Blu-ray Movie Reviews

After an acclaimed reboot that successfully shed the sillier trappings of the long-running James Bond franchise, the creators of the recent Spectre have now curiously chosen to embrace the clunky clichés and cartoon villains not only of the 007 canon but seemingly every thriller of the past decade. Big Brother has arrived! It’s the death of privacy! “We must stop this doomful technology before it goes online, or it will be too late!” (Not an actual quote, but you get the idea.)

A final message from an old colleague sets Bond (Daniel Craig) on a particularly risky course of action, to neutralize a paid killer and stop a terrorist bombing in Mexico City, but much grander schemes are afoot. The vast evil network known as Spectre might finally be exposed, but this cabal of bad intent is headed by a slippery fellow with deep personal ties to a certain MI6 agent. It leads to a confrontation that has been destined since 2006’s Casino Royale and will come as little surprise to fans of the classic entries of the 23-film series. The drama never quite gels, unfortunately, as today’s beer-swilling/beer-shilling Bond displays none of the charm that helped make this superspy so popular. The glamor is there, and the movie has remarkably high production values, notably the complex single opening shot, plus a record-breaking explosion. But the disappointing action set pieces don’t thrill, and the mopey characters fail to engage. At close to two-and-a-half hours, this is the longest Bond outing ever, and it sure feels like it.

The Blu-ray looks and sounds damned fine, though. Director of photography Hoyte Van Hoytema’s distinctive lighting and camerawork impart a sleek appeal to the proceedings within his 2.4:1 canvas. The image was captured using a combination of film and digital video, and the resulting seamless whole is compromised by neither excessive grain nor any serious digital harshness. The colors of the Day of the Dead sequence are vibrant and inviting, the individual revelers are precisely defined in the long shots, and the wide cityscapes here and elsewhere surrender ample nuance in their distant geometry and specks of light. Outstanding detail is maintained even amid heavy shadows, while mist and smoke are naturally rendered as they add requisite ambiance. Some fine lines break up here and there, but never more than should be tolerated.

The DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 soundtrack flaunts booming bass, supplementing the gravity lacking in the story. When something blows up, we feel it, but even Thomas Newman’s symphonic score shows a pleasing fullness and enticing depth. It’s an aggressive mix that convincingly establishes crowds and environments, and when cars—or a recklessly flown airplane—zip by or various weapons are fired, we can practically visualize their sharp trajectory across the soundstage. The surround channels are also utilized in subtler ways, however, as events take us to realistic offices with their mundane hustle and bustle as well.

MGM/Fox has included a Digital HD Copy code redeemable for your choice of format along with six short, repurposed behind-the-scenes video blogs, a brief still photo gallery, and a 20-minute analysis of the sprawling pre-title extravaganza. It reveals the tremendous effort expended by the cast and crew, but like Spectre itself, it’s just not all that interesting.

Blu-ray
Studio: MGM/Fox, 2015
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
Audio Format: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1
Length: 148 mins.
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Director: Sam Mendes
Starring: Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Léa Seydoux