As the title suggests, this entire post is filled with spoilers for the new James Bond film, SPECTRE.
So, if you have yet to watch the film, please stop reading right now.
SPOILER TALK
1. The gunbarrel sequence is back.
Hallelujah! The iconic sequence which is synonymous with the 53-year-old series is finally back where it's supposed to be - at the very start of the film.
After a proper gunbarrel sequence being absent for the past three Bond outings, this was a welcome return.
I rejoiced when I heard the Bond theme boom over the speakers before those white dots flashed across the big screen.
Sadly though, I felt that the pose and feel of Daniel Craig in the sequence was a little weird. Plus, instead of the blood-red circle opening into the movie directly, it fades to black instead.
The design of the gunbarrel was also a bit underwhelming. Yes, it was similar to the classic design, but why couldn't they just use that instead of making a new one?
After multiple viewings though (at this point, I've watched it thrice), the sequence is starting to grow on me.
The fact that the gunbarrel is finally back at the start is just symbolic that this film is classic Bond with a modern twist. I love that.
Another thing is that with SPECTRE, Daniel Craig has shot four different gunbarrel sequences in his four outings as Bond, more than any other Bond actor - with the most being Sean Connery and Roger Moore who both shot two different ones due to a change in aspect ratio.
Here are the respective gunbarrels and poses of each Bond actor.
Bob Simmons (in place of Sean Connery), gunbarrel sequence from 1962-1964.
Sean Connery, gunbarrel sequence from 1965-1967, 1971.
George Lazenby, gunbarrel sequence for On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969).
Roger Moore, gunbarrel sequence from 1973-1974.
Roger Moore, gunbarrel sequence from 1977-1985.
Timothy Dalton, gunbarrel sequence from 1987-1989.
Pierce Brosnan, gunbarrel sequence from 1995-2002.
Daniel Craig, gunbarrel sequence for Casino Royale (2006).
Daniel Craig, gunbarrel sequence for Quantum of Solace (2008).
Daniel Craig, gunbarrel sequence for Skyfall (2012).
Daniel Craig, gunbarrel sequence for SPECTRE (2015).
All the gunbarrel sequences.
2. The dead are alive
I loved how the movie started with these four words which foreshadow so much in the film.
And how fitting, too. With the film opening to the Day Of The Dead festival in Mexico City.
First, we discover the posthumous video message from Judi Dench's M - instructing Bond to terminate Marco Sciarra.
Then it's the story of Christoph Waltz's Franz Oberhauser, "dying" in an avalanche with his father, and coming to life as Ernst Stavro Blofeld.
I love foreshadowing in movies and literature, especially when it's done as well as this.
3. The pre-credits sequence
The opening shot of the movie was just cinematic magic.
The long and continuous "one-take" tracking shot just sold the film to me completely within the first couple of minutes.
After what can only be described as a cameo from Stephanie Sigman's Estrella, we go straight into an excellent onslaught of intense action, culminating with that spectacular fight in the helicopter.
I loved the subtle references and nods to past Bond films in the pre-credits sequence and in the entire film, it was just brilliant.
For starters, there was the Baron Samedi-esque mask and outfit Bond wore as his disguise:
Bond and Estrella undercover in Mexico City in SPECTRE.
Baron Samedi in Live and Let Die (1973).
Then there was the helicopter stunts.
They were all pretty epic, but two in particular stood out.
There was the 360-degree barrel role in mid-air, reminiscent of the barrel role Bond performed in his AMC Hornet in the 1974 Bond adventure, The Man with the Golden Gun:
A still from the epic helicopter stunt in SPECTRE.
The AMC Hornet in mid-air in The Man with the Golden Gun (1974).
The other nod was when Bond controlled the plunging helicopter, which was reminiscent of similar moments in past films like For Your Eyes Only (1981) and GoldenEye (1995).
4. The opening credits
I absolutely adored the opening credits by Daniel Kleinman. They were gorgeous.
My favourite part of it was the bit where the faces from Bond's past flashed one by one - Silva (from Skyfall), Vesper and Le Chiffre (both from Casino Royale) and then M.
Paired with Sam Smith's lovely and haunting theme song, the credits were just stunning.
5. References Galore
SPECTRE is full of references to past Bond films. Here are those that I picked out (may have missed some):
- Bond's home is shown, where he is visited by Moneypenny.
The last time we've had a glimpse of Bond at home was in Live and Let Die (1973), when M and Moneypenny come to visit him.
Bond visited by Moneypenny at his home in Live and Let Die (1973).
- The Aston Martin DB5.
I rejoiced when Bond's Aston Martin DB5 (which was blown to bits in Skyfall) was being rebuilt by Q in his workshop. SPECTRE is now the seventh Bond film to feature Bond's iconic car.
Note the number plate too - BMT 216A, the same as the one in Goldfinger, Thunderball and Skyfall.
Bond's Aston Martin DB5 being introduced in Goldfinger (1964). The rest is history.
After being rebuilt, Bond goes back to Q's workshop to claim the car after he was presumed to have left (the service). He then drives off with the gorgeous Madeleine in the passenger seat. What a lovely way to end a great film.
- Obstructions on the road.
There's the moment where a slow-moving Fiat 500 blocks the path of Bond's speeding Aston Martin DB10 - a nod to a similar moment in The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) and Quantum of Solace (2008) where lorries blocked Bond's way.
Bond in his Lotus Esprit being blocked by a lorry, from The Spy Who Loved Me (1977).
Bond in his Aston Martin DBS being blocked by a lorry, from Quantum of Solace (2008).
- The car chase between an Aston Martin and a Jaguar.
It's not the first time we've seen Bond's Aston go up against the baddie's Jaguar.
We saw that in Die Another Day (2002) when both cars matched each other in terms of gadgets.
Bond's Aston Martin Vanquish up against Zao's Jaguar XKR in Die Another Day (2002).
- The ejector seat.
In the car chase in SPECTRE, we see a return to an array of gadgets built in to Bond's Aston.
In particular, the ejector seat function labelled "Air" on the control panel.
It pays homage to the original use of it in Goldfinger, but instead of ejecting an unwelcome passenger, Bond ejects himself as the DB10 crashes into the lake.
- A return to the snow.
There have been many memorable Bond moments made in the snow over the past 53 years of films.
SPECTRE saw a welcome return to it, having been absent ever since The World Is Not Enough (1999).
Yes, there was "snow" in Die Another Day (2002), but I count that out because it was more of ice than snow.
Bond playing in the snow in The World Is Not Enough (1999).
- The wings of the plane being shredded off
I can't help but think of that bit as an homage to Live and Let Die (1973), where a similar, albeit more comedic version of that happened.
The wingless plane Bond piloted in Live and Let Die (1973).
- The outfit Bond wears in Tangier.
This took me a second viewing to realise.
The clothes Bond wears in Tangier (a black polo tee and a beige jacket) is the exact same outfit Timothy Dalton wore as Bond in The Living Daylights (1987), also in Tangier.
Bond in Tangier in The Living Daylights (1987).
- The tape Bond stumbles upon in Mr. White's secret room in L'Americain.
The tape was entitled "Vesper Lynd - Interrogation", which is a direct reference to the girl Bond fell in love with and was betrayed by in Casino Royale (2006).
The plot surrounding her betraying Bond had to do with a certain interrogation the organisation SPECTRE had conducted on her, hence that tape would have contained some very sensitive material.
Shame that Bond chucked it away, indicating his desire to leave that behind him although he did gaze at the tape for a while, it would have been amazing if they showed us the actual interrogation.
- The return of the big and menacing henchman.
It's been a long time since the Bond series has had a memorable henchman. The last one being Jaws in The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) and Moonraker (1979).
In SPECTRE, we have Mr. Hinx played by WWE wrestler Dave Bautista, and the beast of a man is portrayed in the mould of Jaws and Oddjob - silent, big and deadly.
It was an absolute joy to see his character on screen, as he was virtually invincible and he absolutely bullied Bond in the fight.
- Bond on a train; the fight with Hinx.
As with vodka martinis and snow chases, train scenes are synonymous with James Bond.
This time, we're treated to Bond having dinner with Madeleine, before Mr. Hinx spoils the party.
The fight between Bond and Hinx that ensues is very similar in terms of physicality and intensity to the one in From Russia With Love (1963) between Bond and Red Grant.
It is also similar to the one between Bond and Jaws in The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), also on a train.
Bond and Red Grant fighting it out on the train in From Russia With Love (1963).
Train fight between Bond and Red Grant in From Russia With Love (1963).
Train fight between Bond and Jaws in The Spy Who Loved Me (1977).
- The white tuxedo.
We see the return of a classic Bond look - a white tuxedo with a red carnation in the lapel - when Bond has dinner with Madeleine on the train.
Arguably, the first image that pops into your head of this Bond look is when Sean Connery changed out of his wetsuit to reveal a crisp white tuxedo, as he slipped in the flower into the lapel.
Bond in the iconic white tux in Goldfinger (1964).
Sean Connery showing why Bond truly is the epitome of class - Goldfinger (1964).
- Traveling in the desert.
Even Dave Bautista mentioned this in an interview - that the desert scenes reminded him of classic Bond.
The shots of Bond and Madeleine being transported to Blofeld's lair in the middle of the North African desert hark back to a scene in The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), where Bond and Anya travel across the desert in the back/in control of Jaws' van.
Desert scenes in The Spy Who Loved Me (1977).
- The villain's lair.
As Blofeld said, "It's been a long time".
Indeed, it has.
The classic villain's lair is back in SPECTRE, and it is pretty impressive.
The set is beautiful, with plenty of high-tech stuff on show as well as a very Ken Adam-esque control room.
The bit in which Bond and Madeleine are shown to their rooms and are brought to an empty room with nothing but the meteorite the villain uses to impress the two is very similar to a scene in Dr. No (1962).
In Dr. No, Bond and Honey Ryder are brought to their quarters to rest and change, before they are brought to the dining room where the one attraction is some sort of magnified fish tank before they are introduced to the villain.
Bond and Honey in Dr. No (1962).
- "No, Mr. Bond. I expect you to die!"
There is a variation of this classic Bond villain line from Goldfinger (1964).
The original exchange was between Auric Goldfinger and James Bond as the latter was tied to a gold table with a laser slicing very close to his gentleman's area.
It went like this:
Bond: "Do you expect me to talk?"
Goldfinger: "No, Mr. Bond. I expect you to die!"
The exchange between Goldfinger and Bond in Goldfinger (1964).
In SPECTRE, there is a similar exchange between Bond and Blofeld:
Blofeld: "So James, why did you come?"
Bond: "I came here to kill you."
Blofeld: "And I thought you came here to die."
The exchange between Bond and Blofeld in SPECTRE (2015).
- Ernst Stavro Blofeld.
It was no secret after all.
Then again, they did say that Franz Oberhauser was the head of SPECTRE.
Bond aficionados will know that the head of SPECTRE is and always will be a man by the name of Ernst Stavro Blofeld, the usually bald, facially-scarred man who sports a beige Mao suit and strokes a white Persian cat, hence the reveal wasn't THAT surprising.
Blofeld in You Only Live Twice (1967).
Blofeld's reveal in You Only Live Twice (1967).
Blofeld's introduction in You Only Live Twice (1967).
The different portrayals of Blofeld in the early Bond films. [From the left: Donald Pleasance in You Only Live Twice (1967), Telly Savalas in On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) and Charles Gray in Diamonds Are Forever (1971).
Having said all that, however, Blofeld was never given any backstory - in the films, at least.
In SPECTRE, it is revealed that Blofeld is Bond's adopted brother, who went by the name of Franz Oberhauser, son of Hannes before he faked his death twenty years prior to the events of the new film.
In the film, he says to Bond, "Franz Oberhauser died twenty years ago, in an avalanche together with his father. The man you're talking to now, the man inside your head... is Ernst Stavro Blofeld."
Christoph Waltz's Blofeld initially had little resemblance to the classic portrayal, with only the Mao suit being retained before the Persian cat was revealed.
However, we soon see how the iconic facial scar is formed - from an explosion caused by Bond's explosive watch thrown by Madeleine.
What's next for Blofeld? A wheelchair (due to the leg injury he sustained in the helicopter crash)? Severe hair loss? The possibilities are endless with the character. Let's just hope it's none of what I mentioned.
- Bond's watch.
The Omega watch that Bond is equipped with by Q in SPECTRE contains an alarm that is "very loud". By that, Q meant that by setting the alarm on the watch, it activates an explosive built into the watch.
When Bond activates the bomb, the watch's markers turn from white to red - similar to when the electromagnet in Bond's Rolex watch in Live and Let Die (1973) was activated.
Bond's special watch in Live and Let Die (1973).
- The name of the MI6 safehouse.
The safehouse M, Tanner, Q and Moneypenny head to at the climax of the film is called "Hildebrand" - a direct reference to the name of one of Ian Fleming's short stories in the novel For Your Eyes Only, The Hildebrand Rarity.
The Ian Fleming novel which contains the short story, The Hildebrand Rarity.
In the film, the title appeared on the metallic plaque which served as a signboard for the safehouse which posed as a "Prints and Rarities" shop, with the latter word completing the reference.
- Pictures from Bond's past lined along prison cells.
As Bond followed the trail inside the old MI6 building to Blofeld, he came across the corridor of the prison cells - where in each cell, it contained an image from Bond's past.
Vesper, Silva, Le Chiffre, Mr. White, and Judi Dench's M.
That scene was just meant as symbolism - all these people and their deaths all lead up to this man, Ernst Stavro Blofeld.
- Blofeld sets the timer to three minutes.
Who would've thought three minutes in particular would have such a significance?
Well, if you recall the events of GoldenEye (1995), then yes.
In GoldenEye, Bond changes the initial timers for bombs of six minutes to three when 006 is compromised.
Later on in the film where 006 is revealed to have faked his death and turned bad, he traps Bond in a train and sets the timers for "six minutes", meaning Bond only had three before he would be blown to smithereens.
The timer in GoldenEye (1995).
- The music that's played when Bond shoots the helicopter with his pistol(s).
Two bars of the James Bond Theme are sounded when Bond takes out his pistols to shoot at Blofeld's helicopter.
The second bar that sounds when Bond whips out his trusty Walther PPK and hits the helicopter's engine with his last bullet reminded me of the music played when Bond staged his epic getaway on a jetpack in Thunderball (1965).
Up, up, and away! Bond's getaway in Thunderball (1965).
Bond's epic escape on the jetpack in Thunderball (1965). Note the music as Bond puts his helmet on.
- James Bond Will Return
These four words appear at the end of the end credits in every James Bond movie except Skyfall (2012) (where it appeared with the Bond 50 logo at the start of the end credits).
With the manner in which SPECTRE ended, where it feels as if Bond is leaving MI6 so that he can settle down with Madeleine.
That left me worried as I didn't want the Bond series to end now, or ever.
Hence I waited for the end of the credits in the hope of seeing those four comforting words, and I got it.
Thank heavens for that.
Phew. That concludes the references section. Do comment below if you think I've missed anything out!
6. The Film's Duration.
At 148 minutes long, SPECTRE is officially the longest film in the series.
From longest to shortest, here are all the Bond films and their durations.
1. SPECTRE (2015) - 148 minutes
2. Casino Royale (2006) - 144 minutes
3. Skyfall (2012) - 143 minutes
4. On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) - 142 minutes
5. Die Another Day (2002) - 133 minutes
6. Licence To Kill (1989) - 133 minutes
7. A View to a Kill (1985) - 131 minutes
8. Octopussy (1983) - 131 minutes
9. GoldenEye (1995) - 130 minutes
10. The Living Daylights (1987) - 130 minutes
11. Thunderball (1965) - 130 minutes
12. The World Is Not Enough (1999) - 128 minutes
13. For Your Eyes Only (1981) - 127 minutes
14. Moonraker (1979) - 126 minutes
15. The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) - 125 minutes
16. The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) - 125 minutes
17. Live and Let Die (1973) - 121 minutes
18. Diamonds are Forever (1971) - 120 minutes
19. Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) - 119 minutes
20. You Only Live Twice (1967) - 117 minutes
21. From Russia With Love (1963) - 115 minutes
22. Dr. No (1962) - 110 minutes
23. Goldfinger (1964) - 110 minutes
24. Quantum of Solace (2008) - 107 minutes
7. Is this the end?
No, it isn't.
James Bond will return.
Whether it's Daniel Craig or not, the series has not ended yet, and with the new direction the series is taking, it's hard to see it ending anytime soon.
Hopefully Craig will return for that one last film he's contracted for, because he really is a damn good Bond.
In my opinion, he's my second favourite behind Sean Connery, with Timothy Dalton coming in a close third.
Along with Bond, it looks like Dr. Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux) and Ernst Stavro Blofeld (Christoph Waltz) will return in the next movie, if not then a future entry. (Hurrah!)
It'll be an absolute joy to see those two return, especially Madeleine as she was absolutely wonderful in SPECTRE. By far one of my favourite Bond girls of all time, and the best one since Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale (2006).
As for Blofeld, it'll be interesting to see what's he'll be up to in the future. He won't be detained by MI6 for long.
Also, SPECTRE the organisation is far from dead. Only the headquarters was destroyed.
Remember the meeting in Rome? ALL of them are still active, hence SPECTRE will be back for sure.
And there you have it. My full spoiler-talk post has come to an end.
Thank you for taking time to read this post which I put A LOT of effort into.
If you've been a stubborn fellow and read this post even though you've not seen SPECTRE, STILL GO WATCH IT.
Till the next post, stay awesome!
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