Anyone else find Skyfall a bit lame?

hoppimike · February 2013

Here is my Rotten Tomatoes review:

" Oh dear. Oh DEAR.

Just felt predictable, bland, pointless and full of cheap cameos and ideas. I quite liked the new Q, and I liked the introduction (up until "Take the bloody shot!", which I must admit was an awesome line!).

Whatever happened to the beauty, confidence and complexity of Casino and Quantum? How on EARTH did we end up with this?

I mean I know the budget got slashed but it feels like they cut the stuff that makes Bond awesome like amazing locations, complex storylines or almost anything. All we have left are clichés and what appears to be a dying series.

Guys sort it out... this movie was seriously depressing.

Truly a "skyfall"!

Hopefully it's just "recession depression" and the series will be back to strength once the economy has recovered!

On the plus side, I bought GoldenEye and Dr. No on DVD to make myself feel a bit better!

2.5 / 5 "

Opinions?

alphaagent · February 2013

hoppimike wrote:

Here is my Rotten Tomatoes review:

" Oh dear. Oh DEAR.

Just felt predictable, bland, pointless and full of cheap cameos and ideas. I quite liked the new Q, and I liked the introduction (up until "Take the bloody shot!", which I must admit was an awesome line!).

Whatever happened to the beauty, confidence and complexity of Casino and Quantum? How on EARTH did we end up with this?

I mean I know the budget got slashed but it feels like they cut the stuff that makes Bond awesome like amazing locations, complex storylines or almost anything. All we have left are clichés and what appears to be a dying series.

Guys sort it out... this movie was seriously depressing.

Truly a "skyfall"!

Hopefully it's just "recession depression" and the series will be back to strength once the economy has recovered!

On the plus side, I bought GoldenEye and Dr. No on DVD to make myself feel a bit better!

2.5 / 5 "

Opinions?

I agree with you on certain aspects.

Gala Brand · February 2013

You're full of it?

There are certainly criticisms to be made of Skyfall. The whole disk drive plot is sort of ludicrous. Several weeks go by and MI6 doesn't attempt to extricate any of its agents before Silva de-encrypts the drive. And then he only exposes five, giving MI6 even more time to extricate its agents.

On the other hand, anybody who criticizes the look of the film is simply barmy. It's one of the best looking films I've seen in years. There's a reason Deakins is up for an Oscar.

The Domino Effect · February 2013

hoppimike wrote:

All we have left are clichés and what appears to be a dying series.

If you mean the fact that Skyfall was one of the biggest grossing films of the year last year, the biggest grossing Bond film of all time and got some of the best critics' reviews of any Bond film, then I guess it is indeed a 'dying series.'

Peppermill · February 2013

The more I see it, the less I like it. It has plotholes big enough to drive a truck through, sideways. It looks great and I really hope Deakins wins his Oscar, it would be very deserving. I think we will have to wait to see what the passing of time does for Skyfall. It might become a classic, it might become a middle of the pack Bond film for me. I'm not yet convinced.

osris · February 2013

I thought it had one of the poorest climaxes in the series, aside from FYEO.

hoppimike · February 2013

osris wrote:

I thought it had one of the poorest climaxes in the series, aside from FYEO.

Oh yeah to my mind it was really awful. It was literally like Home Alone 3 lol

The Domino Effect wrote:

If you mean the fact that Skyfall was one of the biggest grossing films of the year last year, the biggest grossing Bond film of all time and got some of the best critics' reviews of any Bond film, then I guess it is indeed a 'dying series.'

I mean conceptually dying though.

Peppermill wrote:

The more I see it, the less I like it. It has plotholes big enough to drive a truck through, sideways. It looks great and I really hope Deakins wins his Oscar, it would be very deserving. I think we will have to wait to see what the passing of time does for Skyfall. It might become a classic, it might become a middle of the pack Bond film for me. I'm not yet convinced.

Hm, I didn't really think of plotholes, although it was very, very clear to me that the plot was weak and uninspiring. It just lacked the depth and intelligence of Casino and Quantum.

Oh, if you get a moment, please elaborate on these plotholes because I'm curious!

alphaagent · February 2013

No need, it has been covered already

http://movieplotholes.com/skyfall.html

hoppimike · February 2013

alphaagent wrote:

No need, it has been covered already

http://movieplotholes.com/skyfall.html

Cool, they're pretty entertaining and a few did occur to me yes.

I think overall I just found the movie depressing. It's bad enough that the budget got cut and they saw fit to spend what was left on subway trains smashing through tunnels, without actively setting out to make all of the characters look old and tired too!

I do wonder if it would have turned out entirely differently had the recession not happened. I am 99% sure it would have

Sir Miles · February 2013

hoppimike wrote:

Opinions?

I think you couldn't have got it more wrong if you tried...but I see Goldeneye is your fav Bond film...so that explains a lot

)

I mean...how did the budget get slashed ?

always shaken · February 2013

Skyfall great film the key word here is film
we know there are glaring M16 mistakes we know there
are potholes ,but its a first and foremost a film for entertainment
not a factual documentry .No doubt the sales of DVD/Blue rays
will break all existing records (so no personaly i didnt find it lame)

hoppimike · February 2013

Sir Miles wrote:

hoppimike wrote:

Opinions?

I think you couldn't have got it more wrong if you tried...but I see Goldeneye is your fav Bond film...so that explains a lot )

I mean...how did the budget get slashed ?

No, my favourite bond film is Casino Royale

And see what I mean?

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=skyfall%20budget%20cuts

lotus · February 2013

Perfect film in every way

hoppimike · February 2013

lotus wrote:

Perfect film in every way

Don't get me wrong, it's nice that people enjoy it and that. Always good to see people happy!

All this stuff is always subjective anyway, and Skyfall seems particularly polarizing, even if more people are on the positive side! It's the marmite of Bond films lol

I'm sure the series will continue to evolve anyway

welshboy78 · February 2013

Don't find it lame but found now I've watched it around 5 times etc I don't have the urge to watch it anytime soon. Casino Royale I never get bored of and is a far superior film in my personal opinion.

Regardless I'm over the moon it has smashed records and hopefully this means a better budget for the next one!!

Mr Beech · February 2013

I think the story deserves far more criticism than the locations, but as a bit of an Autumn film compared to the lush Spring of Casino Royale and the sizzling Summer of Quantum of Solace, it is a little harder to fall in blissful love with the gloomy world, and that is not likely a mistake.

I think Casino Royale is better, and Quantum of Solace stacks up a few more fantasy moments, but SkyFall has a dark dramatic aim to it that is welcomed.

hoppimike · February 2013

I agree that it gets old and agree that it's hard to kind of "fall into it" as I did with the other two. I didn't find Skyfall very accessible, welcoming or amusing.

A larger budget would be nice, definitely. Or at the very least better USE of the budget. I could do with a few fewer explosions or crashing trains if it meant more variety and an ending NOT stolen from Home Alone 2.

Gala Brand · February 2013

alphaagent wrote:

No need, it has been covered already

http://movieplotholes.com/skyfall.html

Some of those criticisms aren't well-thought out. Their central criticism, that it took a series of coincidences for Bond to find Silva and that Silva couldn't have predicted them, reflects a lack of understanding. Silva wanted to be found. He didn't care how it happened or who found him. As it turned out it was Bond through that particular series of events. It could've been another agent or team of agents through a different series of events - Silva wasn't trying hard to remain hidden.

With regard to the bomb in the subway, Silva was carrying a bomb. He had a thirty second lead on Bond, enough time to plant the bomb. When Bond showed up, Silva delayed until the train was there, allowing him to set off his bomb and make his getaway.

Silva's escape from his "cell" is slightly more far fetched, but it's not impossible for him to cover the eight feet or so to the closest guard, take him out, and then use him as a shield while shooting the other. If I'd written the script, I'd have the lights go out when the doors unlocked, making it easier for Silva to take out a guard and shoot the other. Then after five seconds the emergency generators come on and he makes his escape.

With regard to the ending, Bond eliminates Silva's technology advantages and makes him fight on Bond's turf. If the writer thinks it is amazing that Bond takes out 15 bad guys single handedly, well, he obviously hasn't seen the previous 23 movies.

There are some plot holes, but, amazingly, that website seems to have missed them.

alphaagent · February 2013

Gala Brand wrote:

alphaagent wrote:

No need, it has been covered already

http://movieplotholes.com/skyfall.html

Some of those criticisms aren't well-thought out. Their central criticism, that it took a series of coincidences for Bond to find Silva and that Silva couldn't have predicted them, reflects a lack of understanding. Silva wanted to be found. He didn't care how it happened or who found him. As it turned out it was Bond through that particular series of events. It could've been another agent or team of agents through a different series of events - Silva wasn't trying hard to remain hidden.

With regard to the bomb in the subway, Silva was carrying a bomb. He had a thirty second lead on Bond, enough time to plant the bomb. When Bond showed up, Silva delayed until the train was there, allowing him to set off his bomb and make his getaway.

Silva's escape from his "cell" is slightly more far fetched, but it's not impossible for him to cover the eight feet or so to the closest guard, take him out, and then use him as a shield while shooting the other. If I'd written the script, I'd have the lights go out when the doors unlocked, making it easier for Silva to take out a guard and shoot the other. Then after five seconds the emergency generators come on and he makes his escape.

With regard to the ending, Bond eliminates Silva's technology advantages and makes him fight on Bond's turf. If the writer thinks it is amazing that Bond takes out 15 bad guys single handedly, well, he obviously hasn't seen the previous 23 movies.

There are some plot holes, but, amazingly, that website seems to have missed them.

my one is the falling into a frozen lake in Scotland and fighting th guy, killing him then emerging dry and not dying if hyperthermia to kill silva and have a wee weep over M

ChromeJob · February 2013

It was "different." Had some flaws (so did QOS, plenty), but some really good, classic stuff (QoS has some of those, too, but not enough to save it for me).

You bought what ... on DVD?! Dude, the films have never looked better than on BD (though some of the remastering is questionable). Catch the **** up, Blu-Ray and HDTV have arrived and can be had for < US$500.

For me, one of the best bits in a Bond film in many years (and SF had a few for me) was the guy picking up his gun while a Komodo dragon is bearing down on him, and Bond saying nonchalantly, "Er, good luck with that." I laughed out loud.

Napoleon Plural · February 2013

Hoppimike, you're late to the party of course. Check out our reviews.

I agree that while the cinematography is great, it's not to all tastes so the film looks a bit autumnal and depressing. It doesn't really cheer you up much, a bit like TWINE, which was Brozzer's third film too. That may be why it feels like a dying series, though the box office is stratospheric.

Asp9mm · February 2013

Gala Brand wrote:

With regard to the bomb in the subway, Silva was carrying a bomb. He had a thirty second lead on Bond, enough time to plant the bomb. When Bond showed up, Silva delayed until the train was there, allowing him to set off his bomb and make his getaway.

That wasn't how it happened. Silva's escape was planned to the last detail months in advance and no doubt the bombs in the tube were rigged before hand, weeks before as well. The train served to stop anyone persuing him, cause disaster and act as a major diversion while Silva went to kill M. Bond just happened to show up early and cause Silva to set off the charges on top of him.

osris · February 2013

I think the problem with the film was Sam Mendes, who’s not really an action-oriented director. I don’t get the impression that he is a Bond fan, not that a director has to be, but it helps. Peter Hunt and Guy Hamilton were definitely Bond fans, and should have been allowed to direct more of the films. Hunt was more edgy than Hamilton, though, and so could have saved the franchise from becoming OTT as it did from DAF till TLD. I also liked some of John Glen’s direction of the Moore films.

Youknowthename · February 2013

hoppimike wrote:

A larger budget would be nice, definitely. Or at the very least better USE of the budget. I could do with a few fewer explosions or crashing trains if it meant more variety and an ending NOT stolen from Home Alone 2.

What's this crap about the budget? An estimated $200.000.000,- !!!!! Spend any more on a film and the risk of a flop is significantly increasing... Fact of the matter is that Skyfall was a critical and financial success - you may not like it, but don't pretend the makers got it wrong. The numbers are there to prove they didn't.

DaltonFan1 · February 2013

Criticisms:
I though it was needlessly very long.
The casino fight was dull and pointless.
The girl dies halfway through. What was the point of her?
The one-liners are comically out of place and feel like something from Naked Gun.
As mentioned above, the disk-drive story is very silly.
Most of the plot is lifted from other films.
Bond cries when M dies, even though he didn't die when Tracy died?

Still it was a fun Bond adventure. Hopefully its commercial success will encourage EoN to do something more original in the near future.

hoppimike · February 2013

Youknowthename wrote:

hoppimike wrote:

A larger budget would be nice, definitely. Or at the very least better USE of the budget. I could do with a few fewer explosions or crashing trains if it meant more variety and an ending NOT stolen from Home Alone 2.

What's this crap about the budget? An estimated $200.000.000,- !!!!! Spend any more on a film and the risk of a flop is significantly increasing... Fact of the matter is that Skyfall was a critical and financial success - you may not like it, but don't pretend the makers got it wrong. The numbers are there to prove they didn't.

You must realize that popularity does not prove quality. Look at the NONSENSE that gets into the music charts!

And the budget cuts are the reason the only foreign location was Turkey. Give it a Google!

DaltonFan1 wrote:

Criticisms:
I though it was needlessly very long.
The casino fight was dull and pointless.
The girl dies halfway through. What was the point of her?
The one-liners are comically out of place and feel like something from Naked Gun.
As mentioned above, the disk-drive story is very silly.
Most of the plot is lifted from other films.
Bond cries when M dies, even though he didn't die when Tracy died?

Still it was a fun Bond adventure. Hopefully its commercial success will encourage EoN to do something more original in the near future.

I agree on all the criticisms. The one-liners cheapened the film to me and made it feel like a parody. They felt completely out of place in the darkest Craig Bond film yet and made the film feel inconsistent.

The plot just felt too simple to me.

always shaken · February 2013

Well done agent youknowthename,
you hit the nail on the head

welshboy78 · February 2013

I thought M's death was good, they could have easily just retired her as intended in the film.

Mallory is going to make a cracking no nonsence M and was one of the highlights.

Not too sure about Moneypenny though, I was not too convinced by Harris acting to be honest

Sir Miles · February 2013

hoppimike wrote:

Sir Miles wrote:

hoppimike wrote:

Opinions?

I think you couldn't have got it more wrong if you tried...but I see Goldeneye is your fav Bond film...so that explains a lot )

I mean...how did the budget get slashed ?

No, my favourite bond film is Casino Royale

And see what I mean?

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=skyfall%20budget%20cuts

It's all smoke-and-mirrors...don't belive everything you read... 8-)

hoppimike · February 2013

welshboy78 wrote:

I thought M's death was good, they could have easily just retired her as intended in the film.

Mallory is going to make a cracking no nonsence M and was one of the highlights.

Not too sure about Moneypenny though, I was not too convinced by Harris acting to be honest

It felt like an episode of Dr. Who to me lol

Sir Miles · February 2013

hoppimike wrote:

A larger budget would be nice, definitely. Or at the very least better USE of the budget. I could do with a few fewer explosions or crashing trains if it meant more variety and an ending NOT stolen from Home Alone 2.

Again...couldn't disagree more...it's obvious that every penny spent is up on the screen...and you obviously missed the Shanghai segment...it all looked stunning...no matter where it was filmed

Home Alone 2 ending ?:) Bond isn't even home alone 8-)

Anyone else find Skyfall a bit lame?

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