350 replies to this topic

[007jamesbond]

Love it.....

How were the audience in your theater? Good? Bad?

[Hockey Mask]

Ours was only about 1/2 full. It was playing on 5 or 6 screens and starting about evey 1/2 hour. They were pretty responsive and clapped at the end.

[Double-0-Seven]

I just got back and I already want to see it again. The perfect 50th anniversary Bond film. Humor, action, suspense - it had it all. Nice nods to the history of the series without overdoing it. I'm not sure why some reviews are saying it falls apart in the third act - that was the most exciting part of the whole film. It's like the film never stopped and just kept building. Very well paced, that's for sure.

Looking forward to the new MI6 in the coming films. That was a nice way to end the film.

I don't know what else to say that hasn't already been said. The film is a triumph. Amazing villain, great cast, solid plot, and all around great performances. I was happy with Thomas Newman's score as well, save for the disappointing gun barrel/end credits cue. Still, a very minor disappointment for such a great film.

Definitely Craig's best film so far. The perfect bridge between classic and modern Bond.

[Hockey Mask]

Skyfall is the first three dimensional Bond. From the title sequence that took you through the images instead of watching it lie a kaleidescope. Skyfall displayed its extra dimension, a dimension that the Bond series has never shown. Almost every scene showed depth, real physical depth, like in the scene with M and the caskets. Along with this depth to the scenes there was depth to each character, to each motivation. Seeing Skyfall was like seeing Toy Story after decades of Disney's animated movies. It is the jump to Halo from the early Mortal Kombat games. In fact, Skyfall copies those early fighting game with its own silhouetted fight scene. The scene culminates in tearing itself from 2-D to a magnificent third dimesion of the highest altitude. Skyfall changes the game. From the story to the characters and the cinematography Skyfall is the Deathly Hallows of the Bond series.

Skyfall has the best pretitle sequence in the series. The top-of-the-train fight sequence that has been played to death is perfected in Skyfall.

I think I could watch the title sequence a dozen times and see something new each time. Beautiful work. Easily in the top three title sequences.

I loved Adele's song when it was released. It sounded like the classic Bond themes that I grew up on. Seeing it against the Bond titles really makes it shine. This is up in the top 5 songs of the series.

Silva is a top 3 villain. Scratch that. He is the best Bond villain ever.

All this said, Skyfall has its influence from Nolan's Batman. Silva channels the Joker. Bond not only mirrors Bruce Wayne but he gains his own Wayne Manor, an Uncle Alfred and a "cave" under the premises. Once again Bond is not immune to the movie industry as the industry is not immune to Bond. We have seen it with the blacksploitation and Star Wars influence in the 70s to the more recent Bourne vibe that has permeated the series of late.

Where does Bond go from here? Will Skyfall be an abberation and Bond 24 revert back to the two dimensional Bond? Is Skyfall the new Bond formula for the 21st Century? The answer lies in M's courtroom scene where Bond's relevance is put on trial. Not Bond the character but Bond the series. And we soon have our answer. With an adrenaline pumping bang we learn he's not only relevent but nobody does it better.

Here's to another 50 years!

Edited by 00Hockey Mask, 10 November 2012 - 06:27 AM.

[bill007]

00Hockey Mask ~ Well said, hombre. The ambiance was oozing through the whole experience. I think Skyfall will be the new pillar to compare future films against (as an old guy, it was always FRWL and TB for me).

[x007AceOfSpades]

Just got Back! Where to start... I thought the film was very well done and was great overall. I'm not going to do a full review tonight, but I will tomorrow. Just doing a shot recollection.

Went with 3 friends, all of us enjoyed it. Is it the best Bond? No, it's great, but not the best one overall that many people and critics have made it out to be. Best film of the year? The most enjoyable film I've seen all year and the one film I wasn't upset with, Best film? We'll see next month. Javier Bardem is the best villain? No, in fact I though Silva was a weak villain. Just out for revenge on what had happened to him. I was disappointed with his character, and No, Silva is not Bond's Joker, he wasn't menacing, or truly scary, thought he was more laughable to be honest. Does Judi Dench deserve an Oscar for her performance? Absolutely not. Does Craig surpass Connery? No, not at all.

Great film nonetheless. Thought Bond and Silva would have a fight scene. Best Craig-Bond Film period. Not the Best Bond Film, but still a Great Bond film. 4/5

Full review tomorrow after my IMAX viewing (which is surprising as I've found the time to see it again.)

Oh and the film look beautiful, especially in Digital Projection, which cost an extra $5.50. If I'm going to see a Film shot in digital, I'm seeing it in Digital projection, especially a Bond film

[SolidWaffle]

I don't have a long exhaustive review but that is the best looking, most visually stunning action or spy film I have ever seen.
I had a great time and I eagerly await Bond 24. Like CR and QOS's relationship, it probably won't be as brilliant. But regardless, Skyfall was great. Top notch. I have 3 categories of Bond films - ones that I'll watch over and over and over, ones that i'll watch occasionally and ones that I'm on the fence about. This undoubtedly fits into the first category. I want to see it again, and eagerly await the disc release...can;t come soon enough.

I want to add, regarding Silva. I liked him a lot, and he should fit alongside the classic Bond villains Everyone says he channels the Joker - which I approve of - but happily, he doesn't copy him or even channel him too much. The influence is there. This film may have been influenced by The Dark Knight but it is undoubtedly its own beast. I'll get pissed off if anyone goes on saying Skyfall ripped off The Dark Knight.

Edited by SolidWaffle, 10 November 2012 - 08:22 AM.

[DanMan]

Just got back from seeing it a few minutes ago. Way too early to rank it but it's definitely up there. Skyfall proves that Bond is still the king of the genre. As great as the Bourne/M:I movies are... could they ever entertain us on such a level as this?

[NATO Sub]

Skyfall is the first three dimensional Bond. From the title sequence that took you through the images instead of watching it lie a kaleidescope. Skyfall displayed its extra dimension, a dimension that the Bond series has never shown. Almost every scene showed depth, real physical depth, like in the scene with M and the caskets. Along with this depth to the scenes there was depth to each character, to each motivation.

I think you've nailed it with the three dimensional metaphor, and nicely tied into the titles.

This is the first Bond film for a long, long time where I have actually felt emotionally involved. For my second viewing I was sitting in front of a row of ladies in their late-20s and a few were crying at the end... (I admit that I almost shed a tear leaving Die Another Day, but that was more to do with the cost of the ticket than any emotional rollercoaster I might have been on)

[NATO Sub]

I've seen it twice and I love it.

First act, second act and third act. All good for me. Best bond film ever? Maybe for me personally, but I can understand why that wouldn't be the case for everyone. It has the touches of humour that people were missing, but retains the darkness that was present in the novels and was re-introduced with Craig's appointment.

The character of James Bond feels whole, not a cardboard cut out. Still not a believably mortal man, but close enough to keep you interested.

The appeal has been widened as well - all sorts of people have spontaneously told me they've been to see it and enjoyed, or are going to see it. Hats off to Eon, they took a risk with the reboot and it paid off, they've breathed new relevance into 007 and got him into tip-top shape for the 21st century.

[byline]

I'll do a full review at some point in the coming days. After I've seen it again, methinks.

Wow.

Just came out of the midnight screening. Blown away. It was a surreal viewing experience. I went in with tonnes of anxiety, was half-awed and half-satisfied the whole time, but also with a sense of uneasiness. It was so unlike what we've had before. It seemed more intimate, more precisely and painfully focused than any previous Bond. The story seemed contracted in a way I hadn't expected. It wasn't epic - and that's a good thing.

Mendes, Deakins, Newman, Logan, Tremaine, Gassner...and Craig. Every principal on this film deserves an immense shout-out. They've all delivered. Not one person involved in this film dropped the ball. This is the Casino Royale experience all over again, for me.

They won't read this, but thank you to Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson. Life sucks, most of the time. It's memories like this that make it worthwhile, and they're experts at delivering them. 50 more years, please.

EDIT: I do want to make one early judgement. Some have said the third act of the film is its weakest, even a detriment. I find that evaluation absolutely perplexing. It is, for me, the best part of the film. By leagues.

Hear, hear! I'm in complete agreement. My only complaint (and this is really reaching) is that there were so many homages, I was distracted by wondering what was homage, and what wasn't. I don't know the series well enough to be an expert on that. On second viewing, I plan to just stay in the moment and experience it.

[JazzyBond]

Quick question and not a biggie but why did Bond and M change cars to the Aston Martin. I know Bond says that a company car is too easily tracked but isn't that what he wants is for Silva to follow Q's "breadcrumbs" and find him anyway? Please don't state the obvious like " to introduce the Aston Martin" lol!

[Dustin]

Changing the car/mode of transport would be the first thing a professional does at the first chance. Having that Jaguar running north across the border and standing then in front of Skyfall Lodge would immediately smell of a trap.

[Shot Your Bolt]

But, more importantly, to introduce the Aston Martin.

[SecretAgent007]

These are the ramblings of a Bond fan who's first exposure to our hero was in '77 sitting in a darkened theater in amazement at what was unfolding in front of my young eyes.

The Good:
The film was beautifully shot and lit. Maybe the best cinematography in a Bond film since YOLT. Javier Bardem did an excellent job with his character. The final scene when Bond walks into M's office was awesome and gives me hope that maybe we will see a traditional Bond film next time. I thought the titles were interesting. Very Salvador Dali . I'm so glad they brought Daniel Kleinman back. I also thought Adele's song worked very well with them.

The Bad:
The pacing of the pre-title sequence was slow at times between the action. The shots of Eve driving, intercut with Bond fighting kind of lessened the urgency in my view. Part of the problem may have been that the sound in the theater was not fantastic. The music was very muted, which may have contributed to my feelings. (or was it mixed that way) Also, I'm disappointed, again, they didn't use the gun barrel to open the film. All they would have had to do is use a wide shot of Istanbul before cutting to Bond walking towards the camera. And did they use the full blown James Bond theme? There were parts of the theme, but I don't recall a full blaring rendition. Too much M again, which is unavoidable since the plot of the film revolves around her. The recycling of the homer and signature gun was disappointing as well. Especially with Q being re-introduced in the film. The f/x shots of the dragons were not very good. Neither were the shots of the helicopters or the digital overlay of Craig's face on the stunt man on the motorcycle.

The Ugly:
Skyfall didn't feel like a Bond film to me. The story didn't have a rhythmic pace to it. At times it was downright slow.....I'm really tired of someone staring at a computer being in Bond's ear all the time. The entire climax of the film was a major disappointment. More like an episode of the A Team. I was waiting for Craig to light up an acetylene torch and do some welding. After being shot they could have expounded on the fact that M was more seriously wounded than was shown. One minute she is standing there and the next she is in Bond's arms collapsed and dyeing. It felt a little corny to me. Making Eve turn out to be Moneypenny was an eye roller as well.

I'm just in such a shock as to how much I dislike this film. I so wanted to enjoy it. I don't know if I have it in me to give it another viewing. I feel like the odd man out on these boards.

[DavidSomerset]

A long winded writeup....

Just as in the early 90s when Bond was in suspended animation because of the financial troubles at the MGM Studio (that makes the Bond movies), again history repeated itself. After the release of Quantum of Solace , there was a 4 year period when again MGM fell into financial troubles and Bond went to sleep. So after 4 years of sleep, Bond walks in to a fantastic framed shot in a bright doorway. He is assisted by a field agent Eve (last name not known) in Turkey where they rehash a Macguffin from Mission Impossible about a hard drive with a list of all secret agents who are undercover in terrorist organizations. This is followed by a long chase through the crowded Turkish bazaar where Bond chases the assassin Patrice on foot, in car, on a motorcycle, and finally on a train. I guess they were a bit far away from Istanbul Ataturk Airport otherwise Bond would have continued the chase on a plane too. During the boys with toys destruction, the Director Sam Mendes (first Oscar winning director to helm a 007 flick) inserts a scene to remind the viewers that we are seeing a Bond movie and not Citizen Kane. Bond uses a Caterpillar excavator (while still on the train) to tear open the roof of a passenger train, then runs up the arm of the excavator and jumps into the running train, and then adjusts his cufflinks. Yes, he is not exactly waving the British Union Jack while doing this, but this stunt is as James Bond 007 as it gets. Bond gets into a fistfight with Patrice on the top of the train and then M orders Eve (Naomie Harris), to take the bloody shot at Patrice. Eve takes the shot and ends up shooting Jimmy who falls down the bridge into the water and into the titles of Skyfall, the movie that marks 50 years of Bond.
Adele (Grammy award winner born with a GoldenVoice) sings the standard Bond song that mentions the title many times so that you are sure that you are watching the right film. And for a change the song is good, compared to the Worst Bond Song Ever in Quantum of Solace . The title sequence has Chinese dragons, gravestones, a mansion, and all sort of creepy images that almost give the key images in the movie away. Again as in the Daniel Craig era, the titles have a lot of Daniel Craig in it, in color, Technicolor, Monochrome, duo chrome, and other combinations till we end up with a close shot of Daniel's eye and the song ends and the movie proper starts.

Hurt that M would order to take the shot with him in the harm's way (well Bond heard that, and that's what happens when you have agents with good hearing and with earpieces that have good reception), Bond recuperates and sulks away at a secluded beach location He spends his time drinking tequila shots with scorpions on his hand and a hottie in his bed (he is Bond after all). In the meantime, the movie reminds us of the Macguffin. the hard drive that was lost in this chaos, and now in the hands of the terrorists. M gets a royal treatment from Intelligence and Security Committee Chairman, Gareth Mallory (Ralph Fiennes, in a great performance as usual) about the snafu. With broad hints at her retirement Mallory manages to piss M off, and comes off a typical stiff lipped bureaucrat.

While returning to office at MI6, M is stopped at the bridge and gets to see a CGI explosion in her own MI6 Building from afar that ends up killing a few MI6 officials, showing that the dung has really hit the fan. Later in the movie, M loses it so much that she utters the first F word in the whole series. Have no fear, Bond is here. Seeing the news of his office blown to smithereens forces Bond from his self imposed exile and he returns back to M's house. As the film-makers want to celebrate the 50 years of Bond they try to revisit the old Bond films with a few scenes or widgets from the past. The scene of Bondӳ re-entry into Mӳ life is similar to the one in Casino Royale where Bond breaks into M's home.
James Bond: 007 reporting for duty.
M: Where the hell have you been?
James Bond: Enjoying death.

After this welcome, M puts Bond to the test literally and makes him take his physicals to prove that his is field worthy. After a lot of huffing and puffing in the gym while the plot details are explained to Bond (without the Rocky theme at the background), he realizes that he is a spent force now and can't even hit a target from close range. Bond pulls out (yes, literally) some shrapnel from his shoulder wound and the bullet helps identify Patrice (yes, like The man with the golden gun). Surprisingly for Bond, he passes the physicals (yes, like The world is not enough, but without any hanky panky on his side this time), due to some tinkering of the records by M who still believes that even though he has a beard 007 is the best bet that mankind has. Before Bond heads for his mission, he is sent to the British National Gallery, where he forgets that he has a mission and hence spends time staring at a painting of a ship called The Fighting Temeraire. If we had Brosnan's Bond, here, then Bond would have ogled at hottie instead of looking at the portrait, and here we see a geek in glasses (Ben Wishaw) taking Bondӳ side. As a side note, the ship in the portrait remained in service until 1838 when she was decommissioned and towed from Sheerness to Rotherhithe to be broken up. The director is going meta here to show whatӳ happening to M here. Deep stuff, unlike a Bond film, but quite welcome. That is what you get when you pay an Oscar winner to direct a Bond film.
Geek: It always makes me feel a little melancholy. A grand old warship, being ignominiously hauled away for scrap. Inevitability of time, don't you think? What do you see?
Bond: A bloody big ship.
Geek: I'm your new quartermaster.
Bond: You must be joking.
Q: I will hazard I can do more damage on my laptop, sitting in my pyjamas before my first cup of Earl Grey, than you can do in a year in the field.

After that "you must be joking" reference to Goldfinger , Q hands over the gadgets. And this time, they are a palm signature recognizing gun (leftover from License to Kill ) and a radio. Yes, really.
James Bond: A radio and a gun. Not exactly Christmas, is it?
Q: You weren't expecting an exploding pen, were you?

Bond is sent to Shanghai where according to the new formula he gets to swim in his blue swimming trunks (this one is for the ladies). After this requisite 007 Blue Trunks (copyright) shot, we have a fantastic sequence in a Shanghai tower that shows why Roger Deakins (the cinematographer for this move) has received nine nominations for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography in the past. This scene would have been called a classic in any movie and surely is one in the Bond series. With a floating neon jellyfish for company, Bond battles with Patrice and puts that license to kill to use when Patrice plummets to his death. Bond becomes Holmes, Sherlock Holmes and traces a gaming chip in Patrice's box to a Macau casino. It is the casino that makes Bond realize that it is time to get back into the normal uniform and hence after a close shave with Eve, he gets back into a standard issue secret agent attire aka Tom Ford suit. Again Deakins and Mendes wow us with a shot of Bond entering the dragon's mouth. Here Bond gets to meet the hottie number 2 of the film Severine (Bernice Marlohe) whom Bond saw earlier during the fight with Patrice. As Bond is now clean shaven and wearing the irresistible mojo she falls for him and warns him that he is about to be killed by three henchmen of her mysterious employer. Shades of Andrea Anders in The man with the golden gun . Bond claims 4 million euros in lieu of the gambling chip and then has a proper pow wow with the three henchmen. Again with a nod to Roger Moore's raised eyebrow, we have a sequence similar to Live and Let die with Komodo dragons (no animals or stuntmen were hurt during the shoot) instead of crocodiles. This humour that was sorely missing from Quantum of Solace is quite welcome here.

After a proper shower with Severine on her yacht, Bond heads to the mysterious island of Scaramanga. Wrong villain name. In the island we get to finally meet the villain of the piece Silva (Javier Bardem). Javier is an acclaimed actor with a Oscar win for his chilling portrayal in No country for old men. His entry in this movie is a long single take where he goes into a monologue like a full blown classic Bond villain and gives a wonderful story of his grandmother, her island and her rats, and gives the moral of the story that M is for Mother, and Bond and Silva are the two rats left. Seems like they had Tarantino guest write the dialogue over here.
Silva: Just look at you. Chasing spies. England. MI6. She sent you after me knowing you're not ready, knowing you would likely die. Mommy was very bad. The two survivors. This is what she made us.

And in a Bond series first, we have a villain who flirts with Bond and has a target practice match with Bond to see who gets to be on top. Sticking to Bond formula, Severine becomes the sacrificial lamb and then Bond pulls off some slick moves to haul Silva back to London for inquiry by M. Here we get another set of cool dialogue between M and Silva (Dench and Javier showing why they have an Oscar statue in their homes) and in a nod to Goldeneye , we get the villain's back-story and physical disability (nod to Ian Fleming) and how he was made into the monster that he has become by M. And hence in this movie, instead of a world domination plan, Silva's plan is simply to destroy M.

In a sequence reminiscent of The Dark Knight, we have a great escape by Silva while M is facing a public inquiry on the recent snafu under her watch. After a bit of dressing down by the minister, M retorts with a piece of poetry by Tennyson's Ulysses.
Though much is taken, much abides; and though
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven; that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.


The last time we heard any sort of poetry in a Bond film was Sean Connery and his "Underneath the mango tree" in Dr. No. How the times have changed in the 50 years!

Silva gate crashes the hearing, Bond runs in to save the day and Mallory gets to show that he is battle ready too. Tired of all the running around, Bond decides to take matters in his own safe hands and hauls M away from London. Here we get to see the iconic Aston Martin DB5 from Goldfinger (yes, the same BMT 216A) and we rush to Bond's childhood home Skyfall (yes, thats what the title is about) with a smart quip about the ejector seat to M.
Once at Skyfall, 007 goes Home Alone 4 and booby traps the whole place. With assistance from Q, Tanner, and Mallory they succeed in luring Silva to Skyfall for the final battle. In a twist to the Bond formula, in the finale the villain comes to Bondӳ lair and Bond gets to press the self destruct on his own hideout. Bond gets to stop Silva but at a huge loss as M succumbs to the bullet wound during the Home Alone invasion, ending the 7 film marvelous streak of Dame Judi Dench.
Back in London, Bond spends a few moments looking over London like Batman (M is Alfred?) looks over Gotham. His solitude is disturbed by Eve (last name Moneypenny) who hands over M's paperweight that is in the shape of a Bulldog with a Union Jack (a real paperweight created by Royal Doulton, an English company producing tableware and collectables since 1815).

Finally as a nod to the hat throwing days of Sean Connery we see Bond enter M's office with Moneypenny at the table welcoming him. One curious note: M portrayed by Bernard Lee and Robert Brown during the good old days used to be a good avuncular type boss, and Judi Dench's M was the maternal type. Now we need to see what form Ralph Fiennes's M takes.
Bond is back and we can't wait to save the world again with M, Moneypenny, and Q all ready to support him.

M: Ready to get back to work?
James Bond: With pleasure.

Well Mr. Bond, the pleasure was all mine! Thanks for the 50 years and looking forward for the next 50.

[byline]

The scene of Bondӳ re-entry into Mӳ life is similar to the one in Casino Royale where Bond breaks into M's home.
James Bond: 007 reporting for duty.
M: Where the hell have you been?
James Bond: Enjoying death.

I was a bit surprised that M didn't remind Bond of what she'd told him after his last break-and-enter: "And Bond. Don't ever break into my home again."

[JimmyBond]

That one can be easily explained. In Casino, 007 was still a rookie and M didn't know him that well. By Skyfall they've been colleagues for a while and it's clear they both respect each other very much. Friend might be too strong of a word for their relationship, but they're definitely on better terms than in Casino.

[byline]

Good point. Thanks, JB!

[TheREAL008]

Without a doubt, the best movie of 2012. On a whim I purchased midnight tickets for it opening night (It was a packed house) and I'm VERY pleased with the result. Like Casino Royale it mixes the old with the new perfectly. I loved every minute of Skyfall and I will be seeing it for a second and third time.

My only complaint was that one scene toward the end; I feel that was uncalled for and it should have happened some other way. I'm not ashamed to admit I had to hold the tears back as they were streaming from my eyes. I'll miss her.

I loved..absolutely LOVED the new look of the new headquarters, especially M's 'new' office.

Congrats on fifty years. Simply the best!

[YOLT]

These are the ramblings of a Bond fan who's first exposure to our hero was in '77 sitting in a darkened theater in amazement at what was unfolding in front of my young eyes.

The Good:
The film was beautifully shot and lit. Maybe the best cinematography in a Bond film since YOLT. Javier Bardem did an excellent job with his character. The final scene when Bond walks into M's office was awesome and gives me hope that maybe we will see a traditional Bond film next time. I thought the titles were interesting. Very Salvador Dali . I'm so glad they brought Daniel Kleinman back. I also thought Adele's song worked very well with them.

The Bad:
The pacing of the pre-title sequence was slow at times between the action. The shots of Eve driving, intercut with Bond fighting kind of lessened the urgency in my view. Part of the problem may have been that the sound in the theater was not fantastic. The music was very muted, which may have contributed to my feelings. (or was it mixed that way) Also, I'm disappointed, again, they didn't use the gun barrel to open the film. All they would have had to do is use a wide shot of Istanbul before cutting to Bond walking towards the camera. And did they use the full blown James Bond theme? There were parts of the theme, but I don't recall a full blaring rendition. Too much M again, which is unavoidable since the plot of the film revolves around her. The recycling of the homer and signature gun was disappointing as well. Especially with Q being re-introduced in the film. The f/x shots of the dragons were not very good. Neither were the shots of the helicopters or the digital overlay of Craig's face on the stunt man on the motorcycle.

The Ugly:
Skyfall didn't feel like a Bond film to me. The story didn't have a rhythmic pace to it. At times it was downright slow.....I'm really tired of someone staring at a computer being in Bond's ear all the time. The entire climax of the film was a major disappointment. More like an episode of the A Team. I was waiting for Craig to light up an acetylene torch and do some welding. After being shot they could have expounded on the fact that M was more seriously wounded than was shown. One minute she is standing there and the next she is in Bond's arms collapsed and dyeing. It felt a little corny to me. Making Eve turn out to be Moneypenny was an eye roller as well.

I'm just in such a shock as to how much I dislike this film. I so wanted to enjoy it. I don't know if I have it in me to give it another viewing. I feel like the odd man out on these boards.

Dont worry you are not the odd man. Even I liked Skyfall more than you do, it has its flaws. The first and second act are top 5, but the third act seems the bottom 5 of the Bond movies.

[FredJB007]

00Hockey Mask ~ Well said, hombre. The ambiance was oozing through the whole experience. I think Skyfall will be the new pillar to compare future films against (as an old guy, it was always FRWL and TB for me).

As a fellow old guy, that has been a fan of the series since the beginning, it was always FRWL and OHMSS for me. I've seen Skyfall twice and it's easily now in my top three now. I want to see it a minimum of two more times before I make a final determination on it.

[JimmyBond]

Seen it a second time. Just a wonderful film, definitely my favorite of the Craig films, the showdown at Skyfall lodge is even better the second time. Not sure I'll try and rank it amongst past Bond films though, but it is definitely my favorite Craig film.

I think the standout sequence for me is everything that happens at the casino: Bond flirting with Eve, Bond meeting Severine, and Bond fighting the "bodygaurds." Everything about that scene is just perfect.

[The Dove]

Just got back from my first viewing...absolutely F$%^ING AMAZING!! Still need some more time to collect my thoughts and will write up a proper review later on tonight but for now I'll say that Skyfall is giving Casino Royale a SERIOUS run for it's money in terms of becoming my favorite Bond of all..will need more viewings and proper time to digest before I say so..Wow!! Still my mind is blown by the sheer Bond amazement...This IS the proper way to do a Bond film to celebrate 50 years! Right...I'll be back on later to break down the film properly... but for now, 9.9999999 out of 10 for me..

[DanMan]

Seen it a second time. Just a wonderful film, definitely my favorite of the Craig films, the showdown at Skyfall lodge is even better the second time. Not sure I'll try and rank it amongst past Bond films though, but it is definitely my favorite Craig film.

I think the standout sequence for me is everything that happens at the casino: Bond flirting with Eve, Bond meeting Severine, and Bond fighting the "bodygaurds." Everything about that scene is just perfect.

My favorite part is when Bond raises his glass and toasts to the bodyguard just after Severine wishes him luck and leaves. Such a cheeky Bond moment.

[marktmurphy]

So, in some aspects I think Skyfall is a missed opportunity. I think it would have been nice for there to have been a real sense of the sky falling- for us to know that M can never go back to her job. Maybe Silva should have ruined her life more- put her in a position where her acts to counter him make her look even more vulnerable and guilty so that no-one in the Government trusts her any more. In the finished film they just think she's messed up her job a bit. He should have pushed her cleverly into a position where she had to traitor herself.

And Bond's weakness, his 'missing a step'- that never quite paid off. His lack of fitness and inability to shoot straight etc. just disappeared- nothing was made of it at all.

[Shot Your Bolt]

One of the bigger problems was the unmasking of British agents by Silvia that never comes to anything — it's literally dispensed with in a single shot. Seemed like a big deal in the first half of the movie, then it's completely forgotten about.

And M should have died back in the courtroom. At least then it would have been dramatic, instead of her getting grazed by some no-name henchmen and she just kinda dies at the end.

[JimmyBond]

One of the bigger problems was the unmasking of British agents by Silvia that never comes to anything — it's literally dispensed with in a single shot. Seemed like a big deal in the first half of the movie, then it's completely forgotten about.

It's purpose is to set the plot in motion, after that it's secondary. Of course if you want an in-universe explanation, then they retrieved it after they stormed Silva's island.

[Shot Your Bolt]

One of the bigger problems was the unmasking of British agents by Silvia that never comes to anything — it's literally dispensed with in a single shot. Seemed like a big deal in the first half of the movie, then it's completely forgotten about.

It's purpose is to set the plot in motion, after that it's secondary. Of course if you want an in-universe explanation, then they retrieved it after they stormed Silva's island.

Well, that's about the most un-dramatic way you can solve a problem: off-screen! By the end of the film, you've already forgotten about why Silvia was such a bad guy anyway besides wasting that scotch. The big threat in the first half of the film isn't built on or dramatizes at all in the second. Along with all the "is Bond too old for this S***!?" ideas. It's all about giving Judi Dench's M a farewell, as Bond gets pushed to the side. Even if that means that big pointless(if beautiful) climax in the house that went on forever.

[JimmyBond]

Maybe after you left for the bathroom, you came back to the wrong theater Everything that Skyfall had set up had a beautiful payoff. I find it interesting that you say Bond was pushed aside during the finale...when it's aking place at his childhood home. We get more backstory on Bond then we've ever gotten in a Bond film, and you feel he's pushed to the side.

And you're missing the point of the list, it was just the macguffin. The film was about James Bond and how he's still relevant in this new digital age. I realize they tackled similar themes in Goldeneye, but Skyfall delved into it a bit more.