SKYFALL REVIEW

ANASTASIA'S SKYFALL REVIEW: Skyfall receives buzz reviews...anywhere from “It was the best Bond yet” to “sloppy”. For starters it’s way better than the disasterous Quantum of Solace. Casino Royale (Martin Campbell director) worked for me but to say Skyfall is the BEST BOND only someone who never saw Sean Connery would say that. Realistically speaking that era is finished but my nostalgic memories live on. The thriller starts with Adele’s theme song “Skyfall”. The track is excellent, on par with Nancy Sinatra’s “You Only Live Twice” and Shirley Bassey’s “Goldfinger.” Why then did no one point out a Bond movie ends with the theme song? Get with it, Mendes! I did like that the Bond music was in the movie and a gunshot filling up with blood was in there somewhere. These are essential features of a Bond movie. To be fair this review comes after seeing the movie two weeks back. So what stands out in my mind? That’s a test of the merits of the film if a big blank comes up. No one can forget Dame Judi Dench. She literally ends her “M” career with a bang. Will the “M” replacement be good? We shall see. To be fair, he shows promise. Back to the movie.There was the usual action, with the train scene hooking the viewer in and introducing the new Moneypenny (Naomi Harris) as well as highlighting "M’s" fallibility and foreshadowing her eventual demise. The Bond car is in this film with all the bells and whistles. But where was the sizzle? It’s great if you like discreet but isn’t Bond supposed to be “over the top” or even real? I’m not saying we should go back to the Roger Moore era but what’s Bond without a good sex scene? Casino Royale nailed that one as well as showing an emotional side to Bond but Skyfall fell short. And then there were the lines. Connery mastered the witty quips but poor Daniel Craig wasn’t given any. I like a little humour in my serious blowup movies. Skyfall was meant to capture the “spy” angle with the focus on the weary downtrodden spy. Ian Fleming was not Len Deighton or John Le Carre and his books were hardly on that level. He had a macho Bond who rose above the other spies with pure shutzpah. That’s what I loved about the original Sean Connery films. Daniel Craig does his own stuntwork, obviously works out and there is no question that as an actor he knows his stuff but sadly lacks the sex appeal I find essential for a Bond. Hey, but that’s only me. I will see the next Bond after Skyfall because it has a breaking ground approach. It is not the best Bond. Hate me if you must. I give it a “thumbs up” and hope Mendes improves. AnastasiaAmor.com