Bond is back. (and so am I!) Apologies for my long absence and sparse posting, I've been so busy with university applications and the likes. Now back to the good stuff. I haven't actually been that excited about the upcoming Bond film which is probably because there wasn't as much hype prior to its release as I had expected and I wasn't particularly fond of Adele's 'Skyfall'. However, when trailers and adverts started popping up everywhere I still to feel a bit more buzzed which turned into ferocious anticipation during my recent trip to Paris the week before its release. This was mainly because I happened to be visitng the Champs Elysees on the day of the Paris premiere and saw them setting up the red carpet and the reporters getting into place. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to stick around and wait for the stars to show up, but it was cool nonetheless.
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| Bond is dead?! |
The last Bond film was actually a whole four years ago and you can definitely see Daniel Craig's age. It's hard to describe a Bond film without giving anything away, but basically Bond is trying to recover a stolen computer hard drive containing details of agents placed undercover in terrorist organisations by NATO states. 'M' has a real presence in this film and her character is integral to the story line which is interesting as she usually works on the sidelines.
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| So cool. |
I was sitting next to a guy I know who sighed at frequent intervals throughout the film and though I never found out how he felt about the film, I'm assuming he wasn't that impressed. Then again, he sighs a lot of the time so who knows. For the most part I have heard raving reviews for Skyfall and I would have to agree with those people because it is a truly excellent film. It would make a lot of sense of this was Daniel Craig's last Bond film, though it's hard to say because there are a lot of rumours flying around at the moment.
I've found that all three of Daniel Craig's films have been a lot more emotional than Bond films were in the past. I feel that the pre-Craig Bond films were very focussed on a central mission that Bond had to carry out and there wasn't that much more to them; however, all of Craig's films have a deeper emotional intensity to them. I can't really say much more about this without revealing the plot, but trust me, it's a good story.
( I saw the Bond car when I went to a party at the Royal Automobile Club and it's AWESOME!)
Javier Bardem is an aboslutely fantastic Bond villain. Many parts of the film were laugh-out-loud funny and the combination of Bardem and Craig was brilliant. Craig brought his usual sexy and sarcastic humour whilst Bardem brought a sort of crazy-evil-guy-who's-totally-fucked-up-in-the-head humour. Bardem is just so intense and creepy and every time he was on screen I wasn't sure whether I wanted to laugh or cry. The blond hair makes him look particularly creepy though I can't really pinpoint why. He was definitely the right villain for this film and again, I can't really say why without revealing the plot so you'll have to see for yourselves!
Judy Dench is absolutely phenomenal in this film. She's always been quite clear cut and on the point, but in this movie we see a different side to 'M' and that's what makes this movie special. 'M' really becomes a part of the plot in this film and gets stuck into some of the action which is something she's never done before and it's brilliant. Daniel Craig's acting was superb - as usual. Back when he was first announced as the new James Bond, I absolutely hated him and I was outraged that James Bond would be portrayed by someone so blond and so muscular and so not Pierce Brosnon, but now he's one of my favourite Bonds. He looked kinda haggard in this movie, and I suppose Daniel Craig is getting on in years. We saw several sides to Bond in this movie, including a slightly more compassionate and vulnerable side which was most intriguing. I imagine that it was intentional as it does sort of fit in with the story, but it also makes me think that this was Daniel Craig's last stab at Bond, but who knows, we'll have to wait and see. Ralph Fiennes also makes an appearance in this film and anything to do with Ralph Fiennes is pretty damn good.
Now onto the Bond girl. I absolutely love that the Bond girl was French, in fact there has been a French Bond girl in all of Craig's movie. I was a little disappointed at the lack of, shall we say, 'interaction', between Bond and Severine, but what can you do. She was really good at portraying intense emotions and amazingly gave the impression of being extremely calm, cool and collected as well as fear-ridden and frightened. Berenice Marlohe isn't a particularly well known actress and doesn't have a lot of films under her belt, but she's showcased her talents to the world in Skyfall and we'll no doubt be seeing her again.
As I mentioned above, I wasn't that impressed with the theme tune sung by Adele. The more I listen to it the more I like, however, I don't think I'll ever like all the parts of the song. In some ways it is perfect for this new film, and in others I don't think it meshes with 'Bond' all that well. I absolutely love the opening of Casino Royale, it's a lot punchier and grittier and I suppose I shouldn't compare the two because the films themselves are very different, but I just didn't think this song was as good as it could have been, especially since it was sung by Adele who has an incredible voice.
It's frustrating that I can't really give a very detailed review without revealing spoilers, but this film is filled with action and emotion and there are some extraordinary shots and action sequences which are truly mind-blowing-ly awesome. Everything is bigger, better, and sexier. This is undoubtedly one of the best Bond films ever created, I'd possibly even stretch that to the best Bond film.
Great review!
ReplyDeleteGreat review! But I still feel a bit "meh" about the film itself. In fact I was bored during most of the first half! I wasn't much surprised by almost anything (except Judi Dench's final scenes and Moneypenny). Once they introduced Fiennes I knew where they were going with that. The best part is definitely everything involving M, Dench is amazing as always! :o)
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