Man From U.N.C.L.E. fails to take on Bond

The Man From U.N.C.L.E. tried to tout itself as better than Bond, which is clearly not the case as the film is being brushed off by critics.

Whenever a spy thriller comes out that is meant to be a big blockbuster success, it’s pegged as being related to Bond films. This is an obvious attempt to play on the prestige and heritage with the Bond films that exist, but it’s not always a strategy that works out.

In fact, it’s a tired cliche that usually sets up an audience for disappointment over what they just spent their money on at the theater. The latest case of this is the film The Man from U.N.C.L.E., which indeed has ties to the Bond franchise but has failed in exploiting the films to its own benefit.

The film opened this past weekend to less than stellar box office numbers, posting back around 16 percent of it’s budget in the domestic market. That doesn’t mean it’s going to be a box office bomb, but it just goes to show that you can’t take on Bond and then be surprised when you get shut down in a big way. The Guy Ritchie film has a lot of things going for it, from great leads in Henry Cavill and Armie Hammer to action directed by a man who knows what he’s doing.

But there’s more than that needed to string together a hit film — let alone a Bond-esque film to rival the great franchise.

Critics also aren’t so hot on the film either, as it currently boasts a less than 50 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes among top critics.

It has a fresh rating if you factor in all the critics, but the mark of at truly great film has always been tied to what the top critics think of it, not fluff to pad a rating. That’s not a knock against The Man From U.N.C.L.E. either, as it’s still a fine film that entertains with set pieces and music. But when you take on Bond, you’re entering an arena that few walk out of and that’s not the case for this film.

What also might be working against U.N.C.L.E. is the fact that Mission: Impossible 5 did the same thing but actually managed to be on par with what we love about Bond films — as much as a non-Bond film can be. But there’s an established history with Mission: Impossible that Bond fans can respect, something that this film does not have be commanded anyways.

You never wish a film to do poorly, but when they take on Bond you’d better be prepared to have something up your sleeve or be prepared to fail.

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