La critique de James Berardinelli (fin)
The film's structure is odd, with no big, overproduced climax and a narrative that has more in common with the '60s films than with anything post-Connery. Skyfall raises the emotional stakes to a level not seen since On Her Majesty's Secret Service; even Casino Royale didn't push this many buttons. We learn tantalizing bits about Bond's past - not enough to destroy the character's essential "in the moment" mystery, but enough to dispel the theory that "James Bond" is just a code name. The character played by Albert Finney is intriguing, and it's not hard to surmise this role was written with Sean Connery in mind. (Connery, if ever offered the part, stuck to his "never again" guns and elected to stay retired, but it takes little imagination to envision him saying the lines.)

Mendes brings with him frequent collaborators Roger Deakins and Thomas Newman. Deakins' cinematography may be the best ever in a Bond movie, and certainly the best in recent years. This is old-school camerawork in that the picture is stable and the fight scenes are easy to follow. Newman's score makes ample use of the Monty Norman/John Barry "James Bond Theme" - the first time it has been part of an incidental score since Craig took over. Adele's opening number, "Skyfall," hearkens back to the John Barry/Shirley Bassey collaborations.

Recent Bond movie openings have not been events. This is an exception. It doesn't feel like a retread. The emphasis on the M/007 relationship introduces a new, previously unexplored dynamic between the agent and his boss. Compare how the two mesh in Skyfall with their stately, formal interaction in Dr. No. Over the course of her previous six outings, Dench has been inching her authoritarian personality closer to the point where she could be considered a full-fledged character. Under Mendes, she achieves the goal. And the strength of her performance is matched by that of Javier Bardem, who comes across not as a sadistic lunatic but someone deeply wronged and tragically damaged. Sure, there's a cartoon element to Silva - it's not possible to be a Bond villain without going a little over-the-top - but he's not interchangeable with the many less intriguing antagonists to face off against 007 in the past.

Because of MGM's bankruptcy issues, we have waited four long years to get Skyfall. Convinced there was a story worth telling, Mendes stuck with the production and the result justifies the wait. I'd rather get a new Bond of this quality every four years than something along the lines of Quantum of Solace with half the time in between. Skyfall is everything Bond should be, encapsulating the best of all the eras - even the brief tenures of Dalton and Lazenby - into a package that celebrates Bond 50 by reassuring us that Bond is back.

Ben Whishaw (LE PARFUM entre autres)  : Q

Wow!

Author: anders-rock from Denmark
25 October 2012

This is one of the best Bond movies I have ever seen. The story is superbly put together and has some interesting twists, the action is well done and contains none of the shaky cam which plagued the last film. The actors all do a great job. Some might still be put off by Daniel Craig's rough version of Bond, but I like it and he even has a few good old fashioned one-liners here. I wasn't sure about Javier Bardem as the villain at first. I thought he was a tad too flamboyant but eventually he grew on me, plus he had a very interesting backstory and as you might have guessed already, Judi Dench is fantastic as usual as M and she even has more to do in the story this time arround.

This is not a completely formulaic Bond movie. Craig's bond is still more emotional than Connery or Moore ever were and for the first time we get some relatively detailed descriptions of his childhood. And something happens to Bond in the start of the movie that affects him for the rest of the film. But despite all that there are tons of James Bond trademarks like the martini, the introduction and even Q. Some might not like this new very young version of Q but I found him to be funny and very likable. They will never top Desmond Llewelyn's original performance, and instead of making a cheap Llewelyn clone, they make a completely different character which I think is the only right thing to do. This is not only a great Bond movie but just a downright great film.

Bond is back

Author: Kakes from United Kingdom
23 October 2012

Some people thought Daniel Craig was too much like Bourne and the Bond style film had been abandoned. If you were worried about that fear not - Bond is back.

The film has great stunts & thrills - you'll see this in the long opening sequence. Bond is not burdened with gadgets and still has lots of energy.Ignore the plot credibility (not as far fetched as some plots like Moonraker) and usual level of general film fiction where it comes to computing.All the characters are great, from the MI6 team members to the villain (Silva) who acts like a traditional Bond villain. It is very easy to provide details and reveal the plot - the way the trailer was edited means it has not given too much away.

This film will provide thrills & you will laugh more than you did with Craig's last two films.Classic Bond is back and it was a joy to see it, if you are a Bond enthusiast there are lots of treats in store.

Author: Tony Heck from United States
5 February 2013

"He knows us. He's one of us. He comes from the same place as Bond, a place you say doesn't exist, the shadows." The world's greatest secret agent is back, but is the need for an agent outdated in today's modern world? After MI-6 is attacked and M (Dench) is brought under scrutiny by the government Bond (Craig) alone is left to find out who is behind the attack while M is trying to both help Bond and defend the need for an agency that has been compromised. I know that a review is really not needed here, being the 23rd Bond movie either you will watch it or not. I am a huge fan of the series and was really looking forward to this after hearing this is the best Bond movie yet. I have really loved the Craig movies but for some reason they never had the feel of a Bond movie to me, I wasn't sure what was missing but they didn't have the same feel.

Knowing that they were re-booting the series I was lenient and with this one the re-boot is complete. This had much more of a feel of a classic Bond movie and by the end I was excited to see the next one. I got chills watching a few times and especially at the end. This had possibly the best opening and ending to a Bond movie ever. I could go on and on about this but I will just say if you love Bond you will love this, if you have never seen one then this one will make you a fan. Overall, From Russia With Love is my favorite Bond movie but this a very close second, and I think may be more re-watchable. I wanted to watch this one again as soon as the movie was over. I give this a very high A.

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Je dois dire que j'aime beaucoup le générique