Viewed in
2012
Formats
IMAX theater.
Premise
In the third Daniel Craig installment, 007 takes on Javier Bardem who threatens MI6 and their leaders.
Loved
Shout outs to the Bond legacy.
Liked
Cast, performances, IMAX cinematography.
Disliked
Underwhelming story/heavy.
Thoughts
Personally, I'm more of a Roger Moore/Pierce Brosnan cheeky versions of the franchise. Having said that, this is a very welcome rebound from Quantum of Solace.
My favorite parts was the film's ability to take advantage of its decades of legacy. It was a stand alone, an update, a prequel, and a tribute, without feeling like a lame, pandering fan service. I loved the Aston Martin, the Walther PPK, and other shout outs to the Sean Connery era. The return to stunt-oriented action pieces, absurd moments, and poisonous critters (Komodo-effing-dragons!) was most welcome.
The story was pretty interesting, as it was M-centric. Which was cool to see Dame Judi Dench do a lot more stuff throughout the story. Ralph Fiennes and Naomi Harris were welcome additions to the roster. While I wished that they gave John Cleese another shot at Q, I was very happy to see that character back in the fold, and played very amusingly by Ben Whishaw as hipster/emo Q.
As for Craig, he was very believable, looking extremely confident in his character. Definitely better at the rough-and-tumble stuff, but his cheeky moments delivered the laughs.
One of the biggest jokes of the previous entry was it's completely indecipherable action sequences. I was more than glad to see director Sam Mendes calm things down for us to enjoy the fights and chases. Watching it in IMAX was an enhancement, some of Roger Deakins' cinematography was absolutely breathtaking in this format.
A few things didn't work for me, and it mostly had to do with the writing. Bardem was a fantastic choice as the antagonist, but when it came to his arc and reveal, his whole character felt underwhelming. The writing just didn't feel ambitious enough. Even had it been, I doubt it would've touched his Anton Chigurh from No Country for Old Men. Another knock on the writing was that the middle section felt slow at times, as it took a while for Bardem's character to make his presence felt.
My final disappointment clearly was not Albert Finney's fault. Finney was a great fit in a small appearance. However, I already heard the rumor that the role was meant for Connery, and he didn't take it. With that baggage in mind, all I could think about was what a pity it didn't come true. The audience would've gone batty, not just for his appearance, but because it was a perfect fit into the story.
Skyfall was very fun. It didn't swing too far in the "gritty and realistic" pendulum direction, and did a great job of balancing the new with the old, the fresh with the familiar, the reinvention with the celebration.
