Skyfall is the twenty-third James Bond film, produced by Eon Productions and distributed by MGM and Sony Pictures Entertainment in 2012.

skyfal lmovie cast and crew

Daniel Craig
   
Judi Dench
   
Javier Bardem   
   
Ralph Fiennes   
   
Naomie Harris   
   
Bérénice Marlohe   
   
Albert Finney   
   
Ben Whishaw   
   
Rory Kinnear   
   
Ola Rapace   
   
Helen McCrory   
   
Nicholas Woodeson   
   
Bill Buckhurst   

Directed by Sam Mendes

skyfallmovie overview

Worlds collide in this near-brilliant, meticulously refined 21st-century redefinition of James Bond. In a rapidly changing world where enemies are no longer large, loud targets that are easy to spot, Bond (Daniel Craig) and M (Judi Dench) confront the big, brutal post-9/11 reality that the biggest threat to national security is as likely to come from within as anywhere else. The impressive MI6 edifice, once the impregnable centre of control, sent Bond out on missions to bring order to a chaotic world. Now it is as rich and juicy a target as any bank vault or nuclear arsenal was in the Bond films of yore. Under the sure-footed direction of Sam Mendes (American Beauty; Jarhead; Road to Perdition), this dramatic table turning effectively keeps everything on edge as M's competence comes under fire. As Bond, Craig is at his furrowed best, playing 007 as an old-school spy facing down the unavoidable realities of new-school rules, omnipresent digital technology and a new Q (Ben Whishaw), a bespectacled know-all who resembles a refugee from a Revenge of the Nerds movie. The focus on character and story is as strong here as it was in Craig's first Bond outing Casino Royale (2006), the finely engineered tensions between vintage Bond and the need for a newly minted Bond making this one of the five best of the 23 Bond films thus far. The stunt work and chases are as proficiently mounted as ever, and Javier Bardem gives us a truly memorable Bond villain, something we frankly haven't had since Sean Bean in GoldenEye. But it's when the frippery - the gadgets, gags and gaudiness that have too often stuck to Bond like cinematic barnacles - is stripped away that the film really comes into its own. In Skyfall we see something that has been too often denied us, which is Bond at his essence. In one of the best examples of having your cake and eating it, Skyfall is cleverly designed to keep everyone happy. It really delivers to traditionalists and long-time fans who will relish the respectful steps the film takes in the evolution to a better Bond, while those just wanting escapism have plenty of story to chew on in between the action sequences. In terms of quality, there is an erratic hit-miss pattern across the Bond catalogue, so it's heartening that Skyfall makes it three hits in a row.

It's crazy family comedy time as French-flavoured New Yorker Marion (Julie Delpy, who wrote and directed) has the wackier members of her family crashing in the cramped apartment she shares with her new squeeze Mingus (Chris Rock) and their son. A vast improvement on Delpy's unlikeable 2007 rom-com 2 Days in Paris (starring Adam Goldberg), this amiable, adult-oriented scribble of a film has fun with the pressure cooker environment and the inevitable problems it produces. Rock tries playing it straight, but can't help himself; Delpy is lovably daffy; the film has a breezy, honest air, especially when the hard decisions have to be made about who should stay and who must go.
An otherwise fine profile of American fashion magazine doyen Diana Vreeland is let down by pedestrian production. A vivacious personality who clearly loved being interviewed (she died in 1989), her friends and associates paint a colorful portrait of her relentless working life as she sculpted careers at Vogue, Harper's Bazaar and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Hardcore cineastes will enjoy the brief glimpses from the wonderful 1964 satire Who Are You, Polly Maggoo?, in which Vreeland was affectionately parodied.

sky fall movie review

 

The question with Skyfall — the 23rd official entry in Ian Fleming’s spy franchise — is not simply is it any good? (of which the answer is an emphatic ‘yes’) but rather, is this the best film in the franchise’s fifty year history? For myself, the answer is a yes, but this may not be the case for everyone. See, James Bond is many things to many people. Though it often quickens the pulse, Skyfall is no cinematic energy drink.  Gone are the empty calories of invisible cars and crocodile-shaped submarines.  Instead, Skyfall falls into the mould of recent blockbusters and gives us meaty themes and a dour tone. While its seriousness is a definitive, modern feature, Skyfall never forgets to include the elements that made Bond so popular in the first place: stunning locations, a slimy villain, gorgeous women, hair-raising stunts and a masculine protagonist. This balancing act between the old and the new is what elevates Skyfall to the front of the pack. Not only is it a great modern blockbuster, it’s a great James Bond film.

Contrary to expectation, Skyfall’s plot is not a continuation of the one-two punch of Daniel Craig’s previous entries (the superior Casino Royale and its direct sequel, the flashy, yet underwhelming, Quantum of Solace). Throwing the established plot threads to the wayside, Skyfall opens with an almighty bang. In one of the franchise’s most dynamic action sequences, we see James Bond (Daniel Craig) at his most tenacious. Tearing through the streets of Istanbul, Bond utilises four different modes of transport in an exhaustive chase to recover a disk that contains all the identities of NATO’s undercover agents. After failing to obtain the disk and becoming aware of expendability, Bond opts for a low-key existence. But when a crazed madman (Javier Bardiem) starts targeting MI6 and its leader, M (Judi Dench), a shaky Bond decides to re-enter the game – but can he overcome the physical and emotional injuries he has accrued over time?
 The question with Skyfall — the 23rd official entry in Ian Fleming’s spy franchise — is not simply is it any good? (of which the answer is an emphatic ‘yes’) but rather, is this the best film in the franchise’s fifty year history? For myself, the answer is a yes, but this may not be the case for everyone. See, James Bond is many things to many people. Though it often quickens the pulse, Skyfall is no cinematic energy drink.  Gone are the empty calories of invisible cars and crocodile-shaped submarines.  Instead, Skyfall falls into the mould of recent blockbusters and gives us meaty themes and a dour tone. While its seriousness is a definitive, modern feature, Skyfall never forgets to include the elements that made Bond so popular in the first place: stunning locations, a slimy villain, gorgeous women, hair-raising stunts and a masculine protagonist. This balancing act between the old and the new is what elevates Skyfall to the front of the pack. Not only is it a great modern blockbuster, it’s a great James Bond film.

The name is Boss, Mega Boss’

Contrary to expectation, Skyfall’s plot is not a continuation of the one-two punch of Daniel Craig’s previous entries (the superior Casino Royale and its direct sequel, the flashy, yet underwhelming, Quantum of Solace). Throwing the established plot threads to the wayside, Skyfall opens with an almighty bang. In one of the franchise’s most dynamic action sequences, we see James Bond (Daniel Craig) at his most tenacious. Tearing through the streets of Istanbul, Bond utilises four different modes of transport in an exhaustive chase to recover a disk that contains all the identities of NATO’s undercover agents. After failing to obtain the disk and becoming aware of expendability, Bond opts for a low-key existence. But when a crazed madman (Javier Bardiem) starts targeting MI6 and its leader, M (Judi Dench), a shaky Bond decides to re-enter the game – but can he overcome the physical and emotional injuries he has accrued over time?



Right off the bat: I’m not the biggest James Bond fan. I completely understand the escapist appeal of Ian Fleming’s creation, but Bond wasn’t my boyhood indulgence. I would far rather watch a violent sci-fi film (The Terminator, Predator, Aliens and Robocop) than a womanising Brit with a magnetic watch. I’d tag along with my friends to see every new entry, but few of them set my world on fire (except, perhaps, 1995’s Goldeneye). It wasn’t until Daniel Craig donned the tuxedo in 2006’s Casino Royale that Bond really entered my geek radar. I was a fan of Craig’s work and I wanted to see Bond reinvented for a more serious cinematic age and, like most, I was thrilled with the end result. Skyfall has a similar cinematic draw for me:  I’m more interested in seeing what director Sam Mendes can achieve in a blockbuster framework than the ongoing struggles of agent 007. But Skyfall’s biggest success is its ability to emotionally rise above its technical superiority. Not only was I impressed with Skyfall’s superlative production values (which I expected), but it also pulled me in with its vivid character work and increasingly personal stakes – there is true substance with Skyfall’s substantial style.

skyfallmovie images

 

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