Chris Reviews Skyfall

If you are a follower of this blog you should know by now that Skyfall was one of my most anticipated films of the year. I had tremendously high expectations of this film (like Prometheus) and had to view it twice before I could even begin to write a review. Did Skyfall live up to my ridiculous expectations? Read below to find out.....

The Good-

There are so many great things about Skyfall I don't even know where to start! Probably the most impressive aspect of it is the cinematography. When I heard that Roger Deakins was brought on to do the camera work, I was very excited and with Skyfall he has crafted one of the most visually interesting films in the history of the Bond film series. Not only is this a great looking film but it is well written and well acted as well. Javier Bardem will go down in Bond film history as one of the more intriguing villains in the series. From his homosexual innuendos with Bond to his final scene in the film he is a truly intimidating but fun villain. He brings back the spirit of the classic Bond villains who were both comical and serious. That can be said about Bond in this film as well, Craig has finally found the right balance of seriousness and humor to become one of the better Bonds in the series. This is not a typical Bond story either, it has implications that will forever affect the series. Skyfall tells a much more personal story that deals both with Bond and  M's past and by the end of this film Daniel Craig has become the Bond we have been waiting for.

The Bad- 

The first time I viewed this film I had a lot more problems with it, but after a second viewing many of my questions were answered. That being said there are still a few problems I have with this film. I think the thing I was most disappointed in was the score. Long gone are the days of great bombastic soundtracks from John Barry and David Arnold. The lack of a great score took away some of the impact of the action scenes that otherwise were fairly impressive. I think the biggest problem I inittialy had with this movie is the tone. It has a very restrained and subdued tone that initially bothered me but on second viewing I liked a lot better. 

Summary-

Skyfall finally wraps up the Bond becoming Bond storyline and catapults him into the next phase of the series. It is a beautiful, well acted and well written film that ranks among the best films in the series. Not only is it a good Bond film though, it is a good film overall and should appeal to Bond fans and non Bond fans alike.

MY RATING-

4 out of 5

Chris "Da Franchise" Hart