AAR goes to the movies: Skyfall
With Skyfall, James Bond returns to old heights, and he returns to Britain. Greater parts of the film are set on the British Isles, and quite a bit of time is used to explore the inner workings of MI6. At the same time, there is a proper (and logical!) plot, and the characters and their relationships are examined. Although the overall tone is rather solemn, there are sparks of the old James Bond humor. The settings are fabulous, and filmed to great effect. I enjoyed the minor characters very much as well, especially Q, the Scotsman and the character played by Naomie Harris. Judi Dench is a delight as usual.
One slight drawback is that Javier Bardem as the villain is just a tad over the top for my taste. In spite of this, I can recommend Skyfall very highly, especially if you like your action movies with varied pacing and with images that stay with you long after you have left the cinema.
Those of you who’ve seen the movie – how did you like it?
– Rike Horstmann[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
Hoping to see this one next week. Thanks for the review.
So on the one hand, I have pretty low standards for Bond, and action movies in general. On the other, I loved Casino Royale, thought Quantum of Solace was a waste of time, and was raring to go when the rave reviews flooded in.
In a nutshell: I thought it was ace. Fantabulous. Daniel Craig and Javier Bardem rock my world (even though the ending goes on a wee bit too long), and I thought the wrap up was melancholic but completely appropriate.
This was a great Bond film. Definitely worth seeing in the theater. Loved the new Q – I hope we see more of him. Don’t want to give anything away, but I thought the movie was wrapped up quite well. I’m glad there was some humor and it wasn’t the goofy cliched laughs found in previous films. We liked it so much that we’re planning another trip to see it IMAX.
LOL I never heard of the Bechdel test, but I do find it interesting.
Javier Bardem makes a frighteningly good villain. I haven’t seen this one yet but I look forward to it just for his performance. Glad to hear the whole movies is worth the price of the ticket.
I really liked it too. Javier Bardem was one of my favorite parts; the lack of TSTL behavior made him a better villain in my book. I found the way they handled the set-up for future Bond movies more heavy handed than I would have liked, but they definitely moved Bond along as a character. The only other thing that really stuck with me when I walked out of it is that it passed the Bechdel test* by the skin of its teeth, but that isn’t a quality marker.
*The Bechdel test is a feminism awareness marker. In order to to pass a movie must have at least two, named, female characters who in the course of the movie discuss something other than a man.