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Having watched every James Bond film on the big silver screen since The Spy Who Loved Me in 1977.

It was almost surreal to see Skyfall being made by an Oscar winning director, go on to win Oscars and become one of the top grossing films of all time. The billion dollar Bond.

To think back in 1989, Licence to Kill could not compete with the likes of Batman, Indiana Jones or Lethal Weapon 2 in the US box office.

Bond is presumed dead after a mission goes wrong in Istanbul as he tries to retrieve a hard drive containing a list of top agents. M is under pressure especially as it seems she is being targeted by an anonymous cyber terrorist who turns out to be a rogue agent Silva (Javier Bardem) who was once M's most effective spy.

Skyfall celebrated 50 years of the Bond films in the cinemas. It also takes liberties with the messy timeline of the film series. Daniel Craig's novice spy from Casino Royale is now a disillusioned veteran, at one point told to call it a day.

The film re-introduces some familiar characters after being away for a few films, a younger more hi-tech Q and a new Miss Moneypenny. There is also a new M hovering in the background. The film also references earlier Bond movies as part of its golden anniversary celebrations.

Although the film contains international locations, breathtaking action, some sumptuous cinematography from Roger Deakins, it flags a bit in the middle when it needed an additional action sequence.

What director Sam Mendes does bring is some character moments and making effective use of Judi Dench as she recites some Tennyson.

Unusually for a Bond film, this must be the only occasion where the villain actually achieved all of his objectives!

"He knows us. He's one of us. He comes from the same place as Bond, a place you say doesn't exist, the shadows." The world's greatest secret agent is back, but is the need for an agent outdated in today's modern world? After MI-6 is attacked and M (Dench) is brought under scrutiny by the government Bond (Craig) alone is left to find out who is behind the attack while M is trying to both help Bond and defend the need for an agency that has been compromised. I know that a review is really not needed here, being the 23rd Bond movie either you will watch it or not. I am a huge fan of the series and was really looking forward to this after hearing this is the best Bond movie yet. I have really loved the Craig movies but for some reason they never had the feel of a Bond movie to me, I wasn't sure what was missing but they didn't have the same feel. Knowing that they were re-booting the series I was lenient and with this one the re-boot is complete. This had much more of a feel of a classic Bond movie and by the end I was excited to see the next one. I got chills watching a few times and especially at the end. This had possibly the best opening and ending to a Bond movie ever. I could go on and on about this but I will just say if you love Bond you will love this, if you have never seen one then this one will make you a fan. Overall, From Russia With Love is my favorite Bond movie but this a very close second, and I think may be more re-watchable. I wanted to watch this one again as soon as the movie was over. I give this a very high A.

As a lifelong James Bond enthusiast who has been extremely disappointed with the franchise's latest efforts (with the exception of Casino Royale), I was extremely pleased with this film. It strayed away from the storyline of the previous two films and I couldn't have been happier after the mediocrity of Quantum of Solace. This film has all the constituents from the Bond films that have preceded it. Big explosions, ridiculous stunts that not a single person in the history of humanity can survive, and let's not forget to mention the beautiful women that would make both genders stop and stare. So what does Skyfall have that the other Bond films don't? For the first time, we get a glimpse into our mysterious hero's dark past. Where he came from and what made him the person he is today.

Although I've always been the one to say that Sean Connery is the greatest Bond ever, I can now confess that Daniel Craig now holds that honor. Sean plays the comedic, smooth, and witty Bond to perfection while Daniel plays the mysterious, dark, and lonesome secret agent flawlessly. I will always choose a darker portrayal over a comedic one because it takes a certain mindset to depict someone of that nature. One of my favorite scenes is where Bond is sitting in a bar drinking alone. I don't care who you are or what your background is, if you are drinking by yourself in a bar, then you have issues that are haunting you. Whether you can admit it or not, you are in a dark place and that is exactly where this Daniel Craig portrayed Bond is. And I love it.

Aside from Daniel Craig, you have a cast that includes some of the finest actors that have ever graced the big screen. Javier Bardem plays a blood thirsty ex-MI6 agent out for revenge. His performance is equally as creepy and twisted as his portrayal of Anton Chigurh in "No Country for Old Men" and it is an Oscar worthy performance in my opinion. Judi Dench reprises her role as M and Ralph Fiennes and Albert Finney give important and memorable roles which I won't go further into detail about. Also two prominent figures from James bond history find their way back into the story line. Sam Mendes shows why he was the right choice to direct a film of this magnitude and along with the contribution of Oscar Nominee John Logan, Neal Purvis and Robert Wade come up with a memorable narrative after the disappointment of their last collaborating effort, Quantum of Solace.

I look forward to what the future has in store for everyone's favorite spy. If Skyfall is a sign of things to come, then I will remain incredibly optimistic about the future.

I first saw this with my family in a theatre in 2012.

Revisited it recently on a dvd which I own.

This is my all time fav Bond film.

This is the twenty-third in the Bond series n the third to star Daniel Craig as James Bond.

This time Bond returns to service after MI6's servers are hacked and M receives a taunting computer message moments before the MI6 building explodes.

Inspite of failing a series of physical, medical, and psychological examinations, Bond returns to the field to pursue an assassin known as Patrice n to recover a stolen hard drive containing details of undercover agents which is in the hands of Patrice's employer, Raoul Silva, a cyberterrorist seeking revenge against those he holds responsible for betraying him.

I love the pre credit scene in this one, the motorcycle chase on the rooftops is awesome, the train chase sequence is adrenaline filled n the scene at The Varda Viaduct is amazeballs.

The climactic action is more old skool n filled with solid atmosphere.

The title track along with the picturization n Bond's fall from The Varda Viaduct is very gothic like.

The abandoned palatial house, the vast moors, the chapel, the secret passageway, the isolation n the sky almost touching the ground, is filled with top notch atmosphere.

This time Bond faces Raoul Silva n lots of his henchmen n a komodo dragon.

Bond also faces Patrice, a mercenary working for Silva.

This time Bond gets to cool off with Naomie Harris, Tonia Sotiropoulou n Berenice Marlohe.

In this movie, for the first n last time we get to see Moneypenny doing field work along with Bond and later how she opted for the iconic desktop work.

The best film in the era of Daniel Craig as James Bond. Supremely well acted. The best performances are by Craig, Dench and Bardem who are prize. Great action scenes, big issue that touches past Bond and M which little is known. Sam Mendes does a masterful job directing this installment of James Bond. Realmete with this film you can compare Danie Craig Sean Connolly.

It has been a long ride for the Bond series, since the creation of the character there have been 15 novels by Ian Fleming, plenty of spin-off novels, comics, cartoons and video games and the film series is now 50 years old. There have been an extraordinary 23 official films, but few as extraordinary as Skyfall.

After a mission goes wrong in Istanbul, MI6 loses a hard drive containing a list of all NATO agents within terrorist cells, and James Bond (Daniel Craig) is presumed Killed in Action. M's (Judi Dench) competence is questioned and the Chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee, Gareth Mallory (Ralph Fiennes) plans to replace her. Making matters worse, a cyber-terrorist targets MI6 and M personally, getting a hold of the list and causing an explosion within MI6's headquarters. An older, more damaged Bond then returns to duty to serve Queen and Country, having to prove he is in shape before going on the search to find the terrorist.

Skyfall is a long-awaited film thanks to MGM's financial woes, but it delivers. Skyfall takes a darker approach as we've seen with the past couple films and it's very character driven, yet Sam Mendes and the screenwriters still provide a massive injection of fun. Like most Bond films, Skyfall starts with an incredible chase sequence in Istanbul and continues strongly from then on, including a very stylish silhouette fight in Shanghai. The action scenes sequences were pristinely shot and practical effects were at the forefront.

A challenge for the Bond series has always been real-world relevance. The series has faced down all challenges, from the end of the Cold War to the War on Terror. Skyfall tackles the changing nature of espionage. MI6 is no longer the shadowy organisation that the British government denied existed; it has to face the realities of the 24-hour media age we live in and the democratic accountability that incurs.

The nature of the threats have changed, Bond faces a cyber-terrorist and along with the new Q, both could cause more damage than Bond can. In the real world, we have seen what Anonymous is capable of and seen how the Stuxnet worm affected the Iranian nuclear program. But there is always a need for people in the field to investigate. As M says, she is scared of this new world because many of the West's enemies are now faceless and nationless, and this element can work in the series' favour. Versatility has always been a Bond hallmark, which is why it is so enduring.

Skyfall also goes full circle for Bond, as the filmmakers reintroduce popular characters, gadgets and humour. In Casino Royale, Bond is a young man who is bold, arrogant and reckless but can get the job done; in Skyfall, Craig is playing an older Bond who is both physically and emotionally vulnerable.

The idea of an older Bond was briefly touched on in the unofficial film Never Say Never Again, but that was more to accommodate a 52-year-old Sean Connery being in the role. In Skyfall there is actual thematic reasons behind it. Craig gives another excellent performance, cementing his reputation as both a great actor and a great Bond, and the script treats him more as a character than an archetype. Along with M's character arch, the film tackles a theme of facing the past so it can be cleansed.

The casting of Javier Bardem was a coup for the series and we as Bond fans are rewarded with a great villain. Bardem makes out Raoul Silva to be a man with seemingly camp mannerisms, but the master planner has a very sinister delivery. He has a complex, tragic background but he is not like other Bond villains looking for control, world domination, money or even self-preservation: he simply wants revenge.

Skyfall is a great milestone to celebrate Bond's 50th birthday on film, and the Easter eggs for fans aren't overbearing, but rather nice touches. The last anniversary Bond film, Die Another Day, was a disaster and regarded as one of the worst Bond films. It felt like it had to keep referencing the previous films. Skyfall features a few major references to previous Bond films: Bond getting injured (The World is Not Enough), Bond faking his death (You Only Live Twice), the gun that can only work with Bond's palm print (Licence to Kill) and a similar villain to the one in Goldeneye. But these are references you would want to find, not being forced upon you.

Skyfall felt very much like end of one chapter and the start of a new one. Mendes and the writers were able to reintroduce many tropes of the Bond series and still give them a modern and believable twist. For a film that has a 143-minute running time (the second longest Bond film), Skyfall never felt like it dragged and it was an exciting, entertaining film.

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The 23rd Bond film from Eon Productions starts well with an expected action-packed pre title sequence. And the title song by Adele is one of the best in the franchise, up there with Diamonds are Forever and Live and Let Die. There are many fantastic scenes and Daniel Craig is once more a commanding presence. Sadly, plot conveniences in the script, over-stylised cinematography and attempted alignment with predetermined character arcs become overpowering. On more than one occasion, Bond has the opportunity to act but instead he waits until it's too late. These are plot conveniences so that additional scenes can take place. They destroy audience trust in the protagonist. And it's not just Bond but the new Q who makes decisions that undermine character believability. In fact the whole set-up for the finale is a series of plot conveniences. M, played by Judi Dench, is once more made to fiddle with contraptions like a field agent. The actress herself admitting this is not believable. Javier Bardem (villain) and Berenice Marlohe (Bond girl) were brilliant in their roles but under-utilised as a result of the script. This film, it seems, is not so much about telling a story well but setting up for a new direction for the films. What was rebooted so well with Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace takes a heavy Skyfall. A decent action film but it can't be taken seriously.

Congrats to the production team, especially the writers and the director Sam Mendes, for creating one of the very best Bond movies. If there's any fairness at all in the movie industry, 'Skyfall' will get its fair share of Oscar nominations.

THE GOOD:

• The precredit sequence: They spent almost three months filming this 10 minute sequence. When you see it, you will understand why.

• The lead actors, especially Craig, Bardem and Dench really shine, given a script which has some very interesting plot twists. Especially in the third act, which takes place on British soil entirely.

• Cinematographer Roger Deakins, has made 'Skyfall' the most visually stunning movie of the year. Not since Lewis Gilbert directed Bond movies has a Bond-movie looked this good. Excellent use of colors, light and locations in 'Skyfall'. And no shaky-cam (!) which destroyed the last Bond-movie, 'Quantum of Solace'.

THE "COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER":

• The huge action setpiece from the beginning of the movie never gets topped during the rest of the movie. Some Bond-fans will probably be disappointed by this, since action set pieces are a key ingredient in the Bond franchise.

• The soundtrack by newcomer Thomas Newman: A bit underwhelming when compared to John Barry, and later David Arnold, who scored the last six Bond-movies.

• The return of the exact same Aston Martin DB5 presented to Bond by 'Q' in 'Goldfinger': I think this messes with the whole "reboot"-idea.

This is one of the best Bond movies I have ever seen. The story is superbly put together and has some interesting twists, the action is well done and contains none of the shaky cam which plagued the last film. The actors all do a great job. Some might still be put off by Daniel Craig's rough version of Bond, but I like it and he even has a few good old fashioned one-liners here. I wasn't sure about Javier Bardem as the villain at first. I thought he was a tad too flamboyant but eventually he grew on me, plus he had a very interesting backstory and as you might have guessed already, Judi Dench is fantastic as usual as M and she even has more to do in the story this time arround. This is not a completely formulaic Bond movie. Craig's bond is still more emotional than Connery or Moore ever were and for the first time we get some relatively detailed descriptions of his childhood. And something happens to Bond in the start of the movie that affects him for the rest of the film. But despite all that there are tons of James Bond trademarks like the martini, the introduction and even Q. Some might not like this new very young version of Q but I found him to be funny and very likable. They will never top Desmond Llewelyn's original performance, and instead of making a cheap Llewelyn clone, they make a completely different character which I think is the only right thing to do. This is not only a great Bond movie but just a downright great film.

Bond 23 and 007 has to literally come back from the dead when a stolen hard-drive makes M (Dench) look bad at a time when a face from her past comes homing into blood thirsty view.

There is one sure fire fact in cinema that nobody can dispute, that of there never ever being a James Bond film that all Bondphiles will agree on. From each corner of the spectrum will come arguments that said Bond film is not gritty enough, not fun enough, not enough sex, not enough action, not enough fantastical stunts and etc etc etc. Well that's fine of course, we all have our peccadilloes we prefer in our Bond movies, but we do live in different times now, the world has changed, and so has Bond. You may not get the ultimate Bond you want, but this is a 21st Century Bond and a new era of 007 is upon us, something which makes Skyfall even the more bolder and braver because it marks the 50th anniversary by blending the old with the new and mostly achieving brilliant results.

Skyfall allows us to bathe in nostalgia whilst also forcing us to re- evaluate just where we are at in terms of our beloved super secret agent. One of the great things about this Bond is that there is a bubbling under current of time's importance delicately perched on each side of James Bond's shoulders. Is he (and M etc) outdated? Or is the future still in need of such operatives/organisations? Director Mendes and his team don't take any of the easy options that were clearly available to them to answer the question, they instead build a film around Bond and M as characters, embrace the traditions of the series and hit us hard in head and heart.

The plot of Skyfall as written is simple, absolutely nailed on it is straight and true to Hollywood conventions, but what fills out the simple plot is a series of Bondian delights, thrills spills and emotionally splintered kills. The stunning pre-credits sequence sees Bond traverse the rooftops of Istanbul on a motorcycle and then fight on top of a speeding train. Only to then find himself expendable. Which leads to Daniel Kleinman's title credits sequence that is filled with ominous portents of death and blood, in turn backed by the wonderfully Bondian of old title song warbled by Adele. It's clear at this point that this Bond movie is nodding to traditional values whilst promising to deliver some emotional pain. And so it proves.

A washed up Bond enters the fray, and he convinces, he's dishevelled, unshaven and unfit, but he's still a tough bastard who can drink hard and stare a scorpion down. He'll be back soon, we know this, and he will be in wonderful physical shape, and loyal to his surrogate mother for sure. Ah, but there's the adversary on the scene now, a villain to finally give Craig's Bond something to fret about. It's Javier Bardem's (perfect) Silva, a cyber terrorist with a shock of blonde hair, a nasty dental trick and a devilish sexiness that unnerves during an interrogation scene; to which Bond cheekily opens up some wink wink possibilities. There is other sexual tension in the film as well, not just a steamy shower scene, but the ongoing banter with Naomie Harris' (excellent) Eve that positively fizzes with smirking innuendo.

But ultimately this comes down to the love between a man and a woman, the kind that is so different to the type that has so often underpinned a Bond movie. Bond will kill or be killed for M, and how marvellous to see a director really able to give Judi Dench the direction she so deserves, and Bond, in Craig's magnetic and gritty hands, responds in kind to deliver a last half hour as good as any in the 50 years of Bond on film. As we know, all turf is Bond's turf, but this time it really is HIS turf, and as a little back story comes seeping out, Bond gets to exorcise some demons whilst kicking considerable ass. Get ready Bondphiles, this has the emotional wallop only seen in the best Bond movies of old.

All the Bondian trappings are still here, exotic locales, gorgeous women, speeding vehicles, fights, stupendous stunts, bizarre lairs and balls out machismo. It's also funny! I myself commented when reviewing Quantum of Solace that it was pretty ace as an action film, but for many it's not Bondian enough, and the truth of the matter is Bond still needs to have a degree of fun, no matter how grim and gritty the story line is. Thankfully Skyfall is often a blast, with Craig (surely convincing even the most stubborn of dissenters how good a Bond he is) having the confidence and skill to lace his Bond's macho broody instinct with a desert dry wit and shrug of the shoulders nonchalance. Other side of the camera the tech credits are high, with Deakins proving to be one of the aces in the pack. His capturing of vistas, be it a neon city scape or a mountainous valley, are eye delights, his colour tones are beautiful, I promise you, nobody these days does golden browns like Deakins.

It's not the masterpiece that I or gazillions of others hoped for, and it does have flaws (new Q a bit too geeky safe, finale lacks a substantial battle with the villain) and it remains simple in plot, but it's Bond's birthday and the birthday boy has been done proud by the makers. It's a new era Bond for sure, but that most definitely isn't a bad thing, it knows its past and it now knows its future, and without doubt we all still know the name. 9/10