Today on my Birthday I watched Skyfall for the first time *SPOILERS*

chrisisallchrisisall Western Mass, USAPosts: 9,062MI6 Agent
Craig is the first Bond that I am older than (by eight years), and today watching Skyfall I have a pretty emotional review of it.
I feel OLD. :#
The Fleming Bond is dead & buried. The classic cinema Bond has faded away.
Time to make way for the Bond of the 21st Century, I guess.
Skyfall was a mish-mash of old & new, ticking boxes along the way, creating new backstory, the Bond theme was injected at points (like occasional flu shots) and some welcome wit surfaced at moments, but overall it struck me as merely a better version of a Bourne movie, and while that's saying a lot, it left me wanting a Dalton, Brosnan, Connery or even Moore flick. I'm so torn; half of me thinks this could eventually be a top fiver once I accept it (like I did CR & QOS)- and the other half thinks it's a bottom fiver now & forever. It was amazingly well made, but I feel sort of slapped in the face. Kind of the inverse but equal reaction I had to DAD, if that makes any sense.
And it has nothing to do with M's death, that was an expected thing, and I knew Severine was gonna buy it (hated it anyway; she was discarded like trash- even Mathis got a few final words of sorts)...
And BTW, did Daniel HAVE to have a military crew cut? It just made his ageing show so much more acutely!
The score was serviceable, but in a Bond movie that translates to: sucks.
And NOW? Craig's too old to do Bond in his prime. That window is gone.
Not my best Birthday ever...

I must put on TLD to regain homeostasis. -{
Dalton & Connery rule. Brozz was cool.
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
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Comments

  • BunsenPPKBunsenPPK Sydney, AustraliaPosts: 77MI6 Agent
    First of all... Happy Birthday :)
    Secondly, my personal first impression was that Skyfall wasn't that bad. Of course seeing as I've watched it only once, I'll be waiting to get it on DVD (no Blu-Ray for me, I have the rest on DVD anyhow) to make any further judgement on it.
    "I think he got the point"
  • chrisisallchrisisall Western Mass, USAPosts: 9,062MI6 Agent
    BunsenPPK wrote:
    First of all... Happy Birthday :)
    Thank you!
    Secondly, my personal first impression was that Skyfall wasn't that bad.
    No, it's a good, maybe great movie, but not how I see a proper Bond movie should be. It may just be how I see it in my stuck-in-the-past view of Bond... ?:)
    Dalton & Connery rule. Brozz was cool.
    #1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
  • ZorinIndustriesZorinIndustries United StatesPosts: 837MI6 Agent
    Happy birthday!!

    I'm 18 and first off, I love the classic Bonds. Roger Moore is my favorite.

    The first two DC films never grew on me. CR is a great film, but as Bond... I don't know. I was very disappointed with the lack of a proper gunbarrel in his films. Quantum was just a mess. I've seen it four times, however I'm starting to enjoy it more. But, like I said, to me it's not a classic Bond film.

    Skyfall, on the other hand, was a step in the right direction. Bond started wearing suits opposed to polo shirts. The MI-6 crew is back. The characters are memorable. The cinematography is outstanding.

    There's something very promising about Skyfall.... I think Craig has established himself as 007 and with the way Skyfall ended, good things are yet to come, regardless of his age.

    At the midnight premiere, my buddies and I loved the film! And this is the same generation that feeds off of high-action, fast-paced material. But Skyfall wasn't all that; there was more character development than we've seen in awhile and that's what my friends acknowledged.

    Bond is heading back to a good place, and after seeing Skyfall, I can say I'm relieved.

    By the way, was Skyfall a birthday present? :)
    "Better luck next time... slugheads!"

    1. GoldenEye 2. Goldfinger 3. Skyfall 4. OHMSS 5. TWINE
  • raptors_887raptors_887 CanadaPosts: 215MI6 Agent
    edited February 2013
    I absolutely love Daniel Craig as Bond. Casino Royale and Skyfall are #1 and #2 on my list and those movies have brought the Bond series to new heights. Some people say it doesn't feel like a classic Bond movie anymore but I guarantee people said the same thing when they saw Roger Moore dressed like a clown in Octopussy. 15-20 years from now these Daniel Craig movies will be viewed as classics.

    Like the great Desmond Llewelyn (Q) said:

    "You must keep fantasy with Bond, and not only fantasy, but pure relaxation, enjoyment. What you see on the screen is something that you don't have in this world today. You can just sit back and enjoy it."
    1: Casino Royale 2: Goldeneye 3: Skyfall 4: Octopussy 5: Goldfinger 6: Tomorrow Never Dies 7: The World Is Not Enough 8: The Living Daylights 9: From Russia With Love 10: The Spy Who Loved Me
  • chrisisallchrisisall Western Mass, USAPosts: 9,062MI6 Agent
    Happy birthday!!
    And thank you too!
    I'm 18
    I remember being there; TSWLM :))
    By the way, was Skyfall a birthday present? :)
    Yes, of course. I was salivating for it.
    It seems though, without John Barry, or David Arnold, Bond movies are diminished severely for me. I might have bought SF better with Barry riffs....
    Dalton & Connery rule. Brozz was cool.
    #1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
  • FiremassFiremass AlaskaPosts: 1,910MI6 Agent
    spoilers? it's already out on DVD! What took you so long?

    Happy Birthday !
    My current 10 favorite:

    1. GE 2. MR 3. OP 4. TMWTGG 5. TSWLM 6. TND 7. TWINE 8.DN 9. GF 10. AVTAK
  • chrisisallchrisisall Western Mass, USAPosts: 9,062MI6 Agent
    Firemass wrote:
    spoilers? it's already out on DVD! What took you so long?
    Not a huge Craig fan, although I appreciate his take.
    Happy Birthday !
    Happier now that I'm watching TLD!! :))
    Dalton & Connery rule. Brozz was cool.
    #1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
  • Silhouette ManSilhouette Man The last refuge of a scoundrelPosts: 8,845MI6 Agent
    Can't believe you waited so long to see it, chrisisall. Happy Birthday, chrisisall.
    "The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
  • LastRatStandingLastRatStanding ScotlandPosts: 296MI6 Agent
    Don't let it get you down! However commercially successful Skyfall has been we all know that it's not for everyone. There's always the next one and I'm sure over time you'll like it for what it is. Enjoy the rest of your day! Happy Birthday!
    Now, they only eat rat.
  • BlackleiterBlackleiter Washington, DCPosts: 5,615MI6 Agent
    Happy Birthday and cheers, my friend. And cheer up - I predict Skyfall will grow on you after a couple more viewings.
    "Felix Leiter, a brother from Langley."
  • BlackleiterBlackleiter Washington, DCPosts: 5,615MI6 Agent
    Happy Birthday and cheers, my friend. And cheer up - I predict Skyfall will grow on you after a couple more viewings.
    "Felix Leiter, a brother from Langley."
  • BlackleiterBlackleiter Washington, DCPosts: 5,615MI6 Agent
    -{ -{ -{
    "Felix Leiter, a brother from Langley."
  • Napoleon PluralNapoleon Plural LondonPosts: 10,467MI6 Agent
    I'm confused, I thought we'd been reading your opinion on SF for ages chrisisall, or is there another one lurking around?

    I think SF is a Pierce Brosnan movie starring Daniel Craig. Just as NSNA is a Roger Moore movie starring Sean Connery.

    The clips on telly for the BluRay make it look great to me, but that's all. It does have a big scale, and scope, but it's too generic in that it's like The Dark Knight or something, I can't really believe in it. I do like your line about how the Bond theme is injected like 'flu shots'!
    "This is where we leave you Mr Bond."

    Roger Moore 1927-2017
  • Smiert-SpionamSmiert-Spionam Posts: 318MI6 Agent
    Chrisisall: You must have the willpower of a saint! Well done on lasting so long! Happy Birthday too by the way! -{
    Smiert Spionam
  • chrisisallchrisisall Western Mass, USAPosts: 9,062MI6 Agent
    edited February 2013
    I'm confused, I thought we'd been reading your opinion on SF for ages chrisisall, or is there another one lurking around?
    No... the most I said was that from what I could see, I believed it would be my favourite Craig movie...
    I think SF is a Pierce Brosnan movie starring Daniel Craig. Just as NSNA is a Roger Moore movie starring Sean Connery.
    Interesting. I can see Brosnan in that movie now that you mention it. The cuff link straightening was like the tie straightening in TWINE. And SF was filled with plot holes in a similar fashion.
    Plus, a lot of stuff was sort of tossed in; a movie that long surely could have filled us in on some more. Like how he survived the fall... who was that girl he was making love to... how did he get back home... why is Silva allowed to keep removable dentures while in solitary (they should have taken that bit out of the scene...)?
    And Severine... she's a sex worker, so he jumps in her shower to what? Give her something new? That seemed even more wrong than the similar situation in TMWTGG, except that SHE came to HIM there. And both girls were shot dead!!!
    In fact, a great deal seems to have been lifted from that film IMO. ?:)
    Dalton & Connery rule. Brozz was cool.
    #1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
  • zaphodzaphod Posts: 1,183MI6 Agent
    chrisisall wrote:
    Craig is the first Bond that I am older than (by eight years), and today watching Skyfall I have a pretty emotional review of it.
    I feel OLD. :#
    The Fleming Bond is dead & buried. The classic cinema Bond has faded away.
    Time to make way for the Bond of the 21st Century, I guess.
    Skyfall was a mish-mash of old & new, ticking boxes along the way, creating new backstory, the Bond theme was injected at points (like occasional flu shots) and some welcome wit surfaced at moments, but overall it struck me as merely a better version of a Bourne movie, and while that's saying a lot, it left me wanting a Dalton, Brosnan, Connery or even Moore flick. I'm so torn; half of me thinks this could eventually be a top fiver once I accept it (like I did CR & QOS)- and the other half thinks it's a bottom fiver now & forever. It was amazingly well made, but I feel sort of slapped in the face. Kind of the inverse but equal reaction I had to DAD, if that makes any sense.
    And it has nothing to do with M's death, that was an expected thing, and I knew Severine was gonna buy it (hated it anyway; she was discarded like trash- even Mathis got a few final words of sorts)...
    And BTW, did Daniel HAVE to have a military crew cut? It just made his ageing show so much more acutely!
    The score was serviceable, but in a Bond movie that translates to: sucks.
    And NOW? Craig's too old to do Bond in his prime. That window is gone.
    Not my best Birthday ever...

    I must put on TLD to regain homeostasis. -{

    Happy Birthday. I think that I like it more than you did, but share a lot of your issues/concerns.
    I am particularly worried that they have painted themselves into a corner and it will be difficult to accept 24 as Bond in his prime. Also agree that the hair was a terrible choice. Maybe it's all part of a plan, a longer and cut and darker shade for 24 might offset some of the obvious ageing. However my main fear is more back story...
  • chrisisallchrisisall Western Mass, USAPosts: 9,062MI6 Agent
    zaphod wrote:
    Also agree that the hair was a terrible choice. Maybe it's all part of a plan, a longer and cut and darker shade for 24 might offset some of the obvious ageing.
    Hmmmm, that may be! -{
    Dalton & Connery rule. Brozz was cool.
    #1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
  • HalconHalcon Zen TemplePosts: 487MI6 Agent
    hi Chris,
    I too feel a little 'sad' that the current Bond looks and acts worlds apart from what Bond should look and act like.(Don't get me wrong, I like Daniel, he's a good and nice guy and in some 'angles' his Bond works, but this is only in 5% of the time)

    I'm longing for the Bond of yesteryear a little these days. (in fact, i bought GoldenEye on Blue Ray along with Skyfall yesterday, just to get back to a little familiarity after watching Skyfall).

    The movie itself is very good, with shout-outs to Connery-era Bond and one HUGE shout-out to Moore-era Bond (you know which scene!).

    I most absolutely disagree that this is a Pierce Brosnan Bond movie though, Quantum of Solace was it instead, in my opinion. No, this is a different animal altogether, with some parts Bond, other parts Rambo. Craig does take the price for most tough and battle worthy Bond.

    Except this isn't enough for some of us fans. Bond HAS to be a sophisticated and suave fellah along with mean and deadly. As good as Daniel is, he doesnt or isnt allowed to be this great combination of a character.
    Perhaps he knows he doesn't look the part so therefore he reasons 'screw it' and doesnt bother to try.
    Anyways, true, as Predator stated, happy we should be Bond is still around , but here's hoping that 'Classic' Bond re-appears some time soon.
  • Napoleon PluralNapoleon Plural LondonPosts: 10,467MI6 Agent
    What I find hard to fathom is that a few weeks before filming began, Craig was pictured with his squeeze going thru an airport, he looked slim, great. But then as Bond, he is bulked up with steroids, savage hair cut (why? to hide a receding hairline? to recall CR?) and moves like a constipated crab.

    There are nice bits in SF and it means well.

    One added line with Q in the gallery: "And we're not going to be pimping your leisure vehicles any more either..." would have nipped all the criticism about the Aston reappearing with the guns, too.
    "This is where we leave you Mr Bond."

    Roger Moore 1927-2017
  • always shakenalways shaken LondonPosts: 6,287MI6 Agent
    You have just watched skyfall
    where have you been ? lol
    but happy birthday to you all the same
    By the way, did I tell you, I was "Mad"?
  • chrisisallchrisisall Western Mass, USAPosts: 9,062MI6 Agent
    You have just watched skyfall
    where have you been ? lol
    but happy birthday to you all the same
    Thanks. Yeah, the DVD just came out here- I never got to the cinema. :#
    Dalton & Connery rule. Brozz was cool.
    #1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
  • BarbelBarbel ScotlandPosts: 37,868Chief of Staff
    chrisisall wrote:
    It seems though, without John Barry, or David Arnold, Bond movies are diminished severely for me.....

    Next time you're in Scotland, can I buy you a drink? -{
  • chrisisallchrisisall Western Mass, USAPosts: 9,062MI6 Agent
    Barbel wrote:
    Next time you're in Scotland, can I buy you a drink? -{
    Yesh!
    (did I sound like Connery there?)
    Dalton & Connery rule. Brozz was cool.
    #1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
  • NeverSayDieNeverSayDie Posts: 495MI6 Agent
    Happy Birthday!
  • BarbelBarbel ScotlandPosts: 37,868Chief of Staff
    Absholutely.
  • chrisisallchrisisall Western Mass, USAPosts: 9,062MI6 Agent
    Happy Birthday!
    Thanks! Now where do you place SF? Better than CR? Than TLD? Than TMWTGG? Than TND? TB?
    Dalton & Connery rule. Brozz was cool.
    #1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
  • 7700777007 Posts: 502MI6 Agent
    Welcome to 30 years ago... -{
  • NeverSayDieNeverSayDie Posts: 495MI6 Agent
    Skyfall is in my top 5. Loved it.
  • BarbelBarbel ScotlandPosts: 37,868Chief of Staff
    77007 wrote:
    Welcome to 30 years ago... -{

    Nah, been there. The next Bond film is the most exciting one!
  • chrisisallchrisisall Western Mass, USAPosts: 9,062MI6 Agent
    Skyfall is in my top 5. Loved it.
    As a film maker yourself, can you deal with the somewhat contrived and loosely written (IMO) "Home Alone" ending?
    Dalton & Connery rule. Brozz was cool.
    #1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
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