Skyfall

Starring: Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Judi Dench, Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, Albert Finney
Directed by: Sam Mendes
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Adventure, Thriller
2012

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: When MI6 comes under attack, 007 (Daniel Craig) must dive into M's (Judi Dench) past to uncover the conspiracy and save her.

Review:

Tim: It seems that everyone fell in love with Skyfall. It's the highest-grossing James Bond movie of all time, one of the best reviewed, and many people have claimed it's the "Best Bond Ever". I thoroughly enjoyed the film, but it feels like it's a bit overrated. It is a solid, intelligent, exciting movie, but I can think of a number of better Bond films. This is a very good film, but it's certainly not a great movie.

Let's start with some of the positives. The movie certainly looks amazing- this movie has some of the best cinematography of any Bond movie. It's incredible, and a beautiful movie to watch. I liked that the film took a smaller, more personal approach to the story. This eventually gets the film in trouble, but I appreciate the attempt to personalize the story. The movie also does a good job of paying homage to the previous Bond movies while also positioning the story for the future. It features some interesting, exciting sequences. There's a lot to like, and I will touch on more soon.

Unfortunately, there's quite a few problems with the movie as well. The biggest problem I had is that ultimately, this didn't feel like a James Bond movie. The biggest sequences in the film take place in an abandoned country home, and Bond is equipped with old hunting rifles and booby-traps. I get that this was part of making this a personalized story, but it's not James Bond. I disliked the whole final sequences because it just felt so small and unimportant. After you've seen Bond save the world numerous times, trying to save the life of one old woman just doesn't seem quite as thrilling. I wanted a slightly larger scope with slightly larger ramifications.

I thought the action scenes were good, but far from great. The initial chase sequence had a few thrilling moments, but felt a little too bland. I wanted higher takes, more intense moments. Even a few moments on the train felt a bit too forgettable. I've already mentioned that the farmhouse sequence felt too small scale to me. There's a quick fight scene at the top of a tower, which was fine. This movie has a number of action sequences, but none of them really stood out to me. They were fine, decently entertaining, but not exactly memorable.

I love how Daniel Craig has so completely won over everyone with his portrayal of James Bond. I remember when people were criticizing the choice because of the blonde hair. In just three movies, he's more James Bond than most of the other actors who've been in this role. He really embraced his darker, more rough-edged side for this film.

Javier Bardem was a great choice for the villain. I do wish he had more screen time. He was incredibly creepy, but again, not the most memorable Bond villain. I thought his portrayal was good, but he doesn't get enough screen time to really make the role one of the all time classics. Judi Dench was fine as M, and it was fun to see her hard work pay off as more of the film focused on her this time. I loved the addition of Ralph Fiennes. Naomie Harris was fine, and it was nice to see Albert Finney in a small role. The cast features some big names and great talents, but I thought as a whole, the cast was good, not great.

I'm still surprised so many people appeared to love this movie. I admit that it's certainly a step up from Quantum of Solace, but not nearly as good as Casino Royale. The biggest problem is that there's no real payoff. The film is quite lengthy at 143 minutes, and it seems like the story is building and building to a massive, unforgettable conclusion. However, the discovery of what "Skyfall" is and the ensuing climax just felt flat and disappointing to me. It was an unsatisfying conclusion.

When I think of Skyfall, it's a solidly made movie, but there's nothing in the entire film that even hints at greatness. It's a good movie in every sense, but there's nothing here that is truly special or unique. The greatest Bond movies transcend the franchise and make you sit up in your seats. If you think about this franchise, there's 23 movies. Think about the decades, the actors, the countless action sequences. We've seen it all before. This film tells an interesting story, but it will eventually fade into all the others. This is simply not one of the best Bond movies.

I did enjoy Skyfall. It's a strong movie, I would not discount that in the least. However, I can think of 8-9 Bond movies I would rank higher. While this film is a bit overrated, I very much appreciate that this improved on the last film, and it does make me excited for this franchise to continue.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace