It looks like putting Sam Mendes (“American Beauty,” “Road To Perdition,” “Revolutionary Road”) in as director was a good move!
... Putting the "intelligence" in MI6, "Skyfall" reps a smart, savvy and incredibly satisfying addition to the 007 oeuvre …
... Dramatically gripping while still brandishing a droll undercurrent of humor, this beautifully made film will certainly be embraced as one of the best Bonds by loyal fans worldwide and leaves you wanting the next one to turn up sooner than four years from now. …
Skyfall is a great British bulldog of a movie. From the moment the orchestral sound of Adele belts out, sending a nostalgic shiver down the audience’s collective spine, we know this will be a triumphant return to classic Bond. Sam Mendes, the director, deftly balances fanboy worship of 007 tradition with sophisticated film-making, and (apart from early Connery), nobody does it better than Daniel Craig....
... Sam Mendes’s frequently dazzling, utterly audacious entry in the franchise has less in common with its much-loved predecessors than Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. …
... These smart, sure-footed antics set us up nicely for a devastating finale. And yet I couldn't help feeling that Mendes' hitherto sinuous, satisfying vehicle veers worryingly into the rough during a mishandled final section on a Scottish grouse moor that effectively doubles as Memory Lane.…
... Apparently director Sam Mendes lobbied hard to get Javier Bardem on board as the villain and he does do rather a nice line in chilling psychopathic monsters. Is he good here? The answer is a qualified yes. He is not a villain in pursuit of world domination like Ernst Blofeld, and he is slightly upstaged by his own hair but he never fails to surprise. That he can make us laugh at the same time only makes him more menacing.…
... Craig also seems to benefit from a third stab that puts all the elements, old and new, in perfect place. …
This opens in Britain, Russia, Qatar, Slovakia, Brazil and 23 other territories on Oct. 26. It opens in Kenya, Mexico, Estonia, Hong Kong, Peru and 12 other territories Nov. 1. The United States doesn’t get it till Nov. Fucking 8. Also, we still don’t have single-payer healthcare.
