Skyfall

After “Quantum Of Solace” came out in 2008, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM for short) announced that a third installment of the rebooted James Bond series with Daniel Craig reprising his role as Bond was in the works. MGM went on a four gap of development due to Quantum Of Solace’s mixed reactions, “The Writers Strike 2007-2008” and having financial problems in 2010. Sony had to support MGM from bankruptcy as the latter studio was contracted to produce Peter Jackson’s “The Hobbit Trilogy.” Thankfully, Warner Bros. (WB for short) helped MGM’s Hobbit projects. MGM & Sony hired Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Road To Perdition, Jarhead) to direct “Skyfall.”

Everything went according to plan with a lot done. Skyfall was officially distributed worldwide. Lacking Writers Guild Strike, financially supporting MGM, recalibrating tropes from the Bond series among many things refurbished.

Skyfall was released in 2012. (same year The Dark Knight Rises came out) It received positive reviews from critics, fans and movie goers alike. In addition to good reception, it also made $1 billion dollars at the box office. A milestone for the James Bond franchise. Skyfall ultimately won an Oscar for “Best Original Song. (Adele)

Daniel Craig’s last movie as Bond titled, “No Time To Die” will be released on April 2020. Daniel hired Phoebe Waller-Bridge to write the script, because he’s a fan of “Fleabag” & “Killing Eve.” To prepare for No Time To Die, I’m looking back at all films linked to the rebooted James Bond series. By the way, “Knives Out” is currently in theaters.

Today’s review does not contain any crucial SPOILERS. If you haven’t seen Skyfall and its predecessors, feel free to read my non-spoiler article.

Positive & Negative Aspects

Positive: Daniel Craig did a fantastic job for his performance as James Bond.

Judi Dench reprises her role as M. She did a great job for her performance.

Newcomers to the series such as Naomie Harris, Ben Whishaw, Ralph Fiennes & Javier Bardem all did a amazing job for their respective performances.

Sam Mendes did a decent job directing the movie. He made sure to make the third installment unique like its predecessors.

Action Sequences were awesome. Each one didn’t rely on Computer Animation as in “Die Another Day.” You know the part when Bond surfs like he’s in a rejected PS2 game based on “Blue Crush?”

Practical Effects were heavily used to bring action set pieces to life. MGM learned their lesson not to use excessive C.G.I. Let’s pretend Die Another Day didn’t exist.

Cinematography never suffered from any technical difficulties.

Thomas Newman (The Shawshank Redemption, Finding Nemo, WALL-E) orchestrated music for the movie.

Bond’s backstory fleshes out his Character Development. For the first time, we finally know who Bond truly is, before he became a 00 Agent. It’s about time Bond becomes a three dimensional character. Unlike many Bond movies, this one is personal.

Skyfall is the 50th anniversary of the James Bond film series. Coincidentally, Bond shares the same birth year as Spider-Man & Tom Cruise. “The Amazing Spider-Man” & “Jack Reacher” both came out in 2012.

Somebody mentioned an “exploding pen.” A reference to “Goldeneye.”

A character said, “For Her Eyes Only.” A play on word of “For Your Eyes Only.”

Without giving anything away, the title of the movie has something to do with a specific character’s past.

According to Sam Mendes. “Batman Begins” and “The Dark Knight” serve as primary influences to Skyfall. I noticed some similarities between the three movies.

Javier Bardem’s character Raoul Silvia, has a unique motivation. He’s not a bad guy who seeks world domination, he hold a grudge against M. Another fresh take on a Bond villain. Sam Mendes took the antagonist seriously after Dominic Greene from Quantum Of Solace felt underwhelming.

Silvia is based on “WikiLeaks” founder Julian Assange as well as cinematic villains including Joker, Loki, & Hannibal Lecter. Javier channeled Heath Ledger, Tom Hiddleston & Anthony Hopkins’ iconic performances.

Silvia has an interesting back story. I can’t give you any juicy details. You’re gonna have to see for yourself.

A character used to live in a house next to mountains. Reminded me of Aelita’s backstory from “Code Lyoko.” I refuse to tell you about her past, watch the entire show first. When I was a kid, I used to have a crush on Aelita.

One character places booby-traps inspired by “Home Alone.”

Somebody mentioned a song from “The Lion King” as a one liner.

Pre-Opening Credits starts strong. It manages to subvert Bond’s traditional cold opening before the credits commence. MGM is subversion seriously. In a good way.

Bond’s new gun has function to analyze the user‘s handprint. Similar to Judge Dredd’s weapon “Lawgiver.”

My favorite line is “That’s a waste of good scotch.”

I can’t tell you how Skyfall ends, you’re gonna have to see for yourself. All I can say is, shocking. If you have a sensitive side, it’ll make you cry.

Adele contributed to the theme song. Always shivers my spine. There’s a reason why she won an Oscar for Best Original Song. It’s the first time the James Bond franchise won an Oscar.

If you’re wondering where the famous Gun Barrel Sequence is missing, it’s actually used before The End Credits commence. A tradition since Quantum Of Solace. I didn’t mind the change. Again, MGM is trying to make Bond unique.

Negative: I couldn’t find nothin’ wrong with Skyfall. I’m giving The Cast & Crew an Extra Point for making a flawless film as possible.

The Final Verdict: A, FOR APEX!

Like Casino Royale, Skyfall is a masterpiece. It is my second favorite James Bond film, Casino Royale is my all time favorite. Every single thing I’ve added on the positive section, indicates Skyfall is an instant classic among the spy genre. Daniel Craig managed to knock it out of the park alongside Sam Mendes, Judi Dench, Naomie Harris, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw & Javier Bardem. If you’re planning on seeing Daniel’s last hurrah in No Time To Die, I highly recommend all Bond movies tied to Casino Royale.