Spectre: My take on the movie starring Daniel Craig with Léa Seydoux and Christoph Waltz

I enjoy going to Bond town. You can take your Marvel universe, I’ve got no interest in costumed men masquerading as superheros. I prefer a place where a real man, impeccably dressed, slides several stories down the wall of a building as it crumbles around him, landing on a conveniently placed couch, slightly shaken, not stirred. 

No more realistic than your Marvel universe to be sure, but much more my grownup brand of fun. That’s my kind of town. From Spectre’s dazzling opening sequence set in Mexico City during a humungous Dia de los Muertos celebration, to the sexy opening titles set to Sam Smith’s Writings on the Wall, to one hell of a train ride, this Bond movie—my hubby’s least favorite of Daniel Craig’s canon—went down fine with me. 

That’s because, the hubs reminds me, Sam Mendez is a relationship director, and I have to agree, the relationship aspect of Spectre was a big part of its charm. Daniel Craig and Lea Seydoux oozed chemistry, so while the hubs found their coupling too abrupt, I found it inevitable. No spoiler alert necessary, I presume? It’s a Bond movie, you knew there would be sex, correct? And in this dress, what would you expect?

The hubs, on the other hand, has read all the Bond novels and wasn’t crazy about the fact that this movie tried to tie up a lot of loose ends, in what he deemed an unrealistic and unsatisfactory way. It’s the final Daniel Craig Bond film, and in hubby’s mind, it felt that way. I’m much less of a purist. I know M. and Q. and Moneypenney, beyond that it’s just a blur of bad guys out to take over the world. When it comes to bad guys, Christoph Waltz served up a nice, supercilious villain. On the white hat side, Judi Dench’s M was replaced by Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw was back as Q, and Naomi Harris was Ms Moneypenney. They were all fine, although for me the real standout might have been Jany Temime, the costume designer who outfitted Mr. Craig in all those yummy slim cut Tom Ford suits and buttery soft suede jacket and chinos.

My husband was, in a word, disappointed while I was, in a word, entertained. I suppose it all depends on your attitude going in. I think most movie critics agree with my husband, by the way. How about you? Have you seen it? Who’s side are you on?