Financial troubles at MGM meant that there was a four year gap between Bond films. In that time they’ve shaken things up a little, brining Sam Mendes in as director, Thomas Newman as composer, and Roger Deakins as cinematographer. With those credentials, this is a film that shows promise from the get-go.

Bond gets shot in the field by a colleague who accidentally misses her mark; he gets out alive but is presumed dead and uses this to go into retirement. In the mean time a terrorist hacks into the MI6 building and manages to trigger a gas explosion, setting off a blast right in M’s office. Bond learns of this news and feels compelled to go back into the field in order to catch the villain.

Skyfall marks the 50th anniversary of the Bond franchise, and it’s a sentimental film in a lot of ways. We are constantly reminded that ‘sometimes the old ways are the best’. There’s an attempt to meld the ‘old’ and ‘new’ Bonds, the result is steeped in nostalgia. Admittedly some elements are quite heavy handed (at one point Bond uses the DB5 from Goldfinger…) but for the most part Mendes manages to lend an air of the old films to the Daniel Craig era - something which wasn’t even considered when Brosnan was in the role.

This reconciliation of the past with the present is a central theme in the plot. Javier Bardem plays the villain, Raoul Silva, an ex-MI6 agent scorned by what he saw as a betrayal by M, many years ago. It’s an old style revenge story brought together with a modern, technology based attack. Bond goes back to his childhood home, Skyfall, in order to lead Silva onto familiar ground; a literal trip back in time.

Actually the final third has to be mentioned since it’s easily the weakest part of the film. Some have joked that it’s James Bond meets Home Alone and although harsh it’s not far from the truth. Bond drives up to Skyfall with M and together with the gamekeeper they booby trap the house, awaiting Silva’s arrival. It’s a well executed scene but the whole premise and driving force behind it don’t really make any sense, and it’s a sloppy way to end an otherwise solid story.

There are issues all the way through with the plot, but it’s all details and nitpicking. It doesn’t make sense, for example, that they would connect the prison door system to their computer main frame. The whole thing rests on this in a way, but it’s forgiveable and easily written off as a necessary evil to keep the plot moving. However, when it all goes down at Skyfall, ALL of these issues are brought back to the forefront.

As to the performances, Casino Royale was a great turn for Daniel Craig but Skyfall is the film where he seems truly relaxed in the role. He effortlessly conveys quiet intelligence mixed with raw anger and of course brute strength. Surely he’s put any doubts about the casting choice to bed.

Mendes also exploits Judi Dench to her full potential. She’s one of the great actresses of our times but never seems to get to be involved as much as she should. Here she’s almost a co-lead and plays a pivotal role in Skyfall’s success.

In other supporting roles, Ralph Fiennes gets to play with a well constructed cliché-turned-on-its-head role, Ben Wishaw gives a fresh take on Q & Naomi Harris is a little awkward in her new Moneypenny role but she’s probably a good choice. The real wasted talent is Berenice Marlohe, the ‘Bond girl’ of the film. She’s so interesting and exotic and is absolutely captivating on camera. She’s disposed of in what feels like 5 minutes. Completely absent and sorely missed is Jeffrey Wright’s Felix Leiter, a classic character he played so well in the last two films.

The Craig films have all so far comprised of solid action sequences and Skyfall is no exception. There’s another technical aspect of note though, the cinematography. Roger Deakins is one of the best in the business and his work here got him an Oscar nomination. It’s a well deserved nod, too; the sequence in the tower block is thrilling and innovative. The scenes in the casino are pure eye candy and set the mood in a way nothing else could.

This is a huge step up from Quantum of Solace and Mendes’ confidence means we aren’t bombarded with constant action sequences. Skyfall is a film made with love and care, and really gets the franchise up and running again. It’s a shame that the final showdown leaves such a bitter taste in our mouths.

http://benoliver999.com/film/2015/09/27/skyfall/

Another entertaining Bond series entry that gets up close and personal with M and 007 himself. The opening sequence with Bond in hot pursuit of a thief with an important hard drive is great. The rooftop chase on motorcycles followed by a fight on top of a moving train, it's almost action movie overload. When Bond fires up the crane, it's a supremely cool start.

There's a whole lot of Judi Dench in this movie and the relationship with Bond reaches a new level. Bad guy Silva is played by Javier Bardem. He's sufficiently evil and his motive is based on revenge. The computer hacking accomplished by Silva is ridiculous. Technology is so abused (or dumbed down) in movies, it's most often distracting. A rooftop motorcycle chase is far easier to believe than some of the network packet busting on display by a new Q (with Bond's help, no less). And some how Bond manages to find a clue buried within a hexadecimal block of characters. Problem is, some of those characters are not hexadecimal. Silly and stupid. It took me out of the movie almost permanently. And I'll leave the asinine graphic displays, IP address troubleshooting stupidity and unfathomable user interfaces alone.

"Skyfall" fails as soon as Bond takes M to his boyhood home. Getting this personal with Bond was a mistake. It's like two different movies. The first half is excellent and the last half is pretty dumb.

Daniel Craig continues to be a top notch Bond, though, and is my favorite after the great Connery. I'm pleading with the creators to stop softening him up.

Ok, first things first. "Skyfall" and "crumble" do not rhyme. Sorry Adele, but they don't! Luckily, the rest of this story is almost as good as "Casino Royale" (2006). Daniel Craig reprises his role as "007", this time charged with thwarting a dastardly plan by the enigmatic "Silva" to avenge himself on none other than "M" (Dame Judi Dench) herself. He has managed to successfully infiltrate just about every system MI6 has and obtain a list of agents the world over. When he starts publishing these names, and the body count starts to rise, it falls to "Bond" to engage with his clever and malevolent foe. Bardem is effective as the baddie here. He has a certain, almost menacing, effeteness as he quite literally toys with his quarry. Loads of gadgets, explosions, a welcome appearance from the original Aston Martin and an action-packed pace keep this moving along well. The ending is a bit far-fetched, even by "James Bond" standards, and that even though it did give us chance to enjoy a suitably eclectic contribution from Albert Finney, was all just bit daft. The supporting efforts don't bode so well, either. Ralph Fiennes seems set for a larger role in future films and he doesn't really add much and though she does well enough, the role offered to Naomie Harris' "Eve" is just too insubstantial for her to assert herself on much of the story. That said, though, it's very much at the top end of the Craig outings for this character and it does look good on big screen,

FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://www.msbreviews.com/movie-reviews/skyfall-spoiler-free-review

"Skyfall is not only the entry that this James Bond saga needed, but it's my favorite movie of the Daniel Craig Era. From the exceptionally intriguing narrative filled with shocking developments to Javier Bardem's terrifying portrayal of a fascinating antagonist, Sam Mendes offers his remarkable directing skills to create a film worthy of much praise.

The GOAT of cinematography, Roger Deakins, makes every inch of the screen drip cinematic beauty with eyegasmic wide shots and mind-blowing lighting, making this the best-looking Bond flick ever. Technically, it's challenging to find elements less than simply perfect.

Phenomenal acting all-around elevates an extraordinarily impactful character work, culminating in an emotionally powerful third act. A slightly overextended runtime doesn't stop me from considering this a flawless Bond movie.

I can't endorse it more than this."

Rating: A

_**Can you go home again?**_

After 007 (Daniel Craig) is thought dead-in-action in Turkey, the computer of ‘M’ (Judi Dench) is hacked and there’s an attack on the MI6 headquarters in London. M & Bond suspect it’s an inside job, which leads James to Shanghai, Macao and a mysterious island off the coast of China, then back to London. Bond has to find sanctuary for M, but you know what they say about going home again? Javier Bardem plays a heavy and Ralph Fiennes an MI6 official.

“Skyfall” (2012) thankfully includes the character depth of “Casino Royale” (2006) and fixes the confusing 4 clips-per-second action of “Quantum of Solace” (2008). Don’t get me wrong, “Quantum” can be appreciated as the action-oriented second half of “Casino Royale,” but it’s easily one of the lesser installments in the franchise. “Skyfall,” by contrast, stands with the best.

The movie saves the best for last, but I don’t want to give anything away. Let’s just say it’s a refreshing change for the series, the locations are fabulous and a classic actor unexpectedly shows up.

Besides Dench on the feminine front, there’s Bérénice Marlohe as Severine in China and Naomie Harris as MI6 agent Eve. Tonia Sotiropoulou also has a brief scene in Turkey.

The film runs 2 hours, 23 minutes, and was shot in Turkey, England, China and Scotland.

GRADE: A-