The filmmakers will argue that they are broaching topicality by discussing drone warfare and government surveillance, but A) Skyfall already did this in a much pluckier manner and B) the film cheats by having the potential evil not be an overeager government but a shadowy cabal of super villains. Think Fast & Furious 6 aping the structure of Fast Five to lesser results. This film reeks of a long-running franchise merely copying the elements of the last unexpectedly successful installment. It is bewildering to see Spectre basically commit the same crime against Skyfall. One of my issues with Skyfall (which still holds up as a bristling action thriller) was that it seemed to forget that the Pierce Brosnan movies existed and seemingly stole character arcs (Is Bond capable or relevant?), would-be topicality ("Computers are amazing!"), and plot points (M's sins come back to haunt her!) and proclaimed them cutting edge. Those fleeting glimpses of Eva Green, Javier Bardem, and Judi Dench (who is badly missed this time out) serve not as a pleasant reminder but a foreboding warning that this is going to bring everything full circle in an uncommonly unsatisfying manner. But once the opening credits sequences winds down, the film grinds to a punishing halt. The opening credit sequence also offers something of a jolt, as it actually includes moments from the last three Craig films. The first portion of this sequence is all one long take, and the whole extra-long set piece is full of visual splendor and believe-your-eyes stunt work. The film, again directed by Sam Mendes and with many of the same screenwriters onboard as were with Skyfall, starts off with a corker of an opening sequence, as Daniel Craig and Stephanie Sigman sneak around Mexico City before 007 takes it upon himself to track down some visiting terrorists and do his thing. For the first time in a very long time, the 007 franchise is chasing its own tail and regressing to the point where it threatens to become culturally irrelevant. Spectre unsuccessfully blends these two somewhat diametrically opposed elements while offering what plays like a dumbed-down and diluted remake of Skyfall and (amusingly) Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation. Spectre qualifies as a textbook example of "Be careful what you wish for!" For those longtime fans who have wanted to see something of a return to the broader and campier films that defined the Roger Moore era of the 007 franchise or those who wished to see the 007 franchise adapt to the new world of explicitly continuity-driven franchise filmmaking, well, you got what you wanted. I think James Bond will return regardless, and I believe you know that too. We'll be following this one for a while, but let's try not to go nuts if Spectre only earns $250m domestic and/or only makes $800m worldwide. Of course, the reviews won't be as superb this time out, The Hunger Gamesand The Good Dinosaur are tougher competition than The Twilight Saga and Rise of the Guardians, and I'd wager Star Wars: The Force Awakens will be a slightly bigger mid-December whammy than The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. That's silly of course, but that's the game. So now there is a risk that Spectre will be written off as a failure if it fails to top $300m domestic and/or $1b worldwide. After the first two Daniel Craig entries had flirted with $600 million worldwide (the previous high was Die Another Day with $434m), Skyfall capitalized on the 50th anniversary of the franchise, a cameo with the Queen of England at the summer Olympics, rave reviews, and a relative lack of competition to snag a $1.1 billion worldwide total and a $300m+ domestic total. The film has the good luck/bad luck to follow up Skyfall, which took the series to uncharted box office waters. Daniel Craig can't make up his mind about wanting to return, and Sony isn't necessarily sending out signals that it will fight tooth and nail for distribution rights after this installment. The film cost $240 million to produce and comes as the franchise is at yet another crossroad. The film has been in release in the United Kingdom since last Monday night and had already earned $80 million in six territories as of Sunday. So yeah, Sony, MGM, and Eon Productions are offering Spectre at a theater near you this Thursday night. One of the downsides of focusing on certain significant films well ahead of their release is that I don't have much that is new to offer in terms of box office punditry when the time comes actually to review the film.
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