Skyfall - Grading & Discussion

[Ghost Bones]

I never got what's supposed to be so great about From Russia With Love. The only good thing is the train sequence at the end. And the music throughout the film. The rest of the film I found pretty cheesy, and Tatiana's got to be the most stupid Bond girl I've ever seen.

I agree. Or at least, I've not seen it for quite a long time and that echoes what I remember thinking last time I saw it. If you catch my drift.

So? She's a very popular and familiar character after nearly 20 years.

Well even that's only if we assume she's the same character as the Brosnan M. Personally I don't care about her at all, she's an average and not very interesting character. But even if I thought she was brilliant, in the universe of the film she's still not important. Not much changes for the world if she dies. It's only because we've seen her before. And it's that kind of insular plot that makes the whole thing seem so fannish.

Surely she's even more important to Craig's Bond than the Brosnan-era version of the character was? To Craig she's the (not always friendly) mentor who brought him into the service and is probably the closest thing he has to family (he even jokingly compares her to his mother in Solace). She's far more than just the new boss he learns to respect as was the case in her first four films.

Yeah, but again, so what? She's just some narky old bitch about to be retired anyway. They could have killed her off in the opening scene and I wouldn't have cared much, so making her the entire stakes of the film doesn't do it for me.

 

[lurok]

Frakkin' A+. Best Bond film in ages. Classy, witty, tense. This should have been Die Another Day, and I'd happily skip CR and QoS. This feels like the real reboot, even handing over to new M, Q, etc. The DB5 got big laugh and applause. Wasn't a Craig fan but now feel he owns the role. Bardem best blond villain since Red Grant and Max Zorin, and better rogue agent than stupid Sean Bean. Now all they need to do in next one is bring back some more glamour.

ETA: the involvement of Baird and Logan must really piss the Nemesis haters

 

[UssGlenn]

The NOC list subplot seemed to have dropped out of the story when Silva was captured and his island operation shut down.

I wouldn't call it dropped so much as concluded. They captured the man who was releasing the names and confiscated all his computers. Since the list was just a means to an end for him, he wouldn't have sent a copy to anyone else yet. Crisis averted.

 

[Trekker4747]

Just got back from Skyfall.

Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. I've got no complaints about it, absolutely perfect, perfect James Bond movie in practically every way possible. Loved the old Aston Martin being used, loved the "introduction" of Moneypenny, the stuff with Judy Dench.

I mean. Wow.

I'm blown away by this movie, best Bond movie in years, hell decades even.

A+ All the way.

 

[Samurai8472]

Went to a 5:45pm showing

COMPLETELY PACKED


Some parts dragged/got boring:

-Shanghai.
-Bond and Serverine's talk at the bar
-Bond and Severine heading to the island.

I understood 90% of what Bernice said.

The CGI komodo dragon didn't bother me. I was thinking "Maybe the bodyguard will throw back the gun?" LOL


Some of the dry humor got no response

-Provocateur? Provacateuress?

-Resurrection....

Some laughter at Silva touching Bond and Silva's facial expressions


Lot's of giddiness from the audience when the Aston showed up


"He went in to those tunnels. He didn't come out for two days. When he came back he wasn't a boy anymore"

Me- Batman?


Some people laughed at Silva's final moments

"ARGGGGGGHHH!!!!!"

*Laughter*



I was with some people that were expecting some BIGGER action. Roger Moore style escapist/Brosnan level escapism action.

"Skyfall" still had action but aside from the bike chase everything else was subdued

I guess what i'm saying is there was no big set action piece besides the bike chase/train fight.

 

[Trekker4747]

The Shanghai fight against the neon lights of the city was beautiful. Loved how it was mostly in silhouette.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

So. How much Dench was in it?

 

[Joel_Kirk]

I'm a huge Daniel Craig fan, so (once time permits) I'm looking to seeing this; I did enjoy "Casino Royale" and I don't think "Quantum of Solace" was that bad, although I could understand why some won't like it.

I understand that Idris Elba has been in talks with Barbara Broccoli to take over someday; I wouldn't mind seeing that. (I'm watching the BBC series, "Luther," and Elba definitely has the acting/action chops).

 

[Captrek]

"Skyfall" still had action but aside from the bike chase everything else was subdued

Dropping a subway train on Bond is subdued?

So. How much Dench was in it?

No more than usual. She remains conservatively dressed throughout. Sorry to disappoint.

 

[sidious618]

No more than usual?! She was in it a lot!

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

Why would I want her not conservatively dressed?

In it lots you say, well I may just have to actually watch the thing.

 

[Skywalker]

No more than usual?! She was in it a lot!

I think you should read captrek's post more carefully.

 

[Ian Keldon]

I'll probably try to see this when it comes out on DVD, but I'm not exactly trembling with excitement. Craig's Bond does little for me. Bond is supposed to be the "glitz and glamor" spy franchise, but the newest films have all been too harsh and gritty.

Brosnan did the best personification of Bond of the modern actors, but got scripts that were, at best, adequate. (Though at least he didn't get saddled with Dalton's scripts).

My "best of both worlds" would have been a younger Brosnan in a remake of a classic Connery or Moore Bond such as "You Only Live Twice" or "The Spy Who Loved Me".

 

[Ghost Bones]

I understand that Idris Elba has been in talks with Barbara Broccoli to take over someday; I wouldn't mind seeing that. (I'm watching the BBC series, "Luther," and Elba definitely has the acting/action chops).

Oh my, I hope not. He's black and James Bond is white. It would be all wrong.

 

[Harvey]

Bond is a brunette, M is a man, and Moneypenny is white. Anything else would be all wrong.

I read that Elba's not interested in the role, though; he says he doesn't want to become known as "the black James Bond." Sooner or later, though, casting a black actor in the role will happen. The question is when it will happen.

 

[Captrek]

Sooner or later, though, casting a black actor in the role will happen. The question is when it will happen.

Should there be? Blacks constitute less than 2% of the population in England.

 

[Harvey]

Why not? We've had six white guys in the role. A little variation is always interesting.

(More to the point, the population of England is not the only factor here, since big budget films are more and more being targeted at international rather than domestic audiences)

 

[Ghost Bones]

We've gone from "it will happen" to "why not" in two posts. Some prophecy. Fact is, James Bond's a white fella. If we're going to be all PC about it, at least have the next one be a black, Muslim, pregnant, disabled, lesbian, Welsh woman.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

at least have the next one be a black, Muslim, pregnant, disabled, lesbian, Welsh woman.

I'll take it.

Make sure she's beautiful while you're at it. And rather than ordering virgin martini's because she's pregnant with M's love child just skip all that bar stuff, it's a bit old hat anyway.

 

[Harvey]

Well, you can't say that combination of traits wouldn't be interesting.

Arguing with you on this subject would be a waste of time, though. Time to return to your regularly scheduled review thread...