When the film is released on October 26th in the UK and November 9th in the US all will finally be revealed but I am confident that this will be the best of the series so far and a hell of a way to celebrate the momentous 50th Anniversary.
That’s the conclusion made by a writer for What Culture, which has published an in-depth article looking at the top five reasons to be optimistic about Skyfall.
The article starts out by arguing that Sam Mendes has brought on board an impressive array of talent in the shape of production designer Dennis Gassner, cinematographer Roger Deakins and composer Thomas Newman, who are joining Bond regulars second-unit director Alexander Witt, stunt co-ordinator Gary Powell and special effects guru Chris Corbould; and in front of the camera Daniel Craig and Dame Judi Dench are joined by Albert Finney, Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris and Berenice Marlohe. To be honest, I think it could go either way, as the Bond films have never been about having big name actors.
The second reason is because the film will be the first Bond film be released in IMAX. Seriously, this is a reason that it’ll be the best ever Bond film? What about a good script? IMAX wouldn’t have saved Quantum of Solace.
Reason three: third time lucky for Daniel Craig. Well, we’ll see – he struck it “lucky” first time with Casino Royale. And “luck” had nothing to do with it; a good story did.
Number four is mainly British locations. But when Ian Fleming set Moonraker entirely in England his readership complained. The Bond books and films have always been about exotic locations, although not continent hopping, which has happened far too much in recent years.
Finally, reason number five is the return of the Aston Martin. Again, the DB5 won’t save the film from a poor script and in many ways is too much; one of those Bond clichés that shows that maybe the filmmakers have no idea how to really make a good James Bond film.
While I disagree with much of what is said in the article it’s still good to read. We’ll find out whether the author is right in October.
Read “5 Reasons Why Skyfall Might Be The Best James Bond Film Ever” at What Culture
June 15th, 2012 at 21:50
You are awfully negative. Makes me think that even if the film is good, you are going to be very tough to please. I enjoyed Quantum of Solace; it was by no means great, but I enjoyed Craig and the action and the rest of the cast. Does that mean something is wrong with me? I didn’t take offense that it wasn’t great. I am a huge Bond fan but I recognize it is a fantasy and I try not to take things too personally.
June 16th, 2012 at 08:52
I may come across as negative, but really I’m just providing a bit of balance. The article in question and an awful lot of output from fans is gushingly positive, and like this article, with little to go on.
The best argument the writer uses is the first one, although having big names involved by no means ensures the film is good. His other arguments: IMAX – seriously? It will make the action more intense probably and may provide a better experience for people who like that format, but it won’t make Skyfall any better (or worse).
I’m happy you enjoyed Quantum of Solace, if everyone agreed all the time the world would be a much duller place. As I said I’m trying to restore some balance to a skewed perspective.
July 3rd, 2012 at 15:07
M,
I agree with what you say about IMAX. I love the “IMAX experience” when it’s appropriate, but I deeply hope that the chance to see Skyfall in the format will just be an optional extra, rather than something around which key parts of the production are based, because I think that might spell trouble. Look at many recent films which have been created with 3-D in mind. If you watch them in 2-D there are pointless happenings where you think “why did they do that?” and then you remember “ah yes – to show off the 3-D!” Such moments are no alternative to a well-constructed plot, in fact they only serve to emphasise the gaping holes in it. One of the worst films in the history of the Bond franchise, by fairly common consent, was “Die Another Day”, and the desire to waste time showing off the then-fashionable movie effect of the era, that awful Matrix-style “ramping”, was one of the reasons for its low regard. I hope we’re not in for a surfeit of gratuitous and unsubtle shots in October, halfway up skyscrapers or dams or whatever, just to scream “go and fork out a load more to watch the IMAX version” at us.
And I’m speaking as a 007 nut who can’t wait for the release and have been encouraged by much of what else I’ve read, so no, I don’t think I’m being negative to express this one particular worry.
July 5th, 2012 at 04:22
I’m of the opinion that it’s just too early to tell. Unfortunately, everyone’s opinion will differ because their individual expectations differ. i can’t say that anyone is being to negative or too positive becuase those opinions are usually based on what we’ve SEEN. But there is so much more left to uncover. For example, how much have we seen about any other character in Skyfall besides Bond?
Personally, I love the Daniel Craig Bond films. What i love about them is typically what most movie-goers don’t like about them. To be honest, the literary Bond and cinema Bond are quite different. Most ‘fans’ haven’t read all the books, but have likely seen most of the films. They expect a Bond film to be as they have seen it, but I wish for once the producers would make a Bond film more in line with the books.
The latest series are much more ‘real’ and more closely related to the real Bond from Fleming’s novels. They’re not quite perfect on it yet, but much closer than they were. I think after the James Bond cartoons of Pierce Brosnan and the tragedic comedies of Roger Moore, it’s quite refreshing to see a Bond that truly suffers the pains of the life he lives.
Skyfall looks to continue on that path and I can’t wait to see it. I’d rather Skyfall NOT bring back all the expected ‘Bond film’ cliches, because they certainly weren’t in any of the books, but rather let Bond become who he really is. Most audiences won’t agree with me, so perhaps a medium blend of the two Bonds may be a better solution for everyone. And that looks to be what Skyfall is trying to do.
As for the DB5, that again is a cinematic prop but i see no harm in it, it’s a very beautiful car and one good enough to use compared to other options. Since he DID win Demitrios’ DB5 in Casino Royale, maybe he ended up keeping it afterall. He won it fair and square