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Saturday, November 10, 2012

MOVIE REVIEW: SKYFALL

SKYFALL




007 (Daniel Craig) becomes M's only ally as MI6 comes under attack, and a mysterious new villain emerges with a diabolical plan. James Bond's latest mission has gone horribly awry, resulting in the exposure of several undercover agents, and an all-out attack on M16. Meanwhile, as M (Judi Dench) plans to relocate the agency, emerging Chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee Mallory (Ralph Fiennes) raises concerns about her competence while attempting to usurp her position and Q (Ben Whishaw) becomes a crucial ally. Now the only person who can restore M's reputation is 007. The film was directed by Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Revolutionary Road) and shot by acclaimed cinematographer Roger Deakins (True Grit, The Reader, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford). ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Release Date: Nov 09, 2012

Rated PG-13 for language, Intense Violent Sequences, Smoking and Some Sexuality

Runtime: 2 hr. 23 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure, Suspense/Thriller

Director: Sam Mendes

Cast: Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes, Judi Dench, Naomie Harris, Ben
Whishaw

Review:

Roger Moore’s take on James Bond still sticks in my mind whenever the series pops out another entry into the long running series. Moore was the Bond of my childhood and while some of it was enjoyable it never really did much for me as a series or character. So much so that I skipped the entire Dalton and Brosnan iterations of the character, the latter of which fell into some of the sillier set ups and situations. Craig’s take on the other hand, I rather enjoyed even with the overly self serious mess that is Quantum of Solace. That misstep seems like a distant memory with Skyfall, it cover so much franchise territory that it feels like the perfect Bond flick, doubly so with this being the 50th anniversary. Sam Mendes direction is superb, his love of the series seeps through every moment of the film. Skyfall is a visually stunning film, thanks to some truly impressive cinematography from Roger Deakins. The entire production could be seen as a love letter to the franchise as a whole, yet it works perfectly as a film and story in of itself. Mendes lets the plot breathe, never letting it get too serious dour or overdone. He moves it all forward at a steady pace and delivers an experience which never feels its 2 and ½ hours. Action set pieces are all very strong, especially the opening sequence which start thing off on a great note. Craig comfortably steps back into Bond’s tuxedo with ease. He is able to maneuver the character’s nuances, dealing with some deeper character moments very well. Judi Dench is given more to do than just issue orders and sit behind a desk. Her status as Bond’s surrogate mother figure comes into play here, allowing for some great character moments between M and Bond. The newcomers to the series; Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris and Ben Whishaw all make for strong additions with Whishaw making his presence felt in a natural and organic manner for the character and series. Javier Bardem is wonderfully flamboyant and maniacal as the villain. Bardem’s villain encapsulates all the craziness of past Bond villains but adding a great twist to it, he’s hard to take your eyes off when he’s on screen thanks to Bardem’s commitment to his creation. The story itself has enough beef to keep causal and hardcore fans engaged especially with it’s focus on the old fashion ways of doing things.

B+


14 comments:

  1. I haven't seen any negative reviews for it so far - impressive!
    I'm actually quite a Bond-fan and have seen most of them countless times - but I haven't seen and I won't see any of the new Bond-flicks, simply for the fact that I don't like Daniel Craig. I can't help it. There's something about him that is just annoying :)

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    1. I'm not a Bond fan, a hardcore at least. I know the feeling man, I have plenty of actors and actresses like that!

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  2. Great review, Daniel.

    Sir Roger Moore is my favorite Bond as well!

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  3. oooh i love when the new and old forms clash. it shows exquisite dichotomy if done right. i gotta check this out.

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    1. It's done very well here, it's a very fun film even for nonfans of the franchise.

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  4. I'm really glad you liked it! As a casual Bond fan I was very impressed with it

    I'm looking forward to the next one especially if they keep Harris, Whishaw and Fiennes in the cast.

    K :-)

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    1. Yes I really enjoyed, we are both causal fans so it says alot about the film's quality that we both liked it so much.

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  5. This rocked! Terrific review and I agree, you could not take your eyes off Bardem. He brought back to Bond what had been missing: a convincing over-the-top maniacal villain you could wholeheartedly enjoy.

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    1. Bardem is great, really made this entry rather enjoyable!

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  6. Great review. I really enjoy the site, consider me a follower now! Got your review site link from J&J Productions.

    Feel free to check out my site if you have the time!

    http://www.raths-reviews.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for reading Jordan, I'm following your now as well!

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  7. While I will admit that about 75% of Bond movies are sub-par and often ridiculous, I am still a fan of the franchise, particularly Connery's first three and Casino Royale. However, I have to say that Skyfall really impressed me, definitely the best directed film of the franchise and probably the best. There a few minor plot holes, but overall the plot was much a very well written. Great review Daniel.

    -James

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    1. I feel the same way James, Skyfall maybe the best Bond of them all. Casino Royale was great but this one just one upped it.

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