33 replies to this topic

[JimmyBond]

I'm curious about this, because I'm seeing people saying Skyfall isn't "fun" like the past Bond films. And then there are others who of course are saying it's fun. Personally I thought it was really fun, and thought it was the most lighthearted Bond film we've had so far from the Craig era.

So I'm curious about what you think about this, would love to see some feedback on this.

Edited by JimmyBond, 16 November 2012 - 01:07 AM.

[MkB]

Hmm I don't recognize myself in any of the three options... I think it's a dark film overall, but I also find that there are very nice touches of humour, vartainly much more than in the previous Craig films. I'd say it's both dark and funny.

[Loomis]

It's certainly much more fun than QUANTUM OF SOLACE (what isn't, though?).

SKYFALL is a curious film. It took me a couple of viewings to really "get" it (although that may say more about me than about SKYFALL). The more I think about it, it seems to be not only a Bond film but also the most, erm, Bondian Bond film in many, many years.

Indeed, I'll go as far as to say that it seems like a Bond film that Fleming himself might have scripted (or helped to script, at least). It has so many echoes not only of other Bond films but also of Fleming's novels, and also reinstates the sort of stylishly demented atmosphere and enjoyably over-the-top, bizarre elements found in Fleming's work (and some of the best early Bond films).

Were he alive today, Fleming would doubtless have some quibbles with certain aspects of SKYFALL, but I can picture him finding it a much more interesting and enjoyable affair than, say, TOMORROW NEVER DIES (which is also a film I like, BTW, but I cite it here as something that's mostly just a generic Hollywood action thriller that does what it says on the tin pretty well but lacks the flair and Flemingian qualities of a SKYFALL).

[TheSilhouette]

It's certainly much more fun than QUANTUM OF SOLACE (what isn't, though?).

A root canal. But that's arguable.

[JimmyBond]

I dunno, at least you can see what's going on with the root canal

[Harmsway]

SKYFALL is both fun and dark, which is why it's such a peculiar entry in the Bond franchise.

[A Kristatos]

It's certainly much more fun than QUANTUM OF SOLACE (what isn't, though?).

A root canal. But that's arguable.

I'm not sure why all the hate lately for Quantum Of Solace. All I remember (and this can be verified in the archived QOS review fourms) are an overwhelming number of positive reviews when this film first came out. Sure there are flaws in it, but it's still a darn good film that holds up well even after four years. And now the only people I see here on the forums are the ones who are trashing the film, with so many film critics stepping all over QOS in their reviews for Skyfall! I don't understand this. Maybe it's partly revisionist history, and partly the ones who did not like QOS in the first place trying to illustrate their point even more up against Skyfall. That's fine, but I think some may have forgotten that QOS still did earn generally good reviews, and some that were great. And many people still hold it in high regard, even if it is a different kind of Bond film.

I don't mind people who did not like QOS. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. I just don't like some of the posters lately posting that QOS is a univerally loathed film. Nothing could be further from the truth. Just my two cents.

Edited by A Kristatos, 16 November 2012 - 03:49 AM.

[The Shark]

It's certainly much more fun than QUANTUM OF SOLACE (what isn't, though?).

A root canal. But that's arguable.

I'm not sure why all the hate lately for Quantum Of Solace. All I remember (and this can be verified in the archived QOS review fourms) are an overwhelming number of positive reviews when this film first came out.

That was the honeymoon period. I hope SKYFALL fares better.

I liked QUANTUM OF SOLACE too, until I saw it for the third time on DVD in March 2009.

[A Kristatos]

It's certainly much more fun than QUANTUM OF SOLACE (what isn't, though?).

A root canal. But that's arguable.

I'm not sure why all the hate lately for Quantum Of Solace. All I remember (and this can be verified in the archived QOS review fourms) are an overwhelming number of positive reviews when this film first came out.

That was the honeymoon period. I hope SKYFALL fares better.

I liked QUANTUM OF SOLACE too, until I saw it for the third time on DVD in March 2009.

It may have had better reviews at the start, but even if it dropped off somewhat, I still believe a lot of people like the movie even long after that "honeymoon period".

[AgenttiNollaNollaSeitsemän]

I don't mind people who did not like QOS. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. I just don't like some of the posters lately posting that QOS is a univerally loathed film. Nothing could be further from the truth. Just my two cents.

You took words out of my mouth. I've always liked QoS. Sure, it's not as good as Casino Royale or Skyfall but it is head and shoulders above the real duds of the franchise.

[The Shark]

It's certainly much more fun than QUANTUM OF SOLACE (what isn't, though?).

A root canal. But that's arguable.

I'm not sure why all the hate lately for Quantum Of Solace. All I remember (and this can be verified in the archived QOS review fourms) are an overwhelming number of positive reviews when this film first came out.

That was the honeymoon period. I hope SKYFALL fares better.

I liked QUANTUM OF SOLACE too, until I saw it for the third time on DVD in March 2009.

It may have had better reviews at the start, but even if it dropped off somewhat, I still believe a lot of people like the movie even long after that "honeymoon period".

It's got a small but vocal band of defenders.

[mrevans]

It's certainly much more fun than QUANTUM OF SOLACE (what isn't, though?).

SKYFALL is a curious film. It took me a couple of viewings to really "get" it (although that may say more about me than about SKYFALL). The more I think about it, it seems to be not only a Bond film but also the most, erm, Bondian Bond film in many, many years.

Indeed, I'll go as far as to say that it seems like a Bond film that Fleming himself might have scripted (or helped to script, at least). It has so many echoes not only of other Bond films but also of Fleming's novels, and also reinstates the sort of stylishly demented atmosphere and enjoyably over-the-top, bizarre elements found in Fleming's work (and some of the best early Bond films).

Were he alive today, Fleming would doubtless have some quibbles with certain aspects of SKYFALL, but I can picture him finding it a much more interesting and enjoyable affair than, say, TOMORROW NEVER DIES (which is also a film I like, BTW, but I cite it here as something that's mostly just a generic Hollywood action thriller that does what it says on the tin pretty well but lacks the flair and Flemingian qualities of a SKYFALL).

Good points. Skyfall more than any other reminds me of a Bond novel by Fleming. The novels are not funny, nor would I describe them as "fun". Yet I find myself grinning and chuckling as I read them because they are amusing. When Bond thinks through his opinions on things from necktie knots to tea vs. coffee, This is interesting and amusing In the next chapter bond will be striped naked, tied to a chair and beaten with a rug beater, or stomped with football cleats. They are dark and harsh yet humorous in a "that's interesting" sort of way. That's what Skyfall felt like to me, mostly at least. There were still one liners and Bond humor

[Iceskater101]

I said it was a darker film because it is. I mean agents names are being released and those agents are being assassinated. I feel that is pretty much as dark as you can go plus the way Silva acted out his part, I mean he was a scary Bond villain. He went after M multiple times. I like how dark this Bond film was though.

[SecretAgentFan]

SKYFALL is an extremely fun Bond film for me. Yesterday I saw it for the second time and enjoyed it even more. It moves wonderfully, every scene establishes something, nothing is superfluous. Every aspect works together, and despite the serious consequences of every action the film is never bogged down by its darkness or shoud I say reality. It never ceases to be entertaining.

The second time I noticed several new moments that worked spectacularly for me, i.e. the way Eve´s voice is coming out of the speakers at headquarters when she has to tell M she has hit Bond (so shocked, so broken); Craig´s absolutely heart-breaking delivery of Bond´s line to M´s question about his childhood ("You know the answer to that. You know the whole story."); and the excruciatingly pained and cruel way Silva looks at M before he puts the gun in her hand.

SKYFALL is fun, surprising, layered and extremely moving. It´s already climbing up my top five and probably will only be kept from reaching the No.1 spot due to my huge nostalgia that surrounds the others.

[Guy Haines]

Skyfall is multi layered. It somehow manages to be fun (not belly laugh fun in my showings but several chuckles), witty, stylish and yet dark, serious and at times oddly moving. Just as the director Sam Mendes claimed it would be.

Ian Fleming has been mentioned above, and in Raoul Silva the film has a villain of a kind Fleming himself might have created - disturbing and grotesque.

[thecasinoroyale]

Good fun with a sprinkle of darkness, just like real life. Characters and situations have to be grounded in reality for a bigger impact, which worked no-end in 'Skyfall', but all the great character development, little puns and fun the cast obviously had showed and it really worked.

Good laughs at the right places and hard-hitting moments where it wanted to. A perfect mix!

[SecretAgentFan]

Another thing I noticed on second viewing: the sardonic humor of Bond telling Severine "Someone usually dies", her laughing in a grim, shocked way... and then this is exactly what´s happening to her. Brilliant script!

[thecasinoroyale]

Yeah - he wasn't kidding as she may have thought by him being so brutally honest, he must be that good, she'd be safe as houses.

A sad moment thinking about her fate.

[Iceskater101]

I know, I do feel bad for her especially since I think Bond let her die in my opinion. I think he could have tried to save her. Even if it meant that Silva killed her anyway, at least Bond would have done something, but he tried to shoot her unsuccessfully.

[Double-0-Seven]

It was the most I've ever laughed during a Bond film. Lots of humor but all of it appropriate and very true to Bond. The film itself is certainly dark, but it's a fun thriller to watch and the humor always comes at the right time. It's one of the most well written Bond films I'd say, and Craig was right that it's "Bond with a capital B" as it is his first 'proper' Bond film with all the elements in place. I voted for the second option as it seems the most fitting. I think with Skyfall they've found a really good balance of blending the old Bond elements with the modern direction that started with Casino Royale. I could see Skyfall being like Goldfinger in the sense that it will now be the template for the style of the next few Bond films.

[Iceskater101]

There was one person who posted on a different forum that I go onto, and he said that this was so bad because it was super cheesy. When I asked him if he had ever seen the other Bond films, he replied no. No wonder. Anyway, I felt that out of all the Bonds this is a good Bond film to see in theaters. I mean the plot is pretty easy to understand. Some bond films plots it takes a few watchings to understand but not this one I feel like.

[A Kristatos]

There was one person who posted on a different forum that I go onto, and he said that this was so bad because it was super cheesy. When I asked him if he had ever seen the other Bond films, he replied no. No wonder. Anyway, I felt that out of all the Bonds this is a good Bond film to see in theaters. I mean the plot is pretty easy to understand. Some bond films plots it takes a few watchings to understand but not this one I feel like.

Well, while that's great Bond is earning new fans, one can't make a completely objective review of this film without having seen the previous ones. Obviously he did not get any of the references to the previous Bond films.

[Guy Haines]

There was one person who posted on a different forum that I go onto, and he said that this was so bad because it was super cheesy. When I asked him if he had ever seen the other Bond films, he replied no. No wonder. Anyway, I felt that out of all the Bonds this is a good Bond film to see in theaters. I mean the plot is pretty easy to understand. Some bond films plots it takes a few watchings to understand but not this one I feel like.

I think all of the Bond films are good to see in the cinema, and I think it is a pity that in this 50th anniversary year today's cinema audiences were denied the chance to see all of them that way - except for limited showings of the first Bond film. Fair enough, the Bonds are on DVD, BlueRay, and over here you can sign up to "Sky007", and there are flat screen TVs that take up the space of an entire wall. But, for me, it isn't the same experience as sitting in a darkened theatre, having endured seemingly endless adverts and trailers, then getting that "duck-knobby" feeling as the James Bond theme plays, and the gunbarrel scene introduces a new Bond adventure.

("Duck-knobby" - an expression my late mum, who was a Bond fan herself, came up with. I think she meant "goose-bumps".)

[jamie00007]

I laughed more in SF than any of the other previous films I've seen in the cinema (GE onwards). Because the humor was witty and character driven instead of intentionally cheesy one liners which dont do much for me. So yes its fun.

[LordAsriel]

For me Skyfall was essentially a boring movie. Despite having tried to stay spoiler-free, I had very little surprises while watching “Skyfall”; The trailer really spoiled all hooking moments of the movie and some twists like Silva’s escape were really too predictable.
In terms of being both fun and dark, For your eyes only was way better. And the most fun Bond movie ever for me was Octopussy.

[byline]

I know, I do feel bad for her especially since I think Bond let her die in my opinion. I think he could have tried to save her. Even if it meant that Silva killed her anyway, at least Bond would have done something, but he tried to shoot her unsuccessfully.

I'm not sure what, exactly, Bond could have done. He was expecting Silva to show off (and continue the game) by shooting the glass off the top of her head, not shoot her instead. The brutality of that scene is really a reflection of how Silva does not act in predictable ways ... and that makes him all the more frightening because one can't anticipate his next move.

[Iceskater101]

For me Skyfall was essentially a boring movie. Despite having tried to stay spoiler-free, I had very little surprises while watching “Skyfall”; The trailer really spoiled all hooking moments of the movie and some twists like Silva’s escape were really too predictable.
In terms of being both fun and dark, For your eyes only was way better. And the most fun Bond movie ever for me was Octopussy.

What? I mean I completely disagree with you. This bond movie was all action and was shot in really cool places. I don't really see how Skyfall could be boring, but that's my personal opinion.

I'm not sure what, exactly, Bond could have done. He was expecting Silva to show off (and continue the game) by shooting the glass off the top of her head, not shoot her instead. The brutality of that scene is really a reflection of how Silva does not act in predictable ways ... and that makes him all the more frightening because one can't anticipate his next move.

I mean I guess, but still. Right after she was killed, he took out all of Silva's men, I believe he definitely could have saved her and chose not to.

[Judo chop]

Add the category “It’s dark, with plenty of light-hearted elements” and I will select it.

SKYFALL is in essence dark subject matter. Bond getting shot, basically quitting, coming back in dire shape. Villain demanding our sympathy. Bond’s childhood trauma revisited and both symbolically and literally burning to the ground. M dying. Aston M... M... Martin... <sniffle> b.... b... blow... <sniffle> blowing UP! <waterworks>

That’s the heart of SKYFALL. Mendes and co. wisely spice it up with all kinds of funnities, impressively without any sign of derailment.

[sharpshooter]

Skyfall is fun with a bit of darkness. They struck a good balance.

[Aisforauric]

I know, I do feel bad for her especially since I think Bond let her die in my opinion. I think he could have tried to save her. Even if it meant that Silva killed her anyway, at least Bond would have done something, but he tried to shoot her unsuccessfully.

I'm not sure what, exactly, Bond could have done. He was expecting Silva to show off (and continue the game) by shooting the glass off the top of her head, not shoot her instead. The brutality of that scene is really a reflection of how Silva does not act in predictable ways ... and that makes him all the more frightening because one can't anticipate his next move.

Bond could have engaged Silva with witty and enticing conversation to stall for a bit more time. Instead he gave gruff, blunt responses to Silva. Silva would have loved an extended chit-chat. The helicopter's were on their way (and Bond knew it).