Directed by Sam Mendes and starring Daniel Craig as 007; Skyfall is the 23rd Bond film and Craig’s third outing as the “super spy.” While I was not overly keen on Adele’s theme song for the film, the opening did not disappoint as it featured some pretty great white knuckle action from the first frame.
I was really looking forward to the Blu-ray release of the film and I managed to get the last copy in HMV. But I was a bit annoyed that there were no special features on the disc. But having said that, the film looked brilliant and the cinematography was spectacular to say the least.
I was really looking forward to seeing Javier Bardem as the “big baddie” Silva. I’ve been a fan of this man since he played the sinister Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men. His performance in that film was chilling and he did not disappoint as Silva in Skyfall. He has jumped to the top of the league as the best Bond villain ever.
And he didn’t even have a cat.
Dame Judi Dench did her usual brilliant job as the ‘hard as nails’ M and the “new” ‘Q’ – Ben Whishaw was delightful and clever; a new generation of weapons maestro to supply Bond with his new toys. Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, and Rory Kinnear (the son of the late actor Roy Kinnear) all exceeded themselves in their appointed roles.
I was amazed at Albert Finney as the gamekeeper Kincaid. I did not recognise him at first, but when he opened his mouth, despite the Scottish accent, I knew it was him. What a delight to see him still proving that at his age, he’s still got the ‘chops.’
The film looked brilliant and the soundtrack was great, especially after the second half of the film got under way. There were some spectacular stunts for this film and the scene with the London tube train was memorable and will be hard to beat.
The only problem I had with the film was the first half. Sam Mendes seems to have confused slowness with grandness. He worked tremendously hard to make the 23rd Bond outing look epic. Unfortunately epic does not equal slow or meandering. I was actually getting bored and we had not even met Silva yet.
However, once he came on board, the film picked up pace nicely and cracked along. The speedier and more action packed second half saved the film by just pulling it back from the precipice of diffidence. When things began moving and bringing Bond back to his roots by including some traditional Bond music and a bit of the old 007 ingenuity, it felt like we were back home again.
But the film did open with a great pre-title sequence that offered more action than most film’s set-pieces. Once the opening credits finished the film, as I said above, slowed down to a crawl. I am sure that the director felt that this leisurely pace was necessary for the “slower” members of the audience to catch everything, but those of us with a higher IQ it was too slow.
Daniel Craig gave, as usual, his all for God, Queen, country, and M. He still manages to make Bond seem bigger than life and brings a roughness mixed with the smooth edge of diamond tough suaveness that brings Sean Connery to mind.
But where the “original” Bond was flippant, Craig is not. His humour is drier and much more subtle. We can only hope that he “stays’ as Bond for at least a few more films. He is the last of the male stars who can pull it off.
For excruciatingly slow pacing in the first half of the film, I’ll have to give the film a 4.5 stars out of 5. Close, but not the full cigar, Mendes.
Related articles
- Skyfall Last Ever James Bond Film. The Agony Needs To End (stirringtrouble.wordpress.com)
- Daniel Craig on fans’ expectations and keeping fit for James Bond role (metro.co.uk)
- Sam Mendes 75% Likely to Return for JAMES BOND 24; Film May Miss Fall 2014 Release (collider.com)
- Skyfall (2012) Movie Review (fringefiction.net)
- ‘Skyfall’ Blu-ray Exclusive: Daniel Craig On The Importance Of Being Bond (moviesblog.mtv.com)
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Agreed, it is definitely a return to form! Thanks for sharing your thoughts mate!! 😀
Awesome review yo. I definitely had a lot of love fro Skyfall when I saw it in the cinema, I’m sure I saw it twice (though a lot of my memories of 2012 are starting to disappear already). I thought Daniel Craig, Jaiver Bardem and Judi Dench were amazing and their triangle of a stroy was beautiful. I definitely agree with you about the pacing of the film, I feel like once Silva showed up things things started to pick up and get interesting.
Overall its a great Bond film that mixes in the old with the new, and while I can’t say its the best Bond film ever (still love Goldfinger and Casino Royale more), it is definitely a return to form.
Thank you very,very much! Cheers mate!!
Spot on, Mike! This was my favourite Bond film in a long, long time (even though it had a tendency to drag). Javier Bardem was soooo deliciously creepy in it. Great post as always!
Cheers!
Not really, but then I’ve not seen the latest in the franchise…
No worries mate! I hope you enjoy it!! 😀
Agreed! I’m going into town today and tomorrow, I’ll drag it in with me and see! Cheers mate!!
I wonder if it’s a different Blu-ray version as the one I have has the film and special features on the same disc. You could try taking it back, that’s a lot to spend on something with no extras!
As I said, I got the last Blu-ray in HMV that was obviously why it was left on the counter! 14 quid for a Blu-ray with no special features. Now I am finding out from loads of folks that their Blu-ray copies had loads of features! *grumble*
As much as I enjoyed the film, and I did, the first half spent a little too long setting up the scene, the camera swept a little bit too much on a panoramic view; it all added up to slow almost with a capital S. I really do believe that Mendes feels that slow equals epic. Still, he shot way up in the second half and the film sped along quite nicely. I did love the nods and winks to previous films and I agree totally that Craig’s Bond is probably the closest to Fleming’s character in the books. Cheers mate!! 😀
Yup, very enjoyable film! 🙂
This is probably in my top 5 Bond films, I thought it was great. The cinematography is amazing and Bardem was absolutely brilliant. I agree it takes a little too long to get going though and it also abandons its main story. What on earth happened to the list they were looking for?! If they mentioned it then I missed it!
Also, you didn’t get any special features?! The Blu-ray I have has two commentaries and another featurette.
I really enjoyed your review Mike. For me it was a superlative and exciting film. It didn’t drag in the beginning for me at all. I felt that deliberateness was necessary set up for the arrival of Silva. He is there off screen pulling the strings to get what he wants and then he makes a grand villain’ entrance reminiscent of Katherine Hepburn’s villianesse entrance in “Suddenly Last Summer”. And there were plenty of surprises especially at the end. Lots of fun nods to previous Bond films. (Kamodo dragon anyone?)
The Blu-ray over here has lots of extras and a commentary by the director and another by the producers. I am sorry you missed that. Lots of interesting insights into the making of the film.
I have read all the books and I have to say that Daniel Craig is the darkest and most dangerous Bond of them all and very close in emotional makeup to Fleming’s Bond.
I loved it!
I liked it very much, Lois.
I loved it to, a lot to get excited about. Did you see a little Dark Knight influence?
Really looking forward to this one. Love the cast and your review has motivated me even more. Thanks. Paulette
Agreed!
Nice review. I’m a big Bond fan and I really loved this one. Best Bond movie in years, even better than Casino Royale.
I hope you enjoy it as much as we did! 😀
We FINALLY get to see it this weekend. Yay.