Skyfall - one year on, a retrospective opinion
Charmed & Dangerous
Posts: 7,358MI6 Agent
Amazingly, it's been a year since Skyfall was released (I must be getting old, the years go by so quick).
I've watched Skyfall maybe 5 or 6 times over the year and my feelings have changed, so for what's its worth here's a C&D retrospective opinion:
Highlights
Some of the best acting of the entire series, and a brilliant cast which works really well together
Daniel Craig's best performance as Bond
Great script with some real gems ("your interior decorating skills are always very much appreciated, 007") - the humour is just right
A sense of foreboding and tension which has been missing from most Bonds since the 1960s
A great PTS and a great climax - the hero's lair being blown to smithereens is a witty change from the villain's
M's death - very emotional
The return of Moneypenny, Q, a gruff new M and... The DB5!
Thomas Newmann's music - hated it at first but, with repeated listening, it's definitely grown on me
A cracking title song by Adele
Lowlights - not too many!
Umm, a couple of plot flaws (but what are a couple between friends?)
Ladies get a bit of a raw deal, don't they?
Those too-tight suits, too-short hair and that stubble... not what we expect from 007
That's about it - have I missed anything? -{
I've watched Skyfall maybe 5 or 6 times over the year and my feelings have changed, so for what's its worth here's a C&D retrospective opinion:
Highlights
Some of the best acting of the entire series, and a brilliant cast which works really well together
Daniel Craig's best performance as Bond
Great script with some real gems ("your interior decorating skills are always very much appreciated, 007") - the humour is just right
A sense of foreboding and tension which has been missing from most Bonds since the 1960s
A great PTS and a great climax - the hero's lair being blown to smithereens is a witty change from the villain's
M's death - very emotional
The return of Moneypenny, Q, a gruff new M and... The DB5!
Thomas Newmann's music - hated it at first but, with repeated listening, it's definitely grown on me
A cracking title song by Adele
Lowlights - not too many!
Umm, a couple of plot flaws (but what are a couple between friends?)
Ladies get a bit of a raw deal, don't they?
Those too-tight suits, too-short hair and that stubble... not what we expect from 007
That's about it - have I missed anything? -{
"How was your lamb?" "Skewered. One sympathises."
Comments
Still a near flawless outing in my mind for Mr. Craig & the Bond Crew. I ended up seeing it in theaters three times. I bought the Blu-Ray upon release, but have only watched it three times on my Blu-Ray player because I don't want to tire of it too early.
Confident that Skyfall will hold up against the test of time. This wasn't your ordinary Bond film and yet it was classic Bond all in one.
What makes this even sit better with me, it has set up great anticipation of Bond 24 with a new Q, Moneypenny, and M. It's a new era of Bond and while Craig may only have another one or two Bond's left, I have a feeling Whishaw, Harris, and Fiennes will be around for quite a while (hopefully 10+ years). Truly exciting times!!
Happy 1-Year Anniversary Skyfall! (a bit early
1. GoldenEye 2. Goldfinger 3. Skyfall 4. OHMSS 5. TWINE
That is awesome. I applaud you sir -{
- The script should have made it clearer that the List was recovered after Silva's arrest on the desserted island. They would have easily have dodged some critisism that way.
- Like a few Bond movies before the PTS featured the best stunt in the movie, putting the finale a bit in the shoadow.
I like that observation. Didn't think about it at the time but it's spot-on.
Am I in the minority in liking the entire Scotland sequence? I've read so many say they didn't care for it.
I liked Skyfall then and still like it now. Many of the things that annoyed me
with QOS they changed, and my hopes are even higher for the next one.
Sounds about right to me! -{ Hard to believe it has been a year already!
Sadly, I agree...
There's a lot in it, but it's all subtexts. Some of it might have worked better had they got permission; the train top fight would have been so much better and lovelier in India, scrapping it out among natives clinging to the roof and train sides, and a more direct parallel with the locals in the London Underground later. The rebirth thing might have worked set in India too, it has that mystical quality.
I don't fancy any of the women in it. Film is depressing generally, I find.
Give me a guilty pleasure any day.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
I loved it last October, and I still do. It is often on in the background somewhere in my life!
Highlights for me include most of what has been said - PTS, locations, cinematography, oh and I love those suits btw! Moneypenny, Q and M also just fab.
Low points - hmmmmm, can I really think of any? Well maybe more of China, but really I can't fault it. Great entry into the Bond canon.
For the next Bond I would like to see Bond returned to his peak, smart, elite killing machine and cool at the same time but with a real challenge.
Richard
I saw it three times, and it's so much better than QOS, but not nearly as good as Casino Royale. Craig was more humorous in this than his previous two releases, I hope he doesn't go the way of Roger Moore. I don't think humor works well for Craig, and maybe that's what made things a little disappointing this time around. I didn't like the Eve Moneypenny character much, was surprised to see M killed off (I did my best to avoid all spoilers before viewing) and Daniel Kleinman gives us his best title designs yet. Adele theme tune is OK, but nothing special. The ending with Silva being knifed in the back was a little too similar to Kristatos in For Your Eyes Only, and he was an overall lukewarm villain, but a whole damn lot better than Dominic Greene or Le Chiffre before him. The Severine character was quite forgettable, probably to be being featured so sparingly. Dench's M gives probably her best performance since The World Is Not Enough.
All said, it's a good Bond, but never a great one. Probably a seven out of ten, or a eight at most, being generous.
Now it ranks at number 8 on my list of Bond films. When it's good it's great and when it's not so good it is still ok. It doesn't plumb the depths of Diamonds are Forever nor does it scale the heights of Casino Royale. It's a middling Bond film, but damn good fun.
( It's been a while since I've watched it )
Yes, one of my favorite Bond films.
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
flesh and blood Bond. If they can keep the films modern and current and keep writing
twisted, flamboyant yet dark villains and leave the parodies of the old series out and
keep tucking in bits from Fleming's work that haven't been done, I'll keep looking forward to the next installment.
I will continue rewatching SF for the photography, performances, nostalgia and those wonderful opening credits.
There's things I'd have liked them to have done / developed further, but I'm probably just being picky now.
Really want to see how the Moneypenny / Fiennes / DC relationship(s) develop ...
I would prob agree with this analysis!
There are lots of little things I would have liked to have seen tweaked, although nothing major....except that as time has gone by, I really do wish they hadn't destroyed the DB5. It's a silly thing, but they should have left it a bit bullet-riddled and battle-scarred so that it can appear again. I liked the way it popped up periodically. Oh well...
Oh, I would say QoS has that effect too!
No...everyone loves that film now -{
{:)