Skyfall [DVD] [2012]

A hard drive containing the names of undercover agents embedded in terrorist organizations is now up for sale and you suffered a near fatal injury trying to stop it. What would it take to send you back into the fray? Money, love, fear? James Bond (played by Daniel Craig for the third time) and fellow MI6 agent Eve (played by Naomie Harris) have tracked a thief carrying a stolen hard drive with confidential information to a train. After an exhausting chase and an epic amount of destruction, Bond and the thief are locked in a physical struggle. With the thief in her sights, Eve (Harris), on orders from M (played by Judi Dench for the seventh time) takes the shot, misses, and sends 007 plummeting to the water below while the hard drive and the thief are lost. M (Dench) is summoned before a government committee where one member, Gareth Mallory (played by Ralph Fiennes), encourages her to retire. While en route to MI6 headquarters, their servers are breached and, while M watches helplessly in traffic, their offices are destroyed killing several agents. Bond, having taken his fall from the tracks as an opportunity to retire, learns of the attack while watching television in a bar. His return to government service is typically atypical. He breaks into M’s home, reports for duty, and asks how he can be of service. Before returning to duty, Bond must submit to both a physical and a psychological exam. Despite failing both, a desperate M puts Bond back in the field, for lack of a better idea. This being a Bond movie, there is, of course, a great deal more to the story. The moment we are introduced to the true villain, Raoul Silva (played by Javier Bardem) marks the Bond series’ return to cinematic greatness. Bardem is truly terrifying and every time you think you’ve figured out his master plan, he shocks you. The introduction of Ben Whishaw as 007’s liaison to Q branch breathes new life into an element of the franchise that I assumed had simply been abandoned with the departure of Pierce Brosnan and the death of the much-beloved Desmond Llewelyn. I understand that many Bond fans saw Quantum of Solace as a failure. Putting aside the fact that I was not one of them, this is easily the best Bond film since Craig assumed the role of lead actor, in my opinion.

(NO SPOILERS - I hate to watch the previews for movies if it is for a movie that I already know I am going to see. They reveal too much. So I would not do that to you.) I am a HUGE & Long Time James Bond fan. Having read all of the books and watched all of the movies. Previous to Daniel Craig my favourite Bond was Sean Connery. I think that the producers of the James Bond movies have really done a good job with Daniel Craig's Bond making him closer to the books. My first impressions after watching Skyfall in the theatre were that this was a totally "Different" type of Bond movie than I had seen before. I love movies and have a degree in Film so very much enjoy a well made movie that takes the audience on a journey of discovery, emotions, and adventure. Do not worry this film does have it's fill of James Bond action but the real value to me was getting a deeper glimpse into the character's psyche. Where he is coming from and why he is the way that he is. How his life experiences on the job and with his meaningful romances and their loss have shaped him. How his loyalty to Queen and Country are unshakeable. Again, I may be tainted as I am a HUGE James Bond fan and a particular fan of the latest recast of the James Bond character with Daniel Craig. However, I have spoken to many of my friends and colleagues who have seen this film and they all unanimously say that this was arguably the best James Bond Movie ever! Men and women who are not particularly James Bond fans enjoyed the movie as it had a good balance of action, drama, and suspense.

As a long-time Bond fan, coming from a family of Bond fans, every new James Bond film is an event, and Skyfall was no exception. Celebrating the Bond franchise's 50th anniversary, this 23rd Bond film managed to celebrate the franchise and bringing back some retro elements whilst giving us something that felt fresh and new, a true Bond for the 21st century. Despite being a film fan, I have never seen a Sam Mendes film prior to Skyfall, so his announcement as director neither excited nor discouraged me, though knowing him as mostly a dramatic film director, I wasn't sure if he could pull off an exciting action-adventure. However, I was proven wrong. One of the things that Sam Mendes was set on doing was making a Bond film where the action set pieces came naturally, and were not just simply a case of "Okay, we'll put a car chase here, and a shoot out here, and work around that". The action sequences (particularly the incredible, heart-pounding pre-credits sequence) feel very organic and part of the story instead of shoe-horned in. But at the same time, Mendes gives us a very thoughtful, and at times, emotional Bond experience. Bond develops wonderful relationships with the rest of the characters (and Craig enjoys wonderful chemistry with the rest of his cast), and by the time you get to the end, you'll feel like you went on a journey with him. Special mention must go to Roger Deakins, whose cinematography is absolutely stunning, and it was a crime that he did not win the Oscar. This is truly one of the best looking Bond movies ever, with striking, beautiful visuals that manages to take that exotic, international Bond style and take it one step further. Check out the fight between Bond and henchman Patrice, which takes place in front of a giant neon screen, so they are shown entirely in silhouette. Now as for the Blu-ray itself, it'd be difficult for you to find a better one. The video is absolutely incredible and could possibly be one of the best Blu-rays I have ever seen, and the audio is outstanding - if you have any kind of sound system, pump it up for this one. Your house will be shaking, and you'll be hearing it from every room, and you'll love it.

Having never been a huge Bond fan for most of my life, my interest in the franchise was peaked when director Martin Campbell delivered a hard boiled, gritty action film with the suave, iconic agent at the head of the film. Embodied by the newly minted Daniel Craig, for the first time I felt as if I was watching a man who could actually take part in a secret government agency and come out on the other side alive rather than seeing Pierce Brosnan as a version of some high class socialite who wondered into a gunfight, some off kilter version of the character Mike Myers so easily lampooned. Granted, I haven't seen many of the films in the franchise (though I certainly plan on doing so at some point) I've seen plenty of footage and clips from the older films when I prepped to see Casino Royale as a newbie to the franchise. I have caught a few of the Brosnan era Bonds on TV as well as seeing Die Another Day as my first in a theater which as you can imagine, wasn't the greatest introduction. A year after experiencing Chris Nolan's dark, realistic take on the Batman story it was interesting to have seen Bond go the same way within his own world. With the twenty-third film of the franchise, Skyfall, producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli have recruited Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Road to Perdition) to helm this latest installment that acts as a continuation of Craig's time in MI6 but also reestablishes much of the series history and lays the ground work for much to be excited about in what is coming in Mr. Bond's near future.

SkyFall was stupidly hyped back in 2012, correlating with the 2012 Summer Olympics, with a short film directed by Danny Boyle and starring Daniel Craig as Bond and Her Majesty, the Queen as herself doing a little flyover London before skydiving out of a helicopter, a Bond 50 bluray set releasing 9 new Bond films not before available on Blu Ray and of course the diamond anniversary of the Bond films themselves. They got a great director, awesome singer for the title, Roger Deakins to shoot the film and a great actor for the villain. A lot to live up to, but I have to hand it to the Bond crew, this is one of the best films of the series, filled with exciting action sequences, great performances and a great sendoff of a major part of the film series for years. Recommended that everyone needs to own a copy on DVD or Blu Ray, just to have a classic on your shelves. The PQ is stunning with some beautifully shot sequences, vivid colors, and a great filmic look for the most part (Shot digitally for the first time in the series) provided by Deakins and totaly worthy of an Oscar nomination (A win should have been clear cut, but Life of Pi had to ruin the fun). The AQ is equally impressive, with Adele's title tune, actions sequences, the evocative score and dialogue all heard loud and clear and bass-y. The extras on the DVD disappoint, only containing a few featurettes, with the Blu Ray holding 2 commentaries, an hour of extras, and an intro to the red carpet premiere in London. All in all, a big recommendation for anyone fans of films!!!

I was not wild about this move the first time I saw it but came to appreciate it more on subsequent viewings. It is actually very cleverly constructed as a reboot of the franchise, with the introduction of a new Moneypenny and Q. I am not wild about those choices (political correctness reigns) there but the story is compelling enough. You may wonder if you are even watching a Bond movie in the beginning since you don't get but one note of the classic opening trumpet fanfare theme music. That is followed by the usual opening chase scene, however, and story roars on from there. With a few detours along the way (Bond is seemingly killed) . It is not until well past the midpoint, after bond recovers his classic Aston Martin DB-7 from Goldfinger (there is even a joke about the ejection seat) that the classic theme music returns and it really begins to feel like a Bond movie. And not until the end of the movie that we discover who Moneypenny really is (hint, an attractive but sedate secretary will not do in an era where all women in Hollywood movies must be strong and perfect heroes) Worth a look if you can stomach the PC changes in characters.

Last year I had purchased the Bond movie collection and it included a slot for the as-yet-then-unreleased Skyfall. When I saw Skyfall pop up on Best Buy for $4.99 it seemed the time to purchase! For the most part I have enjoyed the more recent Bond movies staring Daniel Craig. In many ways I think he is the best actor to portray Bond. I also very much enjoyed the cinematography of this film. A little darker and more brooding... not unlike Bond himself. That said, there are a few issues I had with this movie. First, the villain is plain awful. While the acting was ok the character just falls flat for me. In some instances I thought the character almost comedic in that Roger Moore/Bond films day. Second, I did not like the new Q at all. I don't know if this is a nod to modernity or trying to freshen the franchise with a hipster or what, but not unlike the villain Q fell flat for me. Someone with a comedic bent should be playing that role, but not necessarily an outright comedian. While I may love John Cleese I didn't find him 'right' for the role either. Desmond Llewelyn really hit the spot in my mind. I'm thinking Q should be played by someone like Matt Damon, who can pull-off funny, but isn't a comic outright.

Bond enters a darkened hallway and a previous killing zone, departs the building and gets into a waiting pickup to chase a Black Sedan, then a motor-cycle chase (all in Istanbul) followed by a train chase – all very exciting. Finally Credits.  This saga is especially well-written and acted with highly realistic sound-effects and a sound-track that materially enhances the films action and tension – it’s a total attention holding entertainment thriller package that should please all. Ralph Fiennes’ character is M,s antagonist. The saga takes one on an interesting world-wide tour – Istanbul, London, Hong Kong, Mancal, an abandoned island, back to London, Skyfall – a manor house in the Scottish Highlands, and finally returning to London. This is a well-done film that you will want to view again and perhaps a 3rd time!