Tags
007, 2010's, 50th Anniversary, Action, Adele, Adventure, Albert Finney, Ben Whishaw, Berenice Marlohe, Daniel Craig, James Bond, Javier Bardem, Judi Dench, Naomie Harris, Ola Rapace, Ralph Fiennes, Roger Deakins, Sam Mendes, Skyfall, Spy
Film Title
Skyfall
Director
Sam Mendes
Cast
- Daniel Craig as James Bond
- Javier Bardem as Raoul Silva
- Judi Dench as M
- Ralph Fiennes as Gareth Mallory
- Naomie Harris as Eve
- Berenice Marlohe as Severine
- Ben Whishaw as Q
- Ola Rapace as Patrice
- Albert Finney as Kincade
Skyfall is the 23rd entry into the James Bond series and this year celebrates the 50 years 007 has been on our screens. As many of my followers will know I’m a huge fan of the James Bond series, but I promise I’ll try to make this review as objective as possible. But even if you are not a fan, you can’t ignore the staggering success that the series has attained over it’s 50 year run. Over these years the films have showcased many exciting missions, amazingly beautiful women and maniacal villains, many of which have become a part of popular culture. If there was any doubt that the series couldn’t recover after the underwhelming Quantum Of Solace, then look no further than Skyfall that makes a spectacular return to form on the 50th Anniversary. Anyway, back to my review of the film.
The film starts with Bond and a sexy field agent named Eve, pursuing a mercenary in Istanbul who has a device that contains the identity of NATO agents. Right from the start, the atmosphere is thrilling and gripping, as the chase moves from cars to foot and eventually the top of a train. It is the perfect way to start the film. On the command of M, Eve armed with a sniper shoots intending to hit the target who is grappling with Bond. Instead she hits 007, who in turn falls into the river and is presumed dead. The scene is rounded of as Bond falls into an atmospheric title sequence accompanied by the sound of Adele’s title song, which harks back to the early Bond songs.
As a result of her judgment and command, M is pressured to resign by Government chairman Mallory. Then, MI6 is hacked and a bomb is set off at the headquarters, killing many of the workers. Meanwhile, Bond is “enjoying death” in some corner of the globe, a shadow of his old self. When he hears of the attack, he returns to duty to uncover the source of terror on M. It appears that M made an enemy of a former agent, Raoul Silva, who in turn wants personal and sadistic revenge on his former boss. What ensures is a thrilling, action packed and character driven film that firmly establishes Bond as a force that is here to stay.
What is great upon viewing the film is its neat balance of action and character development. Sam Mendes, best known for directing American Beauty, makes an assured entry into the Bond canon. All of the leading players involved in the film deserve some credit. Daniel Craig’s third movie features a great performance that shows both the vulnerable and tough sides to James Bond.As the flamboyant, sadistic and utterly menacing Silva, Javier Bardem is outstanding in a role that fits him like a glove. In my book, he is sure to go down as a memorable adversary for Bond. Judi Dench gives a commanding performance as M, as she is pivotal to the story and Dench rises to the challenge of having a larger role with ease. We finally get an insight into this commanding woman, both as a person and as the boss. No Bond film would be complete without the women. Naomie Harris provides a sexy presence as a field agent who playfully spars with Bond. Die hard fans should watch for a neat twist involving her character. The other girl, Berenice Marlohe has the smaller role but is equally as sexy and adds mystery to her character of Severine. My only quibble with her character is that it would have been better if her role had been expanded a little more. Sterling support is provided by Ralph Fiennes and Ben Whishaw, who makes an amusing and geeky young Q for this generation of fans. Albert Finney also appears as someone from Bond’s past and steals the scenes that he has.
The cinematography by Roger Deakins is exemplary in the way it captures the mood of the film and accentuates emotions with his use of colour. The locations and set pieces used are also amazing to the eye, such as the scene of Bond grappling with an enemy against a back drop of electric blue jellyfish and an exotic casino equipped with deadly Komodo dragons.
All that I have left to say is this, Skyfall is an exciting, gripping and action packed film with all the right ingredients and references to the early Bond movies. Even if you are not a fan of the series, see it as soon as you can as you won’t regret it.
Fogs' Movie Reviews said:
Nice. Glad you’re on board the “Skyfall is Great” parade Vinnie. 😀
I think it definitely WILL appeal to people who arent Bond fans, and that’s one of the reasons this movie is so great… it’s going to bring in new fans to the franchise!
Nice review! Glad you pointed out the cinematography, too. That was so exceptional… definitely worthy of note!
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vinnieh said:
Thanks for the comment, the cinematography greatly added to the film.
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Mr Rumsey said:
Great review, and as Fog’s has said already – it’s great to have another Skyfall fan! Man this one was awesome 😀
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vinnieh said:
Yeah it really is a great entry into the Bond canon. Thanks for your comment.
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Tim The Film Guy said:
Good review, glad you liked it. I noticed a couple of people who have said they’d never seen a Bond before but will because of this film 😀
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vinnieh said:
Thanks for the comment, I’ve heard that as well.
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Austin 'BishopReview' said:
I still need to see this! It looks great and everything, but I typically will go and see these sort of action movies with my father and he’s currently busy with work. Sort of family tradition to see movies together and when my brother comes down for Thanksgiving, we might just all go see it together. That’ll be weird. Great review.
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vinnieh said:
I hope you see it and enjoy it.
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ckckred said:
It’s a great film and one of the best James Bond movies. Glad you loved it too. Nice review.
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vinnieh said:
Thanks it is one great movie.
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Terry Malloy's Pigeon Coop said:
Nice review Vinnie, glad you liked it 🙂
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vinnieh said:
Thanks for the comment man.
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fernandorafael said:
Great review. Definitely agree. This is one of the best of the year so far.
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vinnieh said:
Thanks, Yeah it’s definitely on my list of best this year.
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Colin said:
I quite agree; this is a very good movie, not just a good Bond movie. I thought it was a real return to form after the awful disappointment of Quantum of Solace.
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vinnieh said:
Thanks, yeah it is certainly a return to form after Quantum of Solace.
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mistylayne said:
This was my first ever Bond film (I’d only seen bits and pieces before and wasn’t particularly impressed) but I REALLY enjoyed this! Was surprised at the depth and the visuals were stunning. Plus Q was ADORABLE.
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vinnieh said:
Thanks glad you enjoyed it.
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The Cinemaniac said:
Guess you know what I thought of this one. We agreed a lot.
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vinnieh said:
Thanks for your comment
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Cavershamragu said:
Spot-on Vinnie – I too liked it greatly and wished that Severine’s role had been given more screentime, though the film is a bit overlong as it is in my opinion, so …
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vinnieh said:
Thanks for your comment, it really was a great film to watch.
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Cavershamragu said:
And it is so nice to go see a movie that has been hyped to death and which actually lives up to expectations and that all sorts of people are just really excited to go and see not just the core fans (and yes, I’m thinking of TWILIGHT here).
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vinnieh said:
Thanks, I agree it is good to see a movie that more than lives up to the hype.
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CMrok93 said:
Great review Vinnie. Craig is great, but Bardem is even better and made this flick a lot more tense and suspenseful just by his presence being there. If it wasn’t for him, this film would have still been alright but not as great as it is.
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vinnieh said:
Thanks, yeah Bardem is amazing in this and makes for a great Bond villain.
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Silver Screen Sundays said:
Great review. I think I enjoyed the cinematography more than anything in the movie because every shot was beautiful. Hoping that it gets a nod when the Academy Awards come around.
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vinnieh said:
Yeah I certainly hope it gets a nod.
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Mark Hobin said:
What more is there to add? You’ve said it all and beautifully. I loved this film.
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vinnieh said:
Thanks for the comment, I loved it to.
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ruth said:
Glad to see another fellow Bond fan and I agree that I think Skyfall appeals to non-fans as well. I said in my review that it’s not just a good Bond film, it’s a GOOD FILM period.
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vinnieh said:
Thanks, totally agree with you.
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jeffro517 said:
I love your reviews! It’s always nice to see how other critics write up a film like this. I loved the movie, especially the direction they took the story line.
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vinnieh said:
Thanks, I thought this one had a great storyline that was certainly gripping.
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Hunter said:
Nice review! And I totally agree, the film will definitely open the Bond franchise up to people who are not hardcore fans, much like Casino Royale did. I still like CR better, but SKYFALL is probably my second favorite of the Bond films I’ve seen so far. I totally did was Austin said he might do, I came back from college and saw this with my whole family. If that’s not opening up the franchise I don’t know what is:)
Really rooting for this one for a best picture nomination. Of course there are a lot more movies coming, but so far SKYFALL has definitely been one of the best, and I think better than Flight, which seemed like it would be good but wasn’t in my opinion. It’s definitely worthy, academy!
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vinnieh said:
Thanks, I agree with you, I hope this gets some Academy recognition.
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sati said:
Glad you enjoyed the movie! I really liked it, the fact Bardem and Fiennes were in it only added to my joy. Loving the new design of the site btw!
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vinnieh said:
Thanks for the comment, glad you are liking the new design.
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Nostra said:
Happy to see you also enjoyed this, nice review!
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vinnieh said:
Thanks, it certainly was an enjoyable movie.
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TBM said:
I used to be a huge Bond fan but then I just stopped watching them for some unknown reason. I do want to see this one though.
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vinnieh said:
Thanks for your comment, I hope you get to see this one.
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Filmcraziest said:
Great review! This is one awesome flick. It’s great for newcomers to the series (like me, sort of, the only other I’ve seen is Die Another Day).
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vinnieh said:
Thanks for your comment, it certainly is one to watch if you’re new to the series.
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Chris said:
Good point about the neat balance of action and character development in Skyfall.
As someone who grew up in UK, I was glad to see so much of story took place in England, and I loved the humor too, which as you say references the early Bond movies.
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vinnieh said:
Thanks, I also enjoyed how the UK was used.
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Eric said:
Good stuff here, Vinnie. This is a strong contender for my favorite Bond film.
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vinnieh said:
Thanks, it sure is high on my list of favourite Bond films.
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Clint said:
Great Review!
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vinnieh said:
Thanks, it was definitely one of my favourite films of the year.
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GaryLee828 said:
Wow, I am surprised at all the praise this movie is getting on here. I was really looking forward to this movie, but was very disappointed as it felt like the series is reverting back to the silliness of the Brosnan films. The komodo dragon sequence was laughable, and felt like it belonged in a Nicolas Cage movie; Silva had this huge opening scene establishing him as a menacing and formidable villain, but then they hardly used him much afterwards. They set us up, to let us down. And then the whole third act felt like a circus. And I liked the way M used a flashlight as she ran to shelter! LOL. Casino Royale had none of the campy silliness – and Quantum of Solace may have been a bit underwhelming for some, but at least it was congruent with Casino Royale, and it was a solid follow-up to complete that story; at least it wasn’t silly, and remained gritty as CR was. This “Skyfall” installment felt more like The Fast & The Furious than Bond.
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Summit10 said:
Nice Read! I am definitely into Spy genre films from Ian Fleming, John Le Carre,Tom Clancy, Robert Ludlum etc…
I hope someone can replace Sam Mendes to that Daniel can still do another film or two (hopefully)
http://themoviemontage.wordpress.com/2012/12/30/skyfall-2012/
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vinnieh said:
Thanks, yeah I’m a fan of Ludlum and Le Carre myself.
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andthosewhocant said:
Yes Skyfall is very accessible, both as an action film (which is really why Casino Royale succeeded), but as a James Bond film as well. Great review!
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vinnieh said:
Thanks for the comment, glad you liked it.
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alexraphael said:
Your enthusiasm for Bond is so infectious. I’ve done loads of things for Bond on my site, but it still doesn’t seem enough haha!
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vinnieh said:
Thanks, glad to hear from a fellow fan.
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alexraphael said:
Please let me know how you do on my three Bond quizzes. No one has got higher than 16 yet.
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beetleypete said:
Bond…
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vinnieh said:
And we all know your thoughts on the guy.
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Bob Wurtenberg said:
This is a movie that can’t get enough praise. This is probably my favorite Bond out of all of them!
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vinnieh said:
It’s one of my favourites as well, everything in the film just clicks in place so nicely.
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