I expected something else...

Rating: 7/10 (27 November 2012)

Let me start of by saying I am a pretty big James Bond fan, I've seen all of them and own the Ultimate Collector's set. Like most people, I was blown away by Casino Royale. It simply had all the elements a James Bond movie should have, and Daniel Craig certainly gave the character his own interpretation. Following this, I would agree with most reviews that QOS was a letdown. There are many reasons for this, however ultimately it failed. Something was missing.
Now back to Skyfall. Surrounding the release of the newest Bond, the Sony marketing department once again kicked into high gear, launching a global campaign that was truly impressive by any standards. And it worked. Adele's epic "Skyfall" theme song went viral weeks before the release, the marketing buzz was perfect. Soon enough, everyone was talking about "the best James Bond ever".
Naturally, this got me very excited. And all the right elements were in place. The great "Skyfall" theme song, a very talented and experienced director with Sam Mendes, and of course a cast that promised nothing but supreme performances.
So after weeks of hearing this was the best Bond ever, I came out of the 5pm Odeon screening and stepped out onto Leicester Square -- My first though: "That was supposed to be the best Bond ever??!!".
I simply cannot understand all of the 10/10 reviews. How is that possible? Was this the first Bond film most people have ever seen? What happened!
Skyfall started of strong, with a good first Act. New characters were introduced in an interesting manner and the pace kept me involved. Certain scenes such as the assassination in the Shanghai Skyscraper and its "hall of mirrors" were most memorable. Praise goes to the consistently exquisite cinematography by Roger Deakins. His eye for camera angles and lighting carry the film when the script shows it's weakness.
I though the film began to decline with the death of Severine. She was barely introduced to us when she was eliminated again by Silva. He just needed a target and why not use the Bond girl after she just had a screen time of under 10 minutes, right? The classic Bond girl was completely absent in Skyfall because of this. Severine's only role in this Bond was to lead 007 to Silva. That's it. What a shame to waste such talent...
It almost seemed like Skyfall was trying not to be a Bond film. Instead of using the impressive Floating Dragon Casino set to create a scene filled with the classic 007 gambling moments of style and intensity, the only thing that really happens is Bond meets Severine (for the 10 minutes she's alive) and he has a short brawl with 2 bodyguards. Oh and some weird lizard is involved too. Another wasted opportunity in Skyfall was the new Q. The classic young nerdy sidekick, seen over and over again in other films. Why not try and create a more interesting and deep character? And when the rookie Q tells Bond he doesn't need any gadgets anymore it really baffled me. I mean, the 007 gadgets have been part of the Bond franchise for 50 years, why now take them away? It almost seemed like lazy screen writing...
Now don't get me wrong. The acting is certainly great throughout the film, Bardem is up there with the best Bond antagonists. Like I is said, cinematography, VFX, stunt coordination, and the score are all great. But after sitting through 143 minutes of Skyfall I couldn't help but feel disappointment. Maybe my expectations were just too high. Its a good film, but I would certainly not rate Skyfall in the top 3 Bond's ever made.
Casino Royale absolutely blew me away. Since seeing it in the cinema, I have watched it countless number of times and it's still that good. It perfectly combines the Bond style viewers have loved for 50 years with the modern capabilities of movie making. In my humble opinion, this fails in the newest Bond. Skyfall is an entertaining action film, but not an amazing Bond. 7/10.
After the initial hype will fade, it will be interesting to see how Skyfall will hold up with time. I am happy that James Bond Skyfall has been so successful, hopefully this will guarantee many more great 007 films in the future. I can't wait to see Daniel Craig return to the big screen. I really think he brought a lot of unique traits to the character. I guess I just hope they incorporate a little more of the "classic" 007 style into Bond 24.
Thanks for reading.