Box Office Top 20: ‘Spectre’ slides to $70.4 million

Daniel Craig as James Bond in “Spectre”. Spectre may not hit the highs of previous Craig films, and will disappoint those who liked the gritty direction of Casino Royale, but it offers everything you’d want from a Bond film, and shows that the series is still going strong after 24 films. The Hollywood Reporter had this to say, “Spectre launched to $73 million from 3,972 theaters, the second-biggest opening for any film in the iconic spy franchise, and one of the top showings of the year to date”.

That is not to take away from the quality of “Spectre”, which has nothing particularly wrong with it. “Spectre” is an enjoyable movie and could stand alone as its own action thriller.

It’s a shame that Craig has made a decision to drop out of the series just when it was getting good again, just when the audience was starting to see what he was truly capable as in the character, but, either way, this entry truly bodes well for the future of the series.

Skyfall director Sam Mendes returns and Spectre begins in Mexico City with Bond on an unsanctioned mission which levels the block and kicks off the action elements of the film.

After three Daniel Craig films spent re-establishing James Bond into the modern world, the ending of Skyfall seemed to set everything into place: Bond, Q, Moneypenny and a new M all ready for duty. “Bond actually changed my life in that way”.

One awards prospect that may break through the cloud of disappointment is Tom McCarthy’s Spotlight, a critically lauded newspaper drama from Open Road Films. While each song could be classified in a genre, the “bond theme” is nearly a genre in itself. The cinematography is very much ’60s in style, which is mostly engaging but occasionally oppressive in the form of sepia tone. Like most of the Bond films, there are several big fight scenes and shootouts, especially near the end.

Unlike its predecessor, “Specter” is not dealing with the back story of Bond the man, but rather looking at the idea of Bond.

James Bond packed a little less heat at the box office this weekend.

“On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” has a lot of impressive visuals. A few viewers – particularly ones unfamiliar with the Bond mythos – may be left cold by the film’s heavy reliance on canonic devices. The plot can be frustrating, particularly in the middle section of the film. This performance, paired with his outstanding portrayal of Bond in the 2012 installment,”Skyfall”, is shaping Craig up to be one of the best actors ever casted as Bond.