![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Just got back from seeing Skyfall. To the people who didn't like it? IT'S A BOND FILM!
Okay, now that's over with....
But that's more or less the sum of it.
Skyfall is possibly the best of the Bond films and does a lovely job of capping the Judi Dench films. In some respects it works as a nice bridge between the Dench era and the Scean Connery/Roger Moore era. And if you've seen practically all the Bond films, as I have, you'll appreciate the shout-outs and inside jokes. Such as ...Bond being a Scot, because Connery was Scottish. Craig in many respects reminds me a lot of Connery's Bond, both fit the character in the books or my image of him at any rate.
And it's a treat for people like myself who not only read the books but saw most, if not all of the films. I think the only one I didn't see was last of the Pierce Bronsan films - the one with Halle Berry - I skipped that one.
Gotta give the Brits credit on this point, folks, no one does long-running film and tv franchises better than the Brits. Oh, we Yanks try...but the closest we've come is maybe Star Trek...and that's not quite cutting it. The Brit's managed to do 50 years of James Bond films off of a series of books, and not to be outdone...on TV, did 50 years of Doctor Who...and oh yes, least we forget?
Sherlock Holmes, anyone? And of course there's also...Harry Potter - the first time anyone has successfully done a serial film series that last seven movies, that I'm aware of. The disturbing thing about this - is they are all male centric series, and all about powerful men. Proof, in case you needed any that in our cultural media at least...white male privilege still reignes supreme and yes, we are all sadly to blame for it. We like to justify it, or live in denial, but it is true. Folks. We live in a sexist society because we choose to. That said, Bond is getting a little less sexist as the years roll by, as is for that matter Doctor Who, I'm on the fence about Sherlock. Bond, Who, and Sherlock got less racist a lot earlier, I think...it's taking longer on the sexism bit. But let's face it...when you watch Doctor Who, Bond or Sherlock - you sort of ignore these things or try to. And are bloody well surprised when they aren't quite as sexist as you expected. Have to say Dame Judi Dench did a great job of cutting through some of that trademark Bond sexism, as well as explaining it. And of the Bond films this one is by far the least sexist and least racist. Kudos.
Skyfall is a film that works better on a big than small screen. So do recommend lugging your ass off to the cineplax to see it, if you like Bond films. Sam Mendes is an excellent director and the cinematogrpahy is above par. There's a sequence on the Scottish Moors with fire blazing behind that is quite...striking. Amongst other bits - Bond's entrance in Macau...through an ocean garden filled with floating lanterns, and a fight sequence in Shang-hai. None of these scenes would resonate quite so adeptly on a smaller screen.
The story is amongst the better ones, possibly the best I've seen. It focuses on the characters and what they are doing and the human cost. In short it is not quite mindless fun. It's not the Avengers (nothing against the Avengers, I enjoyed it...but that was good mindless fun with nothing to say). The director and writers appear to have something to say about this brave new world we are living in and how we got there.
( spoilers, albeit vague in places... )
The theater was packed. And seeing the film required a bit of patience and tolerance. For one thing they had no picture for a bit - this was during the trailers. A few industrious audience members did go and complain, thank god. I couldn't without losing my seat. So they fixed it. Then we saw an hours worth of previews. Seriously...the film was supposed to start at 3:20, it didn't start until closer to 4:20. I don't mind previews...but an hour's worth is a bit much. Even if they are halfway decent. Right now the only previewed films I have any interest in seeing are: Iron Man 3, Les Miz, and The Hobbit. Everything else...I can skip. But no text messaging during the film thank god. It had too much action - so held everyone's attention.
Overall? A great Bond film. And a better than average action film, actually I'd say it was one of the better action films that I've seen.
If you don't like this sort of thing? Skip it. If you do...see it in the movie theater.
Okay, now that's over with....
But that's more or less the sum of it.
Skyfall is possibly the best of the Bond films and does a lovely job of capping the Judi Dench films. In some respects it works as a nice bridge between the Dench era and the Scean Connery/Roger Moore era. And if you've seen practically all the Bond films, as I have, you'll appreciate the shout-outs and inside jokes. Such as ...Bond being a Scot, because Connery was Scottish. Craig in many respects reminds me a lot of Connery's Bond, both fit the character in the books or my image of him at any rate.
And it's a treat for people like myself who not only read the books but saw most, if not all of the films. I think the only one I didn't see was last of the Pierce Bronsan films - the one with Halle Berry - I skipped that one.
Gotta give the Brits credit on this point, folks, no one does long-running film and tv franchises better than the Brits. Oh, we Yanks try...but the closest we've come is maybe Star Trek...and that's not quite cutting it. The Brit's managed to do 50 years of James Bond films off of a series of books, and not to be outdone...on TV, did 50 years of Doctor Who...and oh yes, least we forget?
Sherlock Holmes, anyone? And of course there's also...Harry Potter - the first time anyone has successfully done a serial film series that last seven movies, that I'm aware of. The disturbing thing about this - is they are all male centric series, and all about powerful men. Proof, in case you needed any that in our cultural media at least...white male privilege still reignes supreme and yes, we are all sadly to blame for it. We like to justify it, or live in denial, but it is true. Folks. We live in a sexist society because we choose to. That said, Bond is getting a little less sexist as the years roll by, as is for that matter Doctor Who, I'm on the fence about Sherlock. Bond, Who, and Sherlock got less racist a lot earlier, I think...it's taking longer on the sexism bit. But let's face it...when you watch Doctor Who, Bond or Sherlock - you sort of ignore these things or try to. And are bloody well surprised when they aren't quite as sexist as you expected. Have to say Dame Judi Dench did a great job of cutting through some of that trademark Bond sexism, as well as explaining it. And of the Bond films this one is by far the least sexist and least racist. Kudos.
Skyfall is a film that works better on a big than small screen. So do recommend lugging your ass off to the cineplax to see it, if you like Bond films. Sam Mendes is an excellent director and the cinematogrpahy is above par. There's a sequence on the Scottish Moors with fire blazing behind that is quite...striking. Amongst other bits - Bond's entrance in Macau...through an ocean garden filled with floating lanterns, and a fight sequence in Shang-hai. None of these scenes would resonate quite so adeptly on a smaller screen.
The story is amongst the better ones, possibly the best I've seen. It focuses on the characters and what they are doing and the human cost. In short it is not quite mindless fun. It's not the Avengers (nothing against the Avengers, I enjoyed it...but that was good mindless fun with nothing to say). The director and writers appear to have something to say about this brave new world we are living in and how we got there.
( spoilers, albeit vague in places... )
The theater was packed. And seeing the film required a bit of patience and tolerance. For one thing they had no picture for a bit - this was during the trailers. A few industrious audience members did go and complain, thank god. I couldn't without losing my seat. So they fixed it. Then we saw an hours worth of previews. Seriously...the film was supposed to start at 3:20, it didn't start until closer to 4:20. I don't mind previews...but an hour's worth is a bit much. Even if they are halfway decent. Right now the only previewed films I have any interest in seeing are: Iron Man 3, Les Miz, and The Hobbit. Everything else...I can skip. But no text messaging during the film thank god. It had too much action - so held everyone's attention.
Overall? A great Bond film. And a better than average action film, actually I'd say it was one of the better action films that I've seen.
If you don't like this sort of thing? Skip it. If you do...see it in the movie theater.