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A new James Bond film is always a fantastic spectacle, especially after months of teasers, trailers and speculation (and a nifty little game!) — I know I can’t wait to check out Skyfall. And I know many of you are also looking forward to it, or have even checked it out already as of last Friday! Reviews have been fairly positive, but who cares what the critics think — we care what you, our dear readers, think of the film, so put on your best Mark Kermode glasses, and share below. (Warning: May contain spoilers.)
Did it live up to your expectations? Is Daniel Craig up there with the best Bonds, now that he’s had three films to get into the role? What was your favourite Bond gadget (or girl) from the movie? Does Javier Bardem put out a memorable villain role? Favourite scene?
Come on down; get your best suit (or dress) on; shake up a martini; shoot some comments below, and discuss to your heart’s content. Just, uh, don’t spoil it straight away, y’know — so we’d suggest not putting any spoilers in the first sentence of your comment, as it appears on the homepage, don’t forget…
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Most importantly, how much of that f***ing awful theme do we have to listen to?
Well I don’t agree with your opinion, I think it’s brilliant, but you only have to listen to it once. I’d say it’s about 10 minutes in that the titles are shown, but I could be wrong.
Thank you for respecting my right to a different opinion and for this vital info.
Yeah I would say 10min or so in. For some reason it actually works better with all the Bond animations and stuff..
As the guy above me said, The theme works MUCH better when you have the bond titles to match it to. You very well may change your mind about it when you go see it. I hated it before, but afterwards once I had the visuals in my head to match it to, I was humming it under my breath on the way home.
I was lucky enough to see it last night (thanks, Sony!), and while I’ll admit it was very beautifully-shot (the Scotland scenes in particular were very atmospheric and “British”), it rather left me hankering for the older Bond films.
Maybe I’m a sentimentalist; perhaps I just really don’t like Daniel Craig (still not convinced he makes a good Bond), but I felt this one lacked…hmm…a kind of ever-lasting “epicness” of other Bond flicks. It felt more throwaway, if I’m honest.
Saying that, I’d still obviously recommend you see it (especially given the 15 or so people I was with all really enjoyed it, with one Bond fanatic saying it was the best Craig Bond-film so far), and the scene where Silva gets a little “touchy-feely” with Bond is worth the ticket price alone.
So in your opinion it was not a Dyson
You’re just prejudice against him because of his potato face.
Why did you have to say that about his potato face?! I kept noticing it all throughout the film!
Welcome to my world!
Just got back from it, yes that scene is definitely worth it. Also the caretaker was a good addition. I quite enjoyed it though; it kept the style of the newer films while making wee nods to older ones (though I’m sure I didn’t catch half of them!). Maybe because I haven’t actually seen many Bonds before Brosnan?
Just wondering if you thought the lack of “epicness” was caused by the fact it was more of a pesonal story as oppossed to a world domination story of old?
In the picture above he looks more like Jeremy Kyle than James Bond.
Jezza doesn’t need a gun to kick ass.
Perhaps he needs to be harder hitting now he’s on US tv. Instead of just telling people that they should get off the drugs & the dole and to take responsibility for their actions maybe he is telling them to shape up or he’ll pop a cap in their ass.
I thought it was amazing. I’m kind of glad about the lack of some things, like excessive gadgetry – gadgets are fun, but they made it completely unrealistic.
Having watched most of the Bond films, this one was probably the best. I loved how Silva had a personal reason to attack, rather than the political/business reasoning which is usually the case. I need to watch it again though, because I missed small snippets – I was sat next to two people who talked loudly throughout parts. Very annoying.
Did you get that too?! We had these Russian or Eastern European guys who literally spoke the entire way through the film >:( I don’t know if it was the best, but it was a good change from the normal Bond villain. Was there any significance in his real name? When he started talking about his real name I actually thought he was going to say my name is James Bond too…
Yeah, although they were my friends, which made it more annoying. However, others who’ve been to see it, who I know, also say it’s the best one yet. I definitely want to go and see it again.
And no, there was no real significance in his real name. I had one of my friends (one of the guys who was talking) asking me who he was after the film finished. Felt like saying that if he’d shut up he would know…
What an utter stinker!
That was the worst Bond film I’ve ever seen. The best Bond in the worst Bond film.
Breaks me heart.
Just so I got this right, you thought this was worse then Tomorrow Never Dies and Die Another Day?!
Hm, good point but they were Brosnan flicks so you expected crap with them. At least they had some decent flashy bangy stuff.
I’d watch them again on a wet Sunday afternoon, I wouldn’t come back to Skyfall.
The problem is I like Brosnan as Bond. He was having fun with it but he was given the worst scripts and films.
I started to watch Die Another Day and I just felt so sorry for him.
And don’t get me started on Tomorrow Never Dies.
worse than Quantum of Solace or Die another Day? Do me a favour..
It was tightly plotted, had a good sense of humour but never too jokey. Admittedly the first half wasn’t great but it got into it’s stride and went with it well. Also probably the most beautiful looking bond film ever, sumptuously shot with amazing art direction. Silva made a great twisted villain too.
Nowt wrong with Quantum. I like that whole story arc, I wish they’d kept with it this time.
The whole film looked like Bond done by Disney. The script was trite, the action boring and the whole thing felt hurried & unfinished.
All the harking back to better days felt a bit desperate too, like they knew they had a turkey and were trying to dredge up some sympathy.
Nah, loada shite.
Wow. Really? Never actually heard anyone say they really liked QOS, never mind prefer it over Skyfall. Well, I’ve only been able to get Skyfall opinions for a few hours, but they’ve all been extremely positive.
I do seem to be in the minority here
I’m with you in that minority.
I like and hate Quantum in equal measures.
Likes
love the opening. the plane/helicopter chase,crooked CIA agent, a slo-mo scene near the end with the glass smashing as Greene runs by it. The theme up until the bit when Keys starts whailing.
Dislikes
Dominic Greene. No James Bond baddies name should sound like an estate agent! Also he says the word “utilities”. Once again, the baddie should never sound like an EDF salesman in the high street. Also has a “henchman” who is more concerned with his wig.
I think they heard our slight comments about product placement. you really only saw his phone and the Sony logo once at the bar. The Henikan was only really seen once in close-up and that was not with Bond drinking it.
I didn’t even see the Heineken. Although I did see a Martini. I think. Did I? I’m not a cocktail expert.
He has a Martini but Bond doesn’t ask for it by name.
Yeah. I couldn’t really care less, to be fair. Oh, and my brother said Q was drinking the Heineken, not Bond, but I didn’t see either doing so.
All I saw Q drinking from was his Scrabble mug – which I have!
Tanner was drinking it but his hand did cover the label so that was good.
Even if Bond asked for a Martini by name thats allowed. It’s a thing set up in past films.
Bond was drinking a Heineken early on. It was shortly after he was shot and fell off the train. Whilst he was *recovering* there was a scene with him in bed with a pretty lady who was sleeping. He was lying beside her drinking a beer. His hand are partially covering the label so it didn’t feel all that gratuitous.
The Production was a bit on the cheap side,
#1 the green screen keying on the roof tops and souk in Turkey was poor,
a media student could have achieved the same with a few hundred quid a stolen ped and FCP X
#2 Bond goes to Shanghai is actually the Broad Gate Tower behind Liverpool St station,
putting a few visuals to make it look like Shanghai is a piss take of our british £
#3 Temple station that is actually Charing Cross station that then turns into Embankment Station
Story was good but can see the £’s have been squeezed!!
They are not allowed to close any TFL stations when filming – they can only close parts of a station. Service cannot be disrupted. Charing Cross is large enough to close sections and still have it function – Temple is not.
Temple is next to Embankment, so it makes sense that they end up there from Temple, as they were on the District/Circle line.
Not sure what was up with your screening, but at the 4K screening I went to I didn’t see much issue with the keying on the roof tops – The only key issue I saw in that sequence was on the top of the train there was too much light wrap and he ended up with a halo. But his wispy blonde hair doesn’t help that. To say it was of the standard of ‘a media student on FCP X’ is hyperbolic and ridiculous. And they actually shot in the souk. There was some comping, but a lot of that was for real.
Yes the tower was in London. Did you also have a problem with the exterior of the floating Macau Casino – which was in Pinewood, London? Or perhaps locations in other films that are not what they appear to be? Don’t want to alarm you, but they didn’t really blow up MI6 HQ or the expensive helicopter at the end! Sometimes, these pesky film makers, they make stuff up.
I though the production was fantastic. To complain that it was a ‘piss take of our british £’ is a strangely stupefying statement.
Mr Baker,
I totally agree with your comment about the media student being ridiculous and slightly over critical.
I guess my whole point is that I left the Barbican (no idea about their projection setup) yesterday feeling that what I had just watched was a slightly diluted & cheaper production of Bond.
The budget for Skyfall was $50 million less than Quantum of Solace and you can tell in the locations and effects.
Sam Mendes is an awesome director Road to Perdition, American Beauty and he did well with Bond.
I just can’t get help but get the feeling that the bond was a slight rush job (orchestrated buy studio bosses) to release off the back off the Olympic Hype around London and the UK.
i thought it was shit, the plot was quite weak. quite disappointed to be honest.
Don’t like Daniel Craig as bond AT ALL, this film was really not very entertaining, the opening sequence, bikes, cars, trains, was the worst opening to a Bond ever, and went downhill from there! They need to cast Clive Owen , get rid of Daniel Craig PLEASE! And bring back some gadgets and bond girls and make it FUN again! This sucked. Sorry but i don’t see why everyone is saying it is amazing.
Said like a Brosnan fan..
It’s awesome… As a Scottish lad from Edinburgh, best quote is “BOOM (that’s a sawn-off shotgun SFX), Welcome To Scotland”. We went on the trail of a 50yr old Macallan afterwards too and fell short, IN CASH so didn’t have any in the end.
I liked it. I feel it was a return to the typical Bond rather than the last two Bonds.
Casino Royal and Quantum of Solace weren’t everyones cup of tea as there was a rmieagination of the spy espionage film. Personally I found them very fitting with Flemming’s Bond, very similar to Timothy Dalton (the best Bond) but regardless not everyone understood or liked this rebranding. Skyfall is a return dé force and should be seen as a transitioning film.
People have said that the plot was weak but if you look at the older bonds they are so obvious and bland that its rather dire. The previous two Bonds have tried to delve deeper into the history and meaning behind the characters and the audience didn’t like it. This, I feel, has stuck a healthy balance, it fits the typical Bond model whilst keeping some depth, for example bringing up M’s past.
I’d like to go see it again.
“return dé force”? Well formed French statement right there, folks.
I did enjoy it! It took me some time to get used to Daniel Craig as Bond, but now I guess I’m used to it and I actually stated to appreciate it.
Skyfall is definitely, in my opinion, the best of the modern Bonds. Didn’t miss the gadgetry at all, and Javier Bardem acting is worth the price of the ticket alone.
I rather enjoyed this edition of ~POTATOHEAD BEATS EVERYONE UP IN A ROOM~ NOW WITH ADDED ROTTEN POTATOHEAD NEMISES shenanagins. Wasn’t particularly impressed with the offing of a particularly important character, but! I should type that in caps, BUT they way they stitched the potatohead brigade plot up towards the end was particularly nice, and echoed bond of old/future coming together.
Remember this is basically a ~50 years of potatoheads beating people up~ film, which I feel does justice to it all.
Now the rotten potatohead character smacked of someone watching batemans and seeing the joker and not really giving the man much presence, but hey ho.
I loved it, the ending was powerful.