Saw this last night. I'd have to give it a Worth the Admission.

It's a James Bond movie. There are things it's supposed to be and things it ain't.

The visuals were often stunning, especially Shanghai. A Bond movie is supposed to be bombs, bullets and broads, and there was enough of that. Well, bombs and bullets mostly.

There were reasonably effective attempts at character depth. Even a Bond flaw, and some Bond tears, as well as his background history. I have not seen all the Bond movies, but this was the deepest Bond I've seen.

And then there's the villain, always important in a 007 film. Tough to come up with one that's not familiar, but I thought they did a reasonably good job at that. And it matched the theme very well. The bad guy here is an ex-agent who felt used by MI6. And here we have 007 going through a similar struggle as he is first shot by his own partner and then is coldly forced to confront his age related decline by his superiors.

And there was some very clever dialogue. Like at the end when the bad guy makes fun of Bond for "all this running".

The Skyfall premise where he takes M to his ancestral homeland...well, there's just no way to make sense of that, so we have to live with it.

And the fact that Bond gets apparently killed, but actually survives, and yet they show nothing of how, seems really hard to accept in a plot. Possibly even worse, they don't effectively show why this leads to his questioning of his job and his sinking into alcoholism. It's like there's something missing, perhaps cut from the final script.

I sympathize with the writers more than I would find fault. It must be exceedingly difficult to accomplish all of the story needs: set ups and pay offs, the rebooting of the 007 legend, the character flaws and arcs, and the ever-present bombs and bullets.

I grew up loving the Bond films of the 70s. I saw Moonraker in the theater and loved it(I was about 10). Those stories could not withstand microscopic dissection either.

The goal in the reboot here was to make Bond fun, cool and relevant. And as a bonus they added some character depth. Viewed in the scheme of the Bond series over the last 50 years, they did a pretty decent job.

I watched it last night.  It's been awhile since I've been to the Cinema and a while since I've watched a film, so this was the mindless entertainment I was looking for.  It delivered for me.

The only gripe about the writing I would have is that Bardem's character goes a ridiculously long way round to get his revenge and his motives just seemed paper thin and childish, when considering he should really have known the dangers of his previous employment. (but maybe that was the point? Typical Mommy issues that a lot of villains have?).  

I wasn't entirely sure about the Straw Dogs final act (what, no bear trap?). However, all in all I thought it was a fun film that made me escape the real world for two hours, and to be honest that's all I want out of a movie.

Some critics think it's the best Bond ever?  Hmmm. It's not as good as Casino Royale, but alot better than QOS, granted.  But considering my fave Bond is Timothy Dalton, I'm apparently no expert!

Just got back from seeing it about half an hour ago.  Personally I put it up there with the likes of From Russia With Love, Goldeneye and Casino Royale as my favorite Bond films of all time.  Yep.  Thought it was that good.  Loved the shout-outs to old Bond flicks, loved that they delved a bit into Bond's childhood and where he grew up, and loved the Moneypenny bit.  If there's any doubt that the series was rebooted with Casino Royale, this one pretty much proves  we're dealing with a Bond still relatively early on in his career.

Recommended.

Name this movie:

*SPOILER WARNING*

Blond lunatic with facial deformity blows stuff up, gets himself caught on purpose, then escapes spectacularly to enact his true master plan while the hero kicks ass and faces the reality that he can't continue to fight crime this way.

*END SPOILERS*

Did you guess The Dark Knight? Well, you'd be wrong. It's the latest Bond flick Skyfall.

Seriously, I finally saw this, mostly because I was excited that Javier Bardem was the villain, plus I like Daniel Craig as Bond.

I don't think this compares to Casino Royale. Not even close. I think it's entertaining and fun to watch, but in a lot of ways it doesn't feel like Bond.

For one, Bond villains usually have big plots. They do things like steal spaceships and threaten to instigate World War III. Silva just wants to kill one person in the most convoluted assassination plot in history. Sure it's got big events like a subway train running off a cliff, but the plot feels so small in scope.

I can't even get started on the plot holes and conveniences. Bond movies have always had these things, but here there doesn't seem to be the razzle dazzle that ordinarily helps you let those things slide so easily.

It is a fun movie. It's got plenty of action. Overall, I enjoyed it. But it feels more like a conventional espionage thriller than a grand Bond adventure. The film opens in Istanbul. In an early scene, Bond rides a motorcycle across the same rooftops seen in the film The International. Looking back, that kind of foreshadowed the feel of the whole movie.

So go see it for action and entertainment, but don't expect a memorable Bond film. This one falls in the middle somewhere.

Saw this a while back, just couldn't find the thread for it.

I thought it was a little slow at the start to be completely honest. I found myself fidgeting quite a lot and hoping it would pick up soon. Thankfully, it did and I found that I loved it afterwards.

Particularly impressed with the cast here. I'm a big fan of Ralph Fiennes, Judy Dench and Albert Finney and seeing them all together in one film is just awesome.

Enjoyed it.

I enjoyed it.

It didn't feel like 2 and a half hours, surprisingly.  But, it also didn't feel much like a Bond film, either.  I'll take that as both good and bad.

I don't think the story or plot was well conceived or written at all.  I found much of the decisions and action to be downright ludicrous, and I missed much of what I expect in a Bond film, but somehow, some way, I still enjoyed this much more than Daniel Craig's first 2 Bond outings.

The cinematography was indeed beautiful.  I enjoyed the score and locations as well.  I guess I liked Craig's darker version of Bond...seemed more down to Earth, more real.

Overall, I liked it much more than I thought I was going to, and that's always a plus.

Welcome to the Billion Dollar Club, Mr. Bond!

They've gone and done it.   They've made Bond into an everyman secret agent.  Gone are the iconic spy gimmicks that made these movies great.  

I never liked Craig as an actor and especially not as Bond.  If you've noticed they give him very few lines of dialogue in this film.  That's because he can't hold the movie by himself. So the movie is no longer about Bond, the supporting actors have to carry the film.   Though Craig does look good with his shirt off that's not all an actor should be about.

The action in this film was excellently done and it looked great - don't get me wrong -  but despite the side trek into Bond's past this film was as shallow and vacuous as taking pleasure in watching Daniel Craig with his shirt off.
    

I finally got around to the new Bond last night.

I too was lulled into a false sense of Bond bliss by the opener.
And then I could've taken an hour long potty break before Javier shows. :/
If Silva had more of a presence in the film, I would've been fine.
But no Javier until one hour and fifteen minutes in?!? Ouch.

And was it just me, or did Silva sling some swinger vibe at a bound Bond?
I wish Silva seduced Bond more actually, semi-convince him of M's sins.
Legitimately consider how he's been lied to and used like scrap over the years.
If there was some legit truth to that, Silva would've really won me over.
Villains seducing heroes with partial truths like that really heats up the conflict.
I guess I just wanted a lot more for Javier Bardem to do.

In the end, this kinda felt like the Star Trek: Generations of the Bond series.
One staff passing the torch to the next tentpole supporters.
Despite a rocking opener and the dazzling Shanghai stuff, the film felt TRANSITORY.

Didn't buy CG enhanced stubble Bond as a washed up spy. At all.
Injured? Sure. But not the suds the cast was selling about old age.

Let's hope Bond has his Star Trek: First Contact installment next!

E.D.

Quoted from Electric Dreamer Let's hope Bond has his Star Trek: First Contact installment next!

The line must be drawn HERE! This far, NO FARTHER!!

Quoted from Heretic The line must be drawn HERE! This far, NO FARTHER!!

LOL!
You have to admit, Skyfall does have that transitory musk to it.

E.D.