One of Spectre's stranger affectations is that it's returned the series much closer to the "old irony" of classic Bond, as Daniel Craig put it. There are a ton more quips and a number of visual gags bordering on Roger Moore-era slapstick, such as Bond falling from a building only to land safely on a sofa, that infamous encounter with the Fiat 500 during the Rome car chase, and Bond ejecting himself from a car just before it lands in the river Tiber. It's clearly an effort to please the older, more hardcore Bond fans who were perhaps put off all by all this self-seriousness (though the $1 billion+ Skyfall made doesn't indicate much disappointment) and wanted something a little more lighthearted. The problem, though, is that the mix of light and dark creates jarring tonal problems, especially later on. Sure, Bond has always had a cocksure charm about him, but Casino Royale and Skyfall in particular managed a perfect balance of the two, just greasing the edges with a little wit and humour while keeping things mostly gritty. Spectre upset this balance with some straight-up goofball tomfoolery, which clashes with the film's more gnarly elements, like Hinx brutally killing a guy, and the dead-serious third act in which there's almost no humour at all. It's a delicate balancing act, but can't we just let the Moore era be what it is and continue to push forward with something that's not quite so silly?
Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes).
General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.
