International locations: Check.
Daniel Craig shirtless: Check.
Nice looking cars: Check.
Nice looking ladies: Check.
Motorcycle chase: Check.
Bulldozer crushing cars atop a speeding train: Check.
Originality and inspiration: Still looking.

If I had to describe this movie in just two words I would use these: "intensity" and "style". Of course, this movie has it 's number of blunders. But what to expect of one of "007" series? I am not a big fan of action movies in general and "007" in particular. Maybe that is why I like "Skyfall". It is not as empty as the majority of action movies. And that is why you will see it's reviews from "0" all the way to "10". In my opinion, "style" applies to all cinematography here and directing altogether. And, of course, one of my favorite actors, Bardem, knows how to be a villain. As to "intensity", no matter how comfortable your chair is going to be, you will sit on the edge of it. Knowing who will win, knowing how it will end. Last time I had that feeling was a while ago… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The spoilers are not strictly spoilers (i.e., no plot or story give-aways). But if you like figuring out things about a movie on your own, there are a few things in here you may not wish to read.

That said -

This is a really good movie. It's about getting older, so I can see how if you are young it wouldn't be too appealing. But in my opinion it does so many things right: Great visuals, poetic/literary tie-ins (The Second Coming, Ozymandias), many hat's off or homage to earlier Bond films, etc. It's just plain fun. However, it's probably more fun if you are a bit older (I'm fifty, the age of the Bond franchise).… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Skyfall starts off with a great set piece and carries on a very "Bond" feel right up until the third act. Then everything falls apart. The third act is basically a western and reinforces every negative thing said about Bond during the movie. Daniel Craig as Bond is as good as ever but...

**SPOILER ALERT***

... he loses. This is the first Bond movie where the villain succeeds at everything he set out to do. Bond loses and there are no repercussions, the end. That third act and ending alone make this the worst Bond movie i've ever seen (Moonraker was considered to be good at the time).… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Why didn't the badguy just kill Q at home or when he exploded her headquarters? Why didn't Bond ask for a doctor to remove the fragments rather than using a knife and his left hand? Why didn't the bad guy just kill bond, what did he want him for? Why didn't they just hide in the tunnel as the bad guy didn't know it existed? Why did the priest hole lead to no where? Why did Bond walk over the ice when everyone else went around? Where did the ice henchman appear from? Why did Q plug the bad guy's PC into the network rather than an isolated PC? Why did they lock the badguy in a glass room which is locked electronically rather than just use a padlock? When did Bond set off the radio beacon on the island and why didn't the electronics mastermind badguy not have him checked? When did the badguy put the explosives on the roof of the chamber letting the train through, wouldn't he have used his time better, running away? Why didn't they just withdraw all the at risk agents? Why didn't bond shoot him at any point, he'd be tortured for months by the Chinese why would he talk to them? Why was there more screen time dedicated to Judi Dench than for Daniel Craig? Why did bond's face change from Brosnan to Craig yet M's is still Dench? Why would you cut up a perfectly good opening action scene to an old woman moaning in an office ever 30 seconds? Can I get a refund?… Expand

Watching the film you notice that skyfall was inspired by the dark knight looking at javier bardem as the villain as example, with his personality, capture and rescue. It is a good dark bond losing its puff towards the end.

Sam Mendez's Bond is a reinvention of an old dog. Just when the series was getting tired he makes it something new and more daring; similar to What Christopher Nolan did to Batman. The film is nostalgic, funny, exciting and dramatic what more could I have asked for then a fun time at the movies.

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The worst of the Daniel Craig James Bond films. The treadbare plot seems designed so specifically to kill off Judi Dench's character that I wonder if she wanted out. It could have been interesting, but it wasn't. Javier Bardem's flamboyant gay super-genius-criminal-mastermind was decidedly unrealistic in every way. The parts in all the trailers where James Bond gets shot? He comes back 5 minutes later after apparently living in some Caribbean paradise for three weeks and has lost all his skills. But don't worry, it doesn't make any difference at all. He still kills all the baddies (despite not being able to shoot accurately) and manages to hold on to an elevator that ascends a high-rise building (despite failing all his physical exams). In fact, ALL the best bits from the trailers have zero relevance to the film. The word association clip? Zero relevance. Bond's "death"? Zero relevance. "Skyfall"? Zero relevance. This sort of shoddy writing makes you wonder how easy it is to get a job in Hollywood, because clearly no skill is required. The production is obviously very expensive, and the pace slow. This wouldn't be a bad thing if it wasn't a crap film. Alas. But it doesn't end there. The name of the film: Skyfall? Sounds interesting, huh? It has absolutely nothing to do with the plot of the film (the final location is a property named "Skyfall" that apparently Bond's parents owned) which is functionally pointless other than being a cool film name. Traditionally, James Bond films have had outlandish plots: that's part of the franchise. Moonraker had a evil genius stealing satellites; Casino Royale pinned the fate of the free world on a game of Texan Hold 'em poker; GoldenEye had a space laser. Skyfall has an insipid title track by Adele, a lame villain, and a lifeless, dull plot. This was supposed to be the 50th anniversary. What an insult.… Expand

For Bond fans, this is a solid movie. If you love the more serious Bond movies, this one should appeal greatly. If you looking for something along the lines of the Roger Moore era films, you will be disappointed. The reviews were people gave this a zero are being absurd. Skyfall is one of the best of the Bond movies in many ways. It does have issues, but all Bond films have issues. If you are looking for mindless action every five seconds, this is not for you. If you expect to see crazy gadgets, you will be disappointed. This is one of the more serious Bond movies and is a classic.… Expand

This isn't the worst James Bond movie, but it certainly is NOT the best. As someone who's seen almost all of the Bond movies, I can tell you this movie does not live up to the name. James Bond is a secret agent SECRET as in unknown yet everyone knows who he is. MI6 is the last to know about every detail rather than the first, which is pretty bad for an intelligence agency. And the plot of Skyfall is about petty revenge. Rather than being a character who is used to saving the world, James Bond ends up playing a body guard. Yes plots and characters can change from film to film, but they threw out the entire recipe. The film may not have been a bad movie, but it was not a James Bond film.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. "The latest bond flick is just exhilarating. from over the top car chasing to awesome bare fighting,"Skyfall" has it all. all of it was credited to director Sam Mendez,whose vision is bold enough to take the bond movie beyond its formula.his dramatic approach toward Bond relationship with "M" showed the other story of how he struggled to keep the MI6 intact.despite a rather dramatic approach,Mendez also haven't forgotten the legacy of the series which make "Skyfall" one of the best bond film ever"… Expand

Skyfall is a great new take on the James Bond franchise. It really explores the years of toll a life being James Bond would have on a person. It even explores Bond's origins and family life. A great undertaking for a franchise that is usually about giving you cheesy one-liners and large explosions for entertainment. We would get a lot more balance of storyline if every James Bond movie was written this well. Probably one of my favorite Bond movies now.… Expand

skyfall is such an awesome movie, that i literally had a heart attack (sort of). i hated the previous bond movies, because i thought that daniel craig sucked as james bond, because james bond is not really a character in the traditional sense. he's more of a tour through a magic land full of guns, one-liners, secret spies and lovely ladies. casino royale and quantum of solace tried to give him a back story, but ended up making him a gritty hardass that's no fun to watch at all. and that made me think that i could never love this new james bond. but after having seen this movie, i know that they weren't bad because they tried to give bond a back story, but because they made a poor attemt to give bond a back story. this james bond brings the same fun i remember from the classics, and the back story didn't impede that at all! in fact, it elevates the previous movies to a certain extend. skyfall is a great action movie, but it's especially good to finally have james bond back.… Expand

Skyfall is not a typical James Bond film. It's much more of a generic action film with some brief references to its context. The story is too simple, the pacing is wrongand the action sequences are nowhere near James Bond standard. However, as an action film, Skyfall is fantastic. It's beautifully directed, has good acting, quite long and suspensful throughout. It's not clever or innovative or humourous, but for what it is and what it does, Skyfall does it very well. If you're a big James Bond fan you may be slightly dissapointed, but if you're after a solid action film you can't go wrong with Skyfall.… Expand

It was the best of Bonds; it was the worst of Bonds. Actually, it was Skyfall, a fascinating combination of the best and worst of what one can hope for in a Bond movie. Daniel Craig does not like the pressure of being criticized, it seems. Before Skyfall became a billion-dollar success story, Craig was literally sweating out the pressure. If you don't believe it, just look at the pictures of him arriving for the 50th Bond anniversary bash in London. He has what appears to be a panic attack in full view of his adoring public, and he has to stop to wipe his brow after breaking out into a profuse sweat. (They claim it was the hot lights, but no one else popped a bead of perspiration.) He's been trying to get out of the Bond role ever since he got into it, he tells us in Rolling Stone Magazine. He also says he's only human. We get it. I'm a Daniel Craig fan, but I am carrying on a love-hate relationship with my idol, who often has clay feet. The touchy subject of Craig's age and the fact that he's not quite a Pretty Boy anymore, or not quite as pretty as he was in Casino Royale, has been turned around to some advantage in Skyfall. The producers had a brilliant idea. Why should Bond be so good-looking that Bond girls will sleep with him even though they always get killed shortly afterward? Looks aren't everything; it's personality that counts. In Skyfall, Bond is given a personality that goes a little bit beyond the superficial charmer we are so familiar with, played particularly well by predecessor Pierce Brosnan, although we forget that Brosnan did an excellent scene of a suffering, imprisoned Bond being tortured in Die Another Day. It was not pretty, but it was pretty serious and showed Brosnan could have given Bond new depths, if only he had been given better scripts. The new James Bond, as portrayed in Skyfall, has all the familiar landmarks. He's a hopeless flirt, he can't resist beautiful women or well-shaken martinis, he carries a Walther PPK and drives the Aston Martin DB5 from Goldfinger, the appearance of which inspired an appreciative gasp combined with a tired groan from the theater audience. He says he's Bond--James Bond, and we know what that means. But this Bond is also very different. He's older, grittier, and sadder with bloodshot eyes and a military man's crew cut. It's a new kind of secret agent. Instead of being just high class, Britishly elegant and suave, he leans a little more toward being a very American Navy Seal, the kind of special operation agents who are sent in to find terrorists like Osama bin Laden, and who operate in Iraq and Afghanistan. They are reportedly average-looking males of various ages; some of them even have gray hair. But the film vacillates in its resolve, not secure in the idea that an elitist special agent with a license to kill is going to provide the same kind of box office as classic Bond. So they give us a mishmash, combined with Bond being presumed dead so that he has an opportunity to be decadent and let himself go to seed as if he were the son of the Lion King. Judy Dench's M is more important in this film, and her age has also become an issue. She is also more human, forced to make tough snap decisions and not always thinking on her feet as well as she should. She is the best thing about this film, and she has an uncanny ability to speak volumes by blinking an eyelash. The film has a surprise--remember when the rumors came out with the Harry Potter series that Dumbledore dies? In this film someone dies, and the franchise will never be the same. I'm not sure the replacement was the best choice or just a friend of the family, but we'll see. Another enlightened touch--it has been reported that Craig has argued for a gay Bond. Silva, with Javier Bardem as the cartoonish villain who is strangely mesmerizing, is gay. He caresses Bond and says something about … Expand

Its not a typical Bond film. Its good without a doubt, but lacks in the cheesy goofiness department that defined many of the previous Bond movies. I personally like the darker realism of the movie.

All I can say is that this is the best Bond movie to date! I'm really glad that they made Bond a more human character. It was a very different take from any Bond movie to date. It's good to see them trying to keep evolving the franchise. Love the directing and cinematography from Mendes. Can't wait for the next chapter!

Just boring, I slept through some parts of the movie. Bond almost rarely talks, there are events which look so forced to justify the plot's directions (this is the worst in the movie, the way some events take place... omg...), Moneypenny is introduced as a "creative" mark, M is since her inception, an awful character that goes worse, Q is another "creative" decision (creative is let's make it easy for us and make the public believe it's cool and innovation). Lots of cloaked advertising, more nonsense plot decisions, forced again and again, that didn't made any sense. In conclusion: the movie is an action flick which tells you to believe a good Bond movie is what they produce, with explosions, gfx, low intelligence plot, meat for the grinder. I'm glad I didn't fall for the "awesome MUST see" advertising kind of marketing campaign. Neither for the forum shills which almost crucify us if we don't share 10/10 impressions. I really enjoyed the first Craig Bond movie, but watching him and Conan the Barbarian movies just fighting and fighting, is the same...… Expand

Honestly, it was a very good film. It was suspenseful at times. Honestly, there were quite a few things that I didn't like about it, aka it didn't engage me at times during the movie.

Awesome action flick - Not a Bond Movie.
This is definitely the best bond movie staring Daniel Craig but it still does not give me the vibe of a true Bond film. It's does not give out the vibe the pre- Daniel Craig Bond films did, key elements are missing such as the feeling of adventure or making Bond a likeable character to the audience. When watching the old bond movies you actually want to be bond and overall the movie made you feel happy. These new Daniel Craigs are darker and different, not holding to their true ancestor films, so when you watch the film don't go in with a mindset of watching another Bond movie (because it's not), just take it like a really well made Action / Drama movie. Skyfall is very well made, great lighting, scenes, characters, sound and especially story. Javier Bardem was perfectly selected for the role of the villain and will be hard to forget long after watching. Overall if you want to see a very good movie and let me stress not a James Bond movie watch skyfall, you shouldn't be disappointed.… Expand

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of 007, one of the best Bond films ever made has been released. Skyfall has some of the most memorable action that the series has ever seen. Daniel Craig has finally proven that he is fully capable of being Bond.

Just like WiiU's "ZombiU" this is media that is low key but high impact. And just like ZombiU, the yanks once again totally miss the point as their bloodlust and sociopathic needs will not be met in this movie. Skyfall is the On Her Majesty's Secret Service of 2012, looking deeply into the more human level of being Bond and his relationship with M, the world, and himself. The whole film is also a clever way to return return to the classic Bond.… Expand

BRILLIANT! fantastic movie., Love how they relate some things back to previous films, eg in the Astin Martin 007 is in with M and he goes to flick a switch (i think it was anyway) and M says go on eject me i dont care. lol Pointkless review but it made me laugh :)

After 50 years, and 50 plus mistakes in Quantum of Solace, director Sam Mendes has delivered the home front of Bond movies, its big, bold, smart, and simply feels like classic Bond, while maintaining its more gritty and realistic approach to the genre.
It's got all the ingredients of the Bonds of yesteryear with a few spices added in, take out the disastrous films before we had the reboot, and they all cumulate in this,and what a thrill to behold.
An opening scene involving a thrilling chase through Istanbul already feels better than the opening of Quantum, its cleaner, crisper, and is relevant to the story which follows.
An attack on MI6 sets up a story that is perhaps one of the best Bond plots to grace the big screen, Judi Dench finds her true calling in this film, having a much more pivotal role as M, who is the target of estranged agent Silva, played creepily by Javier Bardem, perhaps not as menacing as his turn in No Country For Old Men, but certainly a nod to classic Bond villains, and the nods don't stop there. Q makes his return to the Bond universe, but in a very different, and in the younger form of Ben Wishaw, its Bond, but with its own modern spin ('What did you expect? An exploding pen?")
The set pieces are explosive and epic, a subway train tumbling through the roof was a particular highlight, but the climax in the old orphanage was superb, Sam Mendes pulled no punches in delivering an exhilarating finale, even with the inclusion of Albert Finney (The Bourne franchise)
There where complaints regarding the lack of chemistry between Craig and Naomie Harris, who played Eve in the film, but i personally seen this as deliberate to mask the eventual history behind Eve's character.
The friendly exchanges between Bond and Q are the real comedic points of the film, with Bond viewing Q basically as a mere schoolboy, Q soon proves his worth as the film progresses with the ongoing mission to identify Silva.
But it is really the relationship between Bond and M that solidifies her role as a central character within the bond universe, Craig and Dench do a brilliant job in playing the mother and son role which is rare to see for such a weathered franchise, and their friendship, albeit strained, his truly put to the test in Skyfall as M's past makes an unwelcome return. Was it better than Casino Royale, they are quite on par in my opinion, Casino Royale changed the rules completely but Skyfall did a wonderful job of enforcing them, while not trying to stray too far of the British spy's rich history.
Skyfall rips apart the armour of the previous films and creates a vulnerable and emotional film that doesn't hold back in piercing the chest with a mass of bullets, its true core lies within the history and relationship of the characters, and this film wipes the slate clean to make a point of saying that Bond is here to stay.… Expand

Slow at times. Thought Javier Bardem was a great villain. Otherwise, the movie had some suspenseful scenes that kept me entertained. Not a bad movie to see at the theaters.

Skyfall was great, for me, a guy who has rarely seen a Bond movie. Well, actually I dont remember those other Bonds. Maybe Golden Eye? I dont know. But this movie was surely epic and I recommend it to anyone who likes action movies.

This bond film was different from the others. This, in my opinion, means that it is better and worse in some ways, for one simple reason - there are less chases and typical bond scenes and the film is much deeper and thought-provoking because of this. This made the film more adult which was good but I still missed typical bond scenes. This is a really good film that will appeal to a wider audience, however hardcore fans may be disappointed.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This film is by far the best film of 2012. I have seen many complaints ranging from "It wasn't realistic enough" to "It was too realistic and not corny enough like the original Bond films". I have seen every Bond film and my favourite Bond will always be Pierce -- and this can then show I have no problem with the "corny" and over-dramatic Bond films. This film was a work of art, every scene was perfectly scripted, acted and shot and scenes such as the fist-fight in the dimly lit skyscraper took my breath away. The Casino scenes were stylistically beautiful, the opening chase scene was thrilling and perfectly done. Daniel Craig did a great performance, his portrayal of a darker James Bond, slipping from his standards and becoming sloppy is a tale laced with angst and drama but perfectly executed. Silva was a superb bond villain and I adored that the fact he was gay or bisexual was subtle and only hinted at and not made into a grand show or his character's defining attribute -- his line "Life clung to me like a disease" and indeed that whole scene was perfectly delivered and structured. The interactions between Bond, Silva and M in this strange triangle of characters, their interactions, their histories and their motives all clashing together to form this great Bond tale was magnificently done. The only flaws this film had were firstly that the ending scenes set in the house, before the ice lake and the church, dragged on slightly and became a bit tiresome. There was barely any light in these scenes and after fifteen minutes of it, it becomes stagnant. My final flaw and something that really pulled me out of the film was Q sticking two ethernet cables into Silva's laptop and then shouting "How the hell did he get into our systems?" after their system is hijacked. Seriously? At this point everyone knew Silva was a hacker, he was in custody -- so why do that? Why connect the networks via ethernet cables? Isn't Q meant to be a "genius?" And then Q pulls them out of the laptop like "Oh, silly me." Really, really...

But alas, apart from those two flaws -- relatively minor in size -- this film was magnificent and damn near perfect. Definitely give it a watch, buy it on Bluray too. **** get a poster. It's that good.… Expand