Let's get this out of the way, I'm not a James Bond fan. i've seen about six of the films, spanning the decades and various Bond incarnations and have found all of them to be an action packed snooze fest.
i'm now dating a Brit and seeing the latest Bond movie comes with the territory. Truth be told, dating guy from country, probably means a trip to the theater for Bond. i was told that i would have a tough time on my first visit to England, if i didn't like Skyfall. The stakes were high.
i am happy to report, that i did enjoy the latest Bond movie. Although it did have the requisite absurdly elaborate action sequences, the entire movie had a darker, more serious tone previous Bond films. i like a good drama. in particular, i enjoyed the final battle of the film.
Javier Bardem was a rather obvious choice for the villain. Bardem knows how to play a bad -guy. Although, his evil was several notches down from his character in No Country For Old Men. His character in that movie made such a huge impression on me, that it's hard for me to see him in other roles. in addition, the way he was used in Skyfall was a bit out of place with the tone of the movie. Bardem's character was more of a bad guy caricature, fitting with the typical Bond bad-guy, but in conflict with the serious tone of the movie. He even looked cartoony with the shaggy blonde hair and crazy eyes. it's a shame, because Bardem is so good at playing crazy in a subtle way, that i think it would have been more fitting for tone of the movie to have reigned in his character. It would have made him more sinister.
i loved the settings for this film. it just looked so beautiful, from the waterfront casino in China to the country side in Scotland. The landscapes were stunning. We even saw the movie on imax, which was worth the extra price for the gorgeous visuals. This movie makes you want to plan a vacation somewhere exotic.
The Bond girls were oddly minimized in this movie. Almost like they were thrown in as a nod, rather than important characters. it's a shame, because i thought that Berenice Marlohe's character Severine, could have been more fully developed. The movie was definitely long enough (a bit too long in parts) but i wish she had played a bigger part in the movie.
Overall, the script was decent and it made for a fun trip to the movies. This was by far, the best of the Bond films that i have seen and would definitely recommend it.