original direction Bond is taken in is a strange one for the character ; his journey to potential normal family man. We almost went here before with Timothy Dalton, and it was not good ( Sorry, Timmy, I love you in everything else ). Towards  the end, Bond and Madeleine, the main heroine, even feel more like a couple on holiday than agent and tag-along.

 Nobody watches Bond films for this " I'm just like you" stuff. Callous as it sounds, we don't really care about Bond as a character that much. He knew what he signed up for, and we wanted to see him do a job, not become a rounded character. If anything we were more interested in what it took to do such an extreme job, and how it might change a man. In Casino Royale we sang with relish : "The coldest blood runs through my veins, you know my name ".


The film ends with Bond picking up his Aston Martin, as if to reassure us that he really still is the dangerous Bond of  (relative Craig ) old. Unfortunately, I'm not convinced. The bar was set high in Skyfall, and it was always going to be difficult to reach it again. By all means go see Spectre ; it's a competent Bond film, as exactly as it was supposed to be, and no more. It's a good film , but it could have been great if the writers had taken more risks.