Starring: Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Judi Dench, Ralph Fiennes, Albert Finney, Naomie Harris, Bérénice Marlohe
Director: Sam Mendes
Genre: Action, Adventure, Thriller
Rating: B+
During a mission in Turkey Bond (Craig) is shot by another MI6 agent, Eve (Harris) and presumed dead. The mission was an integral one, an attempt to retrieve a stolen computer hard drive that contained details of almost all undercover NATO agents in terrorist organizations. With Bond presumably dead, however, the thief gets away. Fast forward a couple months and M (Dench) is being pressured to retire by Intelligence Security Committee Chairman Gareth Mallory (Fiennes). Then MI6 is hacked, an explosion occurs in the offices, and the names of several NATO agents are released. Bond hears of the attack and decides to come out of the retirement that he had decided to take following his presumed death.
I really liked this movie. Two things pop out right away; first there's the fact that while the story isn't a continuation of Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace it's still a sequel to this new Bond, and it really pays tribute to things that we saw being developed in these earlier films. The second thing is that, in continuing with this tribute, Skyfall also pays tribute to the older Bonds, especially the original ones. There are a lot of little references and allusions to the origins of Bond, which I absolutely loved. There's even a point when Bond and villain Silva (Bardem) simulate a sort of "toast" with a 1962 whiskey, in tribute to the 50th anniversary of Bond.
Beyond that, I liked the plot of the movie overall. It goes back to the rouge agent plot, which Bond really likes playing with, but also nicely plays off the pairing of Bond versus someone who really was his predecessor. There's a lot of build up on the relationship between this Bond and this M, which I loved. I also really liked the action sequences, from the really extravagant ones to the less extravagant ones - personally, I really loved the silouhetted fight between Bond and Patrice (Ola Rapace) in Shanghai. It might have been my favourite moment, or at least fight scene, out of the movie - which says a lot because there were a lot of really good ones.
There's also a lot of humour here. It doesn't descend into the campy level of previous Bonds, and at times is intentionally uncomfortable, but I liked it. I like the idea of Bond being funny, as long as it's not ridiculously so. There are some great moments between Bond and most of the characters. I thought it was well done. What I didn't think was well done was Naomie Harris' Bond girl. I really wasn't a big fan of her character in general, and she kind of left me with a sour taste in my mouth following the movie. I understand where they were trying to go with her, but I wasn't a fan.
During a mission in Turkey Bond (Craig) is shot by another MI6 agent, Eve (Harris) and presumed dead. The mission was an integral one, an attempt to retrieve a stolen computer hard drive that contained details of almost all undercover NATO agents in terrorist organizations. With Bond presumably dead, however, the thief gets away. Fast forward a couple months and M (Dench) is being pressured to retire by Intelligence Security Committee Chairman Gareth Mallory (Fiennes). Then MI6 is hacked, an explosion occurs in the offices, and the names of several NATO agents are released. Bond hears of the attack and decides to come out of the retirement that he had decided to take following his presumed death.
I really liked this movie. Two things pop out right away; first there's the fact that while the story isn't a continuation of Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace it's still a sequel to this new Bond, and it really pays tribute to things that we saw being developed in these earlier films. The second thing is that, in continuing with this tribute, Skyfall also pays tribute to the older Bonds, especially the original ones. There are a lot of little references and allusions to the origins of Bond, which I absolutely loved. There's even a point when Bond and villain Silva (Bardem) simulate a sort of "toast" with a 1962 whiskey, in tribute to the 50th anniversary of Bond.
Beyond that, I liked the plot of the movie overall. It goes back to the rouge agent plot, which Bond really likes playing with, but also nicely plays off the pairing of Bond versus someone who really was his predecessor. There's a lot of build up on the relationship between this Bond and this M, which I loved. I also really liked the action sequences, from the really extravagant ones to the less extravagant ones - personally, I really loved the silouhetted fight between Bond and Patrice (Ola Rapace) in Shanghai. It might have been my favourite moment, or at least fight scene, out of the movie - which says a lot because there were a lot of really good ones.
There's also a lot of humour here. It doesn't descend into the campy level of previous Bonds, and at times is intentionally uncomfortable, but I liked it. I like the idea of Bond being funny, as long as it's not ridiculously so. There are some great moments between Bond and most of the characters. I thought it was well done. What I didn't think was well done was Naomie Harris' Bond girl. I really wasn't a big fan of her character in general, and she kind of left me with a sour taste in my mouth following the movie. I understand where they were trying to go with her, but I wasn't a fan.
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