Skyfall reviews

This year I decided to take up the gargantuan task of watching all 22 James Bond films before seeing Skyfall. I don't call myself an expert on all things Bond since I haven't necessarily grown up on them. The first Bond film I ever saw in a theater was Die Another Day (2002). You can pretty much figure why James Bond would be of little interest to me. But I took Bond seriously when Casino Royale (2006) took me by surprise. I loved it so much I saw it 3 and a half times in the theater (there is always a story behind things like these).

Now having seen all of them, revisiting some of them, watching those I had never seen before, you would think I would give you an intensive analysis of Skyfall. Well, not really. I don't think one must ever analyze a Bond film. They are about a spy with a license to kill who sleeps with women while he globetrots. You want to take that seriously? Sure go ahead. I'll just stick to being entertained.

That being said, Daniel Craig's version of James Bond is indeed very serious. He has little humor. The “fun” has been stripped off and they have become grander and more action-packed than being stylish adventures. Casino Royale gave us Bond's origin story the best way possible. Quantum of Solace wasn't a bad movie but it just wasn't a good Bond movie and seemed dull in comparison to its knockout predecessor.

Naturally, the 23^rd Bond film I saw was Skyfall. Skyfall goes back to basics. By basics I don't mean just making a good Bond film again but making Bond, Bond again. The 60s Bond which is just the way I take that martini. There are several references to the old way being the best way. Apart from literally bringing back the vintage Aston Martin or the more obviously fantastic ending which would bring a smile to each Bond fan's face, I'm pleased to announce: Q, M and Moneypenny all are in attendance. (I have avoided spoilers here, visible only to those who have seen the film). Another old school ornament is Adele's exemplary theme song, which is worn over an elegant title sequence.

The credit of creating an impeccable entry into this prolific tunnel (You *have* to throw in at least one sexual innuendo when you write about a Bond film) should be given to the handsomely talented cast and crew. From Sam Mendes to Roger Deakins to Javier Bardem to Judi Dench to Ralph Fiennes who put on their best boots while Ben Whishaw and Naomie Harris hold the beacon of “brave new world”. The result is a great movie which is exquisitely entertaining. It gives you a taste of Goldfinger by following the successful Bond film template. It gives you a great villain in Silva. Bardem who won an Oscar for his diabolical turn in No Country For Old Men never feels repetitive in his villainous garb. (In fact I could see more of Anthony Hopkins and Christopher Walken there than him aping himself). It gives you action set pieces, which are nothing short of spectacular. It even gives you solid conversations and relationships. You may think I'm describing it as being completely old-fashioned bereft of novelty but that's not the case. This is an old dog with new tricks. The questions that loom are pertinent. Is espionage still relevant? Why does the MI6 exist? Who is Bond? I've always loved those little hints at his childhood and I couldn't be happier to see this film scratching that surface a bit more. It also adds considerable weight to M and Bond's relationship.

For any balanced cinephile, this series is more than just action and entertainment. It isn't just most successful franchise ever, it birthed the concept of reboots, before we even called them that. Not to mention the amount of filmmakers it has influenced. Tarantino, Peter Jackson, mainly Christopher Nolan whose Dark Knight Trilogy/ Inception owe a lot to On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) and A View to a Kill (1985). Spielberg and Lucas created their own version of the archetypal movie hero and called it Indiana Jones. In turn, Skyfall wants to be The Dark Knight of this series so badly that it even takes several elements from it. (Villain willingly gets caught)

The series has completed 50 years and it couldn't get a better commemoration. While it has many exotic locations, the film returns to Scotland and is more British than any of its recent companions. The film also ends with the “James Bond will return” title card. Skyfall is more than just a Bond film. It is for those who've never seen one; it's for those who have seen many. It is basically one of the very best Bond films ever.

Side-note: My 10 favorite Bond films are (in chronological order): From Russia with Love (1963), Goldfinger (1964), You Only Live Twice (1967), On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), Live and Let Die (1973), The Living Daylights (1987), Licence to Kill (1989), GoldenEye (1995), Casino Royale (2006) and Skyfall (2012).

"We don't go in for exploding pens anymore" says the yougnest Q yet in the franchise. The post Dark Knight era audience couldn't agree more, Bond has been on a course of some drastic new age makeover and Skyfall fashinably completes the process.

Director Sam Mendes raises Bond from the staple guns girls martinis and chases affair to a world that is ruled by Nolan's reinvention of how a super hero film should be. Bond of Skyfall is all that Bond is, witty one liners glam girls and suited to the hilt, and yet is more than what Bonds have ever been.

Robotic, womaniser, dry and mechanical are words often associated with Bond as a character. Sam infuses Bond with a humane side, a certain dark edge and sense of melancholy that pushes him to face imminent death, not just a textbook jingoistic sense of loyalty for her Majesty. Bond is given a past, his dead parents are spoken of, his resurrection from the dead is performed and his triumph over evil despite physical limitations are thrown in to make him the new age super hero we all want to see aka Batman.

Having said that, Skyfall is also not all cerebral and gloomy. While Sam throws in quieter moments of introspection and menace, he balances it out with some seriously audacious action sequences. My heart jumped out at the sight of a subway train plunging down the tube rummaging through pillars like a pack of cards. Then there is the brilliant action sequence in Shanghai and the long drawn final battle of the clima- Sam makes sure die hard Bond fans have theie share of the fun too.

What Sam also does, is to reinvent the Bond villain. A whiff of Roger Moore days badass nature mixed with the incomprehensible anonymity of a Joker or a Bane, Javier Bardem as the new Bond bad guy is brilliant. His evil is undecipherable, his looks commonplace and yet something about him that oozes a sense of impending doom. This is perhaps the best Bond villain in recent times, more so cause the reason de etre in Skyfall is less of a physical threat to the world but more of the ideological challenge that anonymous fighters pose in the name of cyberwar and terrorism.

Daniel Craig as Bond imrpoves on his earlier outings, He is suited most of the time for one, the one liners are back, the abolute lack of humor replaced with a wry British comic timing and a unique warmth, especially towards the end. His physicality in the action sequences is an asset helping Bond move on from gadgets and gizmos to actual battles old school.

Skyfall reinvents Bond as a new age superhero, while retaining his Agent self. As the franchise completes 50 years, it is but natural that Bond evolved. Skyfall marks a a tantalising new beginning to a new set of Bond films that hopefully would take forward this trend of merging cerebral entertainment with the playing to the gallery school of Bond-ness. This is a definite blockbuster.

Skyfall is a full paisa vasool movie. I am not much of a Bond movies fan but when the signature music comes on, you can't help but feel a frisson of excitement, albeit with a retro twinge to it. Besides, I love movies where the characters start spouting technology nonsense like “ this micro chip embedded in your hair follicle will transmit the co-ordinates to the alpha neuron facility and activate a remote bullet to go under enemy lines.” Superb stuff that.

So the Empire is in danger and more crucially M is in danger from a lunatic. Bond comes back from the dead to sort out the crises. Along the way, he surprisingly only seduces one woman (why do the mighty have to fall?), indulges in histrionics like only Bond can and then in an end that is as emotional as spectacular, sorts the world out.

Daniel Craig is sharp but too serious for me. I like my Bond to be played with a touch of humour and tongue in cheekiness.

Fully recommended. Every suave, sophisticated action and emotion filled moment is worth it.

Skyfall left me with mixed emotions. I had a fun time all through it but at the end I wasn't able to figure out whether I liked it or loved it. After mulling over that thought for a day, I figured it has to do with the reinvention that the Bond franchise has gone through with this film and the reason why Sam Mendes was brought in makes sense now.

Assumed dead after an opening chase sequence goes wrong Bond (Daniel Craig) comes back when MI6 headquarters is bombed and M's (Judi Dench) past comes back to haunt her in the form of Silva (Javier Bardem). This time Bond has to stop Silva from getting to M.

Skyfall is the best looking Bond film I have seen in recent times. Most of the time I was so distracted and in awe of Roger Deakins's work, which is partly the reason the film didn't work for me on an emotional level. The mood he creates in the first half can put you to sleep (I say that in a good way). It has that kind of a calming effect on your nerves.

Along with Sam Mendes and Roger Deakins there is one more new addition to team Bond. That is writer John Logan (Hugo, Rango, Gladiator, Any Given Sunday). I am very interested to know what his inputs in re-inventing Bond were.

Sky fall is more of a personal film. It's about M as the mother figure torn between the good son and the bad son.

People expecting the regular Bond fare will be slightly disappointed. My advice, go in with the idea of accepting something new and you will come out deeply satisfied.

The climax was a bit of a turn off and also Javier Bardem's character which starts off brilliantly with a slow walk monologue and that one scene in which you see the ugliness and trauma of the character loses steam unceremoniously towards the end. The character becomes a caricature of itself.

Word of mouth - The Sky will rise for those who accept the new Bond. For the rest this franchise takes a fall with this one.

Rating - 3.5 (Good)

Ticket meter - Rush to a theatre near you.

The rules of the game have been changed since the debut of Daniel Craig as the new face of secret service agent, James Bond 007. With all due respect to the British spy icon, who continues to live on after five decades and 23 globetrotting adventures, James Bond is no longer a character you can associate with glitz, glamour and gizmos. Of course there are girls, who still continue to be part of his life, but hardly get to spend few extra minutes. What was supposed to be an extravagant golden jubilee year for Bond may have just turned into a film with murky setting, which may not be applauded universally. Bond is back, but not the way you would've expected.

Skyfall, which comes from the factory of Sam Menders, known to be a doctor of conniving thrillers such as 'American beauty' and 'Road to Perdition', had to have some bitterness in the plot, and it does to some extent.

When a former MI6 operative Raoul Silva swears to see M, played by Judi Dench dead, James Bond must stop the former from the reaching the latter. While investigating an attack on MI6, Bond learns that the attack was planned and intended to kill M. Meanwhile, five NATO agents are killed after their identities are exposed. Bond must stop Silva before it's too late.

'Skyfall' starts off with the kind of adrenaline rush you would expect from Bond franchise ever since Daniel took over the reins. A stunning pre-titles action sequence, true to Daniel's action hero status, followed by a chartbuster song crooned by Adele, is just about everything you could wish for in a Bond movie.

Thanks to Sam, we get to see the emotional side of Bond, something we haven't quite experienced in the past. True to how Mendes described Bond's character at Skyfall cast announcement, it's a combination of lassitude, boredom, depression and difficulty with what he's chosen to do for a living. But, what keeps Bond always on his toes is his pathetic love for his country. Although, there's a side to him that wants to stretch back and guiltlessly enjoy early retirement, but his patriotic side wants to fight for the country.

Bond whizzes through exotic locales, from London, Shanghai to Istanbul in pulsating fashion. As a Bond aficionado, you'll enjoy plenty of witty one-liners, designer costumers, breathtaking cinematography and lots of action, especially one particular scene on the highest floor of a Shanghai building or atop a train. But, for those who found the last two installments in the franchise slick and engrossing, may find 'Skyfall' slow and less engaging.

Silva was more than a villain as rightly described by Bardem himself at the launch of the film. Having learnt what happened to him, you can't stop yourself from showering some sympathy on the character. However, with his megalomaniac intentions, all that he earns is Bond's and viewers wrath alike.

The glamour quotient Berenice Marlohe doesn't quite satisfy with her oomph. Judi and Ralph, shine in their respective roles, while the latter opens door to something extra. The inclusion of few characters is smart and breathes life into the franchise that we hope will return with a better Bond flick.

'Sky' falls sans impact.

Its been 50 years of Bond & the world's most popular secret service agent is back. So how does the much awaited Skyfall fare?
Gritty, stunningly shot & deliciously vintage...yet a farcry from the oldschool James Bond.

A very important point one must note. This is not the same Bond we have always watched. Move over suave 007 with fancy cars & gadgets. Enter vulnerable 007 who is much more real & intense. A mission goes awry & Bond goes missing. In the meantime, Silva(Javier Bardem) launches an attack on MI6. Ofcourse Bond returns to face the challenge & the film revolves around the cat and mouse game between the two with the aim to save M(Judi Dench). While the narrative is taut for a chunk of it, the climax could have surely been much better.

The show belongs to 2 people. Javier Bardem for pulling off one of the best Bond villains in the franchise to date & Roger Deakins for the exquisite cinematography. The first action scene was brilliant, but overall, we have seen far superior work.

Yes its got its classic references of the Omega watch, the Aston Martin(a master stroke in this film) & his Martini, but it all way too subtle for the purists. I would have loved him to say, 'Shaken, not stirred' rather than 'Its perfect', but I guess that's the difference.
For those looking for the Bond we have seen with Sean Connery, Roger Moore & Pierce Brosnan, this is not the place. While its not the best Bond film from them all, its surely great fun.

Less sensationalized, more sensitized, this 007 is not for those looking for a popcorn-entertainer. Skyfall is like a deadly Molotov Cocktail, that looks raw but causes some serious carnage!

Skyfall was one of the most highly anticipated movies of 2012. It was meant to be James Bond's

return to a place in the highest echelons of cinema. It went on to cross the $1 billion mark

worldwide which, after a cringe worthy 22nd installment, was the kind of revival the series needed.

Sam Mendes's contribution to the franchise brought vintage James Bond back with a bang. James

Bond's latest mission goes horribly awry, resulting in the exposure of several undercover agents,

an all-out attack on M16 and an unknown traitor's personal vendetta against CIA head, M (Judi

Dench). In Skyfall, we learn about Bond’s past for the first time in the series, which makes Daniel

Craig’s Adonis of a hero seem more human and relatable, more of a man than an action figure.

The plot is simpler than the trailers make it seem but is also much more memorable and moving.

Starting with a fantastic 20-minute opening chase sequence aboard motorcycles and trains in the

city of Istanbul; the fist fights amidst the ever luminescent neon lights of Macau and the heartstoppingly

stylish bomb detonations in the London underground tube; all recall old school

Spielberg, Mendes’ approach to action is classical, sleek and elegant. The titular reference of Bond

falling from the sky forms the opening shot for the credits which, on their own, are almost

hauntingly spectacular (a description used previously for the credits of The Girl with the Dragon

Tattoo). Played to background music of Adele's Oscar winning song, they set the tone for what is

yet to come.

True to form, Javier Bardem’s maniacal (what is it with him and weird hair styles i.e. No Country for

Old Men?), funny-yet-scary portrayal of Silva, a madman with the world’s worst bleach job who is

prone to florid speeches, grandstanding theatrics and evil behavior. Bardem doesn’t make his

appearance until an hour into the film, but Mendes gives him an entrance worthy of the wait, a

long, showy monologue he recounts as he walks slowly toward the camera, resulting in one of the

funniest, most unexpected exchanges in any Bond movie. Judi Dench and Daniel Craig's

chemistry in the scenes they share stay with you long after the movie ends. This level of emotion

for a Bond film is a first and in my opinion, a major highlight.

Skyfall was shot by the great cinematographer Roger Deakins, who has never won an Oscar even

though he’s arguably the best in his field and this movie most certainly trumped the current winner,

Life of Pi. Ranking Bond movies in terms of quality is a futile effort, there are just too many, but Its

not an exaggeration when I say this is by far the best-looking 007 film, with bold colors and

beautiful contrasts (i.e the shot of a frozen lake with a burning house in the background). The

movie is filled with little jokes for old-school fans (check out Q’s coffee mug) or the return of Aston

Martin DB5, that first appeared in Goldfinger, complete with the eject button. The criticism would be

the lack of a memorable Bond girl and those spy gadgets this enterprise in known for. Also, while

Craig’s brooding approach to Bond was and improvement over the dapper sleekness and swagger

of Brosnan and Moore, much of the playfulness and humor has gone out of the series. Craig’s

Bond is a lot closer to Jason Bourne than he is to any of the previous Bonds.

Mendes set out to make a film that can be taken seriously, and Skyfall, for all its considerable

thrills, works even better as a classy, thoughtful drama.The theme of old and new courses

throughout the movie, how to use traditional tactics against villains who are unlike any who have

come before, and is resolved in a way that is melancholy and exciting. Skyfall hits all the notes

every 007 movie is required to do, even the shaken-not-stirred martini is slyly incorporated, but this

movie is good enough to stand alone as a terrific thriller, regardless of the series’ history. On a

closing note, I would like to specially mention the frames where Bond jumps off a moving train (In a

suit and tie like the suave spy that he is) and brushes the dust off his coat just oozing sex appeal.

Yes. That's when you know that Bond truly is back and he's never looked better.