RADICAL ROCK’S REVIEW – SKYFALL

License to Feel
Or
Which brings us back to Do, Do, Do, Do, Double Oh Seven

Just to quell your fears, James Bond does get laid in this movie. There. Now you can read the rest of this without being on pins and needles worrying about his sex life.

Those familiar horns blare, and we’re thrust into yet another adventure with everyone’s favorite spy (outside of Secret Squirrel) as he fights for Queen and Country. 007 returns for the 23rd, or 3rd, or 25th or whatever film adventure. He’s got a gun. He’s got a martini. He’s got a fast car, and he’s got a plan to get us out of here.

Casino Royale was the prequel we didn’t know we needed. Now it feels that these three latest Bond movies were actually a prequel trilogy (never seen that before), as this film was more like the end of the beginning. CR gave us this raw James Bond, fresh off getting his double 0 status. Quantum of Solace (worst Bond title ever) showed us a Bond dealing with exactly what that new status meant. This time we delve more into Bond’s past, showing some of what motivates him and molded him, while having him deal with that as well. We’re left with a much more complete character study than ever before. Sure, he drinks, he romances and he kills, but now we get what makes him so bloody good at it. He can be cold as ice when he needs to be, but he knows the depth of each action he takes.

And, there’s plenty of action to be had in this one. The over-the-top chases are back in full force. Incredible stunts and seamless CGI have us dodging bullets and riding on top of trains at breakneck speeds. There are moments which are extremely tense and others that are extremely explosive. And, then we get more trains.

The acting is as to be expected from such an amazing cast. Daniel Craig brings his hard as nails Bond back. Dame Judy Dench’s just as nail hard M returns as well. Joining them are Don’tcallmesir Albert Finney, Ralph hewhowon’tbenamed Fiennes and Raul Julia- I’m sorry, I mean Javier Bardem as the eeeevil Silva. I’m kinda half joking about the last part. I’ve noticed a little bit of Raul Julia in Javier’s performances before, but this time he was channeling Raul. And, I mean that in the best way possible.

A fantastic beginning’s end, I’d put this far above the mediocre Quantum and just a hair beneath the amazing Casino.

Prime’s Bottom Line – I give this 007 out of 008