Sony Pictures released the first official full trailer for “SPECTRE”, the latest installment of the modern n007 series.
“The say you’re finished…I think you’re just getting started.”
There’s a lot to digest from the latest footage to Sam Mendes’s follow up to “Skyfall”. Nearly a decade into the Daniel Craig era of James Bond, it appears to be as thrilling, slick, and exciting as ever. Unfortunately, Pierce Brosnan’s Bond didn’t age as well.
Let’s go frame by frame, breaking down the new trailer and start putting the pieces together before SPECTRE’s Nov. 6th release.
“Mexico City…What were you doing there?”
007 picked one hell of a day to take a “holiday” to Mexico. In what’s obviously a Dia de los Muertos (Day of a Dead) celebration, Bond is hunting this ghoul, and probably blowing him up. This could also be Bond in full Reaper garb, but that’s not really his style. Ralph Fiennes begins his run as the new M (*skypoint to Judi Dench’s tenure*) playing damage control as the British government is on a mission to disband MI6, and he doesn’t appear happy with Bond’s actions. Who was in Mexico City worth killing? All likelihood, they are tied to SPECTRE.
“So what’s going on, James…?”
Carrying over from the events of “Skyfall”, the British government is too keen on spies and MI6’s history. The vibe I get from the conspiracy mood in the teasers and trailer is that SPECTRE has some Hydra-like reach and influence with British lawmakers, which would explain the insistence to dissolve MI6. We notice contention between Bond and M early in the trailer, but going dark may be what’s best for 007 to get the job done.
“Zero to sixty in 3.2 seconds.”
Behold, the new Bond-mobile. The Aston Martin DB10 was unveiled long ago, but it still has an aura in Q Branch’s garage. Deliberately sharing the speed and the “few tricks up its sleeve” suggests Bond is going to have some eluding to do, which we see right after in a sweet car chase sequence.
Bad guys drive Jaguars anyway, right?
Introducing Mr. Hinx.
This looks to be the villain behind the wheel of the aforementioned Jaguar. Former WWE World Champion and current “Guardians of the Galaxy” badass Dave Bautista plays Mr. Hinx, the evident SPECTRE #1 henchmen. We get a glimpse of Hinx breaking necks Bane-style in the trailer. Bautista is fantastic when it comes to nonverbal intimidation. Will Drax the Destroyer go down as one of the better 007 hired killers, like Jaws, Oddjob, Baron Semedi and Red Grant before him?
“Tell me where he is?”
After Bond asks Q to help him disappear, we see him go into snow seclusion to find someone from his past. The character isn’t listed on IMDB yet, but previous teasers make it seem he and Bond were close once…In our experience, those close to 007 wind up either dead or evil…and then eventually dead. However, this old strung out soul looks to be James’s best connection to finding whoever is in charge of SPECTRE and is “protecting someone”.
“Why should I trust you?”
Being creepily watched by Mr. Hinx is Madeleine Swann played by Lea Seydoux (previously in “The Grand Budapest Hotel”). She is likely whoever our sleepless friend from above is protecting and plays an important role in taking down SPECTRE for Bond, her “best chance at staying alive.”
“Its name is SPECTRE.”
If SPECTRE sounds familiar to you, that is because the organization made an appearance in the 3rd Bond film, “Thunderball”. The name SPECTRE was also at the center of a long copyright battle between Ian Flemming and director Kevin McClory. McClory’s estate and MGM settled the issue in 2013, awarding the film rights of SPECTRE and the characters associated to MGM…Which leads us to the present.
We see the organization stand around the table. They seem to have influence over corporations and governments around the world and are led by the only man sitting down…
“It was me, James…The author of all your pain.”
Enter Franz Oberhauser, played by the charming yet terrifying Christoph Waltz. The name of Waltz’s character is a hat-tip to Fleming’s “Octopussy” short story and the background character “Hannes Oberhauser”, who was described as Bond’s temporary legal guardian when he was young.
Waltz joins a series of Bond villains that have established themselves as memorable as any. Mads Mikkelsen and Javier Bardem were excellent predecessors in the Bond era, but the two-time Oscars winner could hurt Bonds in ways the others haven’t yet…and this hurt pretty bad.
Bond Is Not Alone.
Sweet turtleneck, Q. Remember the great scene in “Skyfall” when Bond met the new Q for the first time?
Q says he can do more damage in his pajamas, but now he seems to be out in the field with 007. He trusts Bond, which makes it easy to think he would be capable of lifting a middle finger to authority, but I think this could mean M is assisting Bond in his quest. While he may be as bureaucratic as bureaucrats get, Gareth Mallory has proven his loyalty to Bond and MI6’s cause before. If the British government is compromised by SPECTRE, Bond is his best weapon.
Who called Jim Moriarty?
This is not the face of a good guy. Famous for playing the recent “Sherlock” series villain Jim Moriarty, Andrew Scott looks cryptic and scary in London. Is he leading the government’s charge against MI6? We shall see, but my initial feeling is that those eye brows don’t bode well for Bond.
michaelpiff 