If the reviews of the 23rd James Bond movie Skyfall are even slightly true, then Friday, November 9th won’t get here soon enough for loyal fans of the decades-old franchise and those who have just been introduced to it in more recent years with the Daniel Craig incarnation of the world’s greatest spy.
Here are just a few critics’ reactions:
“Dramatically gripping … this beautifully made film will certainly be embraced as one of the best Bonds by loyal fans worldwide … Whereas Casino Royale tasted like a fine old vintage served in a snappy new bottle, Skyfall seems like a fresh blend altogether, one with some weight and complexity to it.” - Todd McCarthy, The Hollywood Reporter
“The main Bond girl here is Judi Dench – whose M is harried by bureaucrats and politicians who want her to retire, but has to stay in office to cope with her own nightmare legacy. Javier Bardem’s villain makes a grand entrance, walking from the back of the frame to the foreground while delivering a parable about rats in a barrel, then gets deeper under the hero’s skin than any official shrink, prodding him into reflections about his drink and pill dependency and sexual identity which would have made Sean Connery blench … serious in its thrills and relatively complex in its characters but with the sense of fun that hasn’t always been evident lately.” - Kim Newman, Empire Online
“Skyfall reps a smart, savvy and incredibly satisfying addition to the 007 oeuvre, one that places Judi Dench’s M at the center of the action. It’s taken 23 films and 50 years to get Bond’s backstory, but the wait was worth it … Without sacrificing action or overall energy, [Sam] Mendes puts the actors at the forefront, exploring their marvelously complex emotional states in ways the franchise has never before dared.” - Peter Debruge, Variety
“This is a new Bond, aging, vulnerable and off his game — something driven home by the excellent Adele-scored opening credits — and Craig gets some new notes to play for the character, and does as reliably and excellently as he did in the two previous entries. 007 now fits him like a glove.” - Oliver Lyttleton, The Playlist
In the four new clips released for the movie directed by Oscar® winner Sam Mendes (American Beauty), it’s increasingly evident that the action is top-notch with two sequences involving a moving train (slighly reminiscent of the thrilling Casino Royale opening sequence as Bond battled atop construction cranes), these shot by nine-time Oscar® nominated cinematographer Roger Deakins (seriously, Academy, give this man a trophy already!), who is also earning an enormous amount of praise for his work here.
“Thanks to the cinematographer, the film looks, frankly, astonishing … consistently throughout. It stands up with the finest work that Deakins has ever done, which pretty much means that it’s as gorgeous as film gets.” - Oliver Lyttleton, The Playlist
And back in the Bond fold is the classic line that was shockingly not included in Craig’s second outing as 007, Quantum of Solace, “Bond, James Bond.”
Skyfall also stars Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw as Q, Albert Finney and Bérénice Marlohe as Sévérine (featured in the final clip). The movie is rated PG-13 and runs a healthy 143 minutes.
