James Bond 007 – Skyfall

The most jam-packed, action-packed, and actually the most groundbreaking "Craig" Bond in terms of content (perhaps more so in terms of message). Daniel Craig has bonded with Bond, and mows down the bad guys in Skyfall with his typical nonchalance in brilliant action scenes which Mendes conducts heavily. A heap of aesthetically beautifully composed shots, fundamental honoring of Bond traditions, and also a distinctive directorial signature that has once again elevated Sam Mendes to the absolute top of the directorial heap. In my very humble opinion, it's pointless to address the fact that "the magic of the old Bond films is irretrievably gone and 007 is not nearly what he used to be" (I put that in quotation marks deliberately, since I find some of the "reviews" and informed opinions about the irretrievability of the old school Connery days quite irritating). It's a different time (I wanted to write digital), we've moved on a couple of decades, and if this established brand is to maintain any level of commercial success beyond whatever its guaranteed in advance, it needs to comment on current affairs from time to time in the most up-to-date way. And if personal relationships start to enter into it more deeply, it's definitely only to the benefit of the matter. Now just push Nolan to direct, Zimmer to score, Elswit to direct... And here's to the next from "Blond Bond". :) (11.11.2012)

I can't help but get tired of these adult fairy tales where good, embodied by the intrepid Agent 007, always triumphs over evil. Actually, it's a mystery to me why it keeps going round in circles, especially considering that the script for this Bond flick is nothing exceptional. While I'm quite fond of Daniel Craig, even he didn't convince me enough to sing Skyfall's praises. Paradoxically, I enjoyed much more the performance of the main villain portrayed by Javier Bardem, who unfortunately didn't get much room to shine in the slightly overstretched runtime. Visually, I liked the final action scenes in the Scottish Highlands the most, it was a feast for the eyes. (65%) (17.06.2021)