THE SINS OF SPECTRE
Silva taunted M (Judi Dench) in Skyfall with an ominous warning: “Think on your sins.” While Spectre features splendid action and some memorable moments, fans of 007 certainly hope the James Bond brain trust has had ample time to reflect on the mistakes they made with that movie. Mendes decided to pay homage to earlier Bond films throughout Spectre, but this resulted in placing Craig in awkward scenarios more suited to Roger Moore’s cavalier 007 - including slapstick comedy during a car chase through Rome and Craig gracelessly seducing a widow played by Monica Bellucci. However, the most egregious failures of Spectre center around the titular villainous organization and their leader Ernst Stavro Blofeld (Christoph Waltz).
In the 1960s James Bond films, as it was in Ian Fleming’s novels, the original SPECTRE was a cartoonish criminal organization whose primarily goal was to outlandishly blackmail the world for money. Mike Myers’ Austin Powers films brilliantly and perfectly satirized this classic version of SPECTRE - which was an acronym for Special Executive for Counter-Intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion. Mendes wisely shed the acronym and re-imagined Spectre as a vast global network collecting intelligence from all of the world’s governments and espionage agencies for nefarious purposes. However, the first two Daniel Craig Bond movies - Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace -had already introduced a different global criminal organization: Quantum, which operated exactly like Spectre.
Mendes’ solution was to retcon all the prior Craig Bonds so that everyone and everything - including Quantum, Silva, and even Bond’s lost love Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) - turned out to be operating under the umbrella of Spectre. This was deeply problematic and nonsensical. It created a scenario not unlike The Amazing Spider-Man films where the plan was for Oscorp to be responsible for creating Spider-Man’s super villains all at once, had the Sinister Six movie not been deep-sixed. Somehow an organization as vast and diabolical in scope as Spectre operated without anyone’s knowledge - anyone except Dench’s M, who decided to tell no one, and she only planned to inform 007 in the event of her death.
One of Skyfall’s most successful aspects was how it made Bond confront his origins, the death of his parents, and literally forced him to burn down his past in the form of his childhood home. Craig’s reckless and unrefined “blunt instrument” was deconstructed and then rebuilt into the classic that James Bond fans wanted him to become. In addition, Silva’s beef with M was a deeply personal vendetta of a wayward “son” being abandoned by his “mother.”
With Spectre, Mendes decided to double down on a family’s personal vendettas by revealing that Blofeld is Bond’s adoptive brother. They grew up together because Blofeld’s father took the young Bond in after his parents’ death, and Blofeld resented Bond so much he killed his own father (but not Bond, for some reason). The filmmakers also attempted a fakeout like Star Trek Into Darkness’ infamous John Harrison/Khan (Benedict Cumberbatch) reveal, with Spectre’s leader introduced as Franz Oberhauser, before he drops the bombshell he’s actually Ernst Stravro Blofeld. By the time Blofeld gleefully admits he was personally responsible for all the death and tragedy in Bond’s life, what was meant to be a shocking and heartbreaking revelation became a bitter pill for fans to swallow.
JAMES BOND’S RESURRECTION
Bond 25 should take advantage of the chance for a clean slate. Blofeld was merely imprisoned at the conclusion of Spectre, but despite Christoph Waltz’s Oscar-winning pedigree it would be best to avoid the temptation to have him return. Bond 25 should distance itself from the disappointing version of Blofeld and the navel-gazing that resulted in forcing every Craig-era Bond movie to be tied together so tightly under Spectre’s umbrella. Instead, the franchise should take this opportunity to look ahead to the future. This includes tying up a couple of Spectre’s loose ends: Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux) and Mr. Hinx (Dave Bautista).
Spectre ended with Bond and his new lover Madeleine Swann, the daughter of Bond’s nemesis Mr. White (Jesper Christensen), riding off into the sunset together. This happy ending was a harbinger for what 007 fans expect will be yet another homage to a classic Bond film: On Her Majesty’s Secret Service famously concluded with Bond (George Lazenby) marrying Tracy Di Vincenzo (Diana Rigg) right before she is gunned down by Blofeld. Madeleine Swann meeting this same gory fate seems likely if she were to return, but depicting it is unnecessary. Seydoux was an excellent Bond Girl, but her reappearance would almost certainly mean her death. Like Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) being killed in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Swann being gunned down is not a moment fans are clamoring to see. Nor does Bond need yet another murdered lover as the impetus to force him into action. The best move would be to have Bond simply move on, perhaps giving fans some quick lip service as to Swann’s whereabouts.
Mr. Hinx is a different story, however. Dave Bautista was a memorable presence as a dominating heavy in the vein of Oddjob (Harold Sakata) and Jaws (Richard Kiel), but the entirety of his dialogue was one expletive, and he was vastly under-served by the screenplay. Mr. Hinx was the only henchman Craig faced in his run as 007 who was physically overwhelming and whom fans wanted to see more of. Bond threw Mr. Hinx off a moving train in Spectre, but his death was never confirmed. The return of Mr. Hinx, some insight into his background, and a rematch with James Bond would be welcome.
Most importantly, Bond 25 should endeavor to accomplish the following goals: give Daniel Craig a worthy final adventure as James Bond, and lay the foundation for the next man to bear the number 007. Mendes’ two Bond outings were overly concerned with Bond’s history and MI6’s place in the world - questioning whether either is even necessary in the 21st century. Since Mendes isn’t returning to direct, it’s the perfect chance to unshackle Bond from the baggage Mendes accumulated. Rather than continually seeking to justify Bond’s existence and miring him in politics, Bond 25 should unleash Bond with gusto and fully embrace why it’s fantastic there is a James Bond fighting for Queen and country and saving the world.
The time for circumspection and analyzing James Bond’s history and raison d’etre has past. Bond 25 should leave behind Spectre and the ball and chain of the prior films’ continuity it contains. At this point in his career, Daniel Craig’s James Bond is fully formed, tried, tested, and proven triumphant. He doesn’t need another dark secret from his past to come to light, nor do we need to see Bond defy MI6 and go rogue yet again, which is another trope the Craig Bonds have done to death. The best final outing for Daniel Craig’s beloved 007 would be a straightforward, cracking good international adventure against a devious new foe that plays to Craig’s many strengths and gives him a rousing, crowd-pleasing, action-packed sendoff.
Bond 25 also has a golden opportunity: they can set the stage for the next 007 while Craig leaves the franchise better than he found it. Sean Connery was famously sick of the role when he left. Lazenby was a one and done. Moore hung on well past his prime. Pierce Brosnan assumed the role after Timothy Dalton’s brief, inglorious tenure, which was followed by 6 years of litigation over the James Bond rights where it was once doubtful Bond would ever return to movie screens. When Craig took over, the franchise was facing an existential crisis and required a back-to-basics reboot that proved incredibly successful. Daniel Craig resurrected James Bond and restored him to vitality in the 21st century, which was no small feat. The next man to be James Bond would be fortunate to step into the role with the franchise still in the zenith of success, something Bond 25 can assure.
- Bond 25 Release Date: 2021-10-08
