Skyfall Considered the Most Overated film of all.

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  • RoadphillRoadphill United Kingdom
    Posts: 984
    I am of the opinion that Skyfall is very overrated. Particularly in comparison to GF or CR.

    Thats the beauty of Bond fandom though. Not everybody likes the same. I have even come across a fellow who's favourite is TWINE. And another who's least favourite is FRWL. Those are two things I never thought I would see.
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    NicNac wrote: »
    But it really depends on individual opinion. SF was welcomed and much loved in 2012, but plenty of people didn't like it.

    So was it overrated by those who loved it? As far as I know everyone watched it with an open mind so maybe the great love it was greeted with was because it was fully worthy of that praise ?

    So one Telegraph critic questions its validity as a great Bond film? Big deal. I don't base my opinion on a paid critic.

    I think if someone says SF is better than CR, they are already overrating that film, but that's just me.

    My interest with SF's acclaim is as I said above. It does many things SP does, but where SP is driven into the ground for it, SF is praised like a king. SP has less in your face Bond references or moments of fan service, just as it also deals with the humor leaps and bounds above SF. Those are two major complaints of the Mendes films, but SF is able to be accepted for its flaws while SP is absolutely pile-driven. I don't think anyone would argue that the personal connection with Bond and Blofeld was a fantastic idea, but other than that aspect I struggle to find worthy criticisms to make about that film beyond nitpicks.

    My point being, SF and SP are very much derived from the same ideas, and it's clear which one gets the special treatment and which one doesn't, though it does many things better. It just puzzles me sometimes why this feeling exists in such a high number.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    edited March 2017 Posts: 23,883
    I don't think I'm personally giving SF any beneficial treatment. I really enjoyed it in the theatre in 2012 (as I did CR) and I continue to enjoy it immensely every time I've viewed it since. I think it's a classic because it doesn't drop in my estimation with additional viewings. It's not as awe inspiring as it was on first watch, but then neither is CR to be honest. They are both excellent Bond adventures, but very different films stylistically. I think they both execute beautifully on their creative premise.

    With regards to SP, I just see it as a mediocre & predictable box ticking exercise. It has none of the spark that makes SF special and what it attempts to do has been done many times before and far better in other Bond films. Brofeld is the least of my problems with it.

    I've found with art that sometimes something just clicks, and sometimes it doesn't. The same goes with music etc. Some say Jackson never topped Thriller. I think he had some wonderful tracks after that 1982 release, many of which were technically superior. However none could capture the public imagination like that landmark LP. I was in a music store yesterday and Billie Jean came on. Nearly everyone in the store was grooving to it in some way, shape or form (humming, foot tapping, even cheering as the beat started) even though I'm sure they've all heard it hundreds of times before. That's what SF delivered in the 'movie' space, imho, despite its flaws.
  • Posts: 19,339
    Shouldnt the title of this thread end in a question mark?

    It is making a statement rather than asking a question to the forum.
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    @barryt007, the original post linked to an article a Telegraph writer made where he decided SF was the most overrated film in general, and the thread was meant to mirror that statement, engaging us to ponder it (or in most cases, make fun of it). That's why it doesn't end in a question mark.
  • edited March 2017 Posts: 19,339
    @barryt007, the original post linked to an article a Telegraph writer made where he decided SF was the most overrated film in general, and the thread was meant to mirror that statement, engaging us to ponder it (or in most cases, make fun of it). That's why it doesn't end in a question mark.

    Aaaah i didnt know that,thanks for the heads up Brady !

    I was lazy and didnt check the opening post...what a plonker i am !!

  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    Arguably its box office was overrated in relation to other Bond adventures, but otherwise I don't see the problem with the positive feelings many have towards the film.
  • Posts: 19,339
    Same here...its #7 on my rankings list..i enjoy it....very patriotic film to me.
  • jake24jake24 Sitting at your desk, kissing your lover, eating supper with your familyModerator
    edited March 2017 Posts: 10,591
    The majority of people I know label Skyfall as the most satisfying entry of them all. This was the gist of a conversation that I had with someone recently:

    Them: "My favorite James Bond film is Skyfall, hands down. So satisfying."

    Me: "More than Casino Royale?"

    Them: "Yeah, that one was cool, too."
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    jake24 wrote: »
    The majority of people I know label Skyfall as the most satisfying entry of them all. This was the gist of a conversation that I had with someone recently:

    Them: "My favorite James Bond film is Skyfall, hands down. So satisfying."

    Me: "More than Casino Royale?"

    Them: "Yeah, that one was cool, too."

    Have they seen films as far back as the Connery era?
  • ShardlakeShardlake Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
    edited March 2017 Posts: 4,043
    I don't see SF & SP as similar at all, they seem like totally different films to me.

    SF comes across as confident and has a sweep, there is threat and there is tension, also all the action sequences are better than anything in SP.

    You compare the 2 closing climaxes in SP to SF even if you don't like the Home Alone Straw dogs influence, there is no competition, that climax in Scotland is so much more memorable.

    Both SP are so forgettable and yawnsome, I couldn't believe how tame and suspenseless those both moments are, the London climax is one of the worst of the series.

    All the action sequence feel like they've been grafted from one of the Brosnan films, they are just vanilla apart from the PTS which along with the Mr White meet up is the best the film has to offer.

    I wouldn't go as far to say that SPECTRE is the very worst but yes whereas SF is top 5, I'd say SP is bottom 10. It only is higher because I can't stand the PB era if it wasn't for that it would be bottom 5.

    As for most overrated Goldfinger will always get that award for me, it is a classic and infinitely better than SP and GE but putting it as Connery's best when for me FRWL was suave deadly Bond personified I just don't see it.
  • jake24jake24 Sitting at your desk, kissing your lover, eating supper with your familyModerator
    edited March 2017 Posts: 10,591
    @Brady I don't believe so. If they have, it must have been years ago. Granted, most of the people I know are casual fans who are only semi-familiar with the Craig era. Very few (if any?) have read the novels.

    I don't think I personally know anyone who is as invested in Bond as I am. My father comes close.
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    @Shardlake, on GF we heartily agree. GF only beats DAF and YOLT for me, though the latter is the only truly disappointing film of the era for me. FRWL is best, then DN and TB can always shift for me to round out second and third.
  • Jazz007Jazz007 Minnesota
    Posts: 257
    I agree with those saying GF is the most overrated Bond film. Any time you hear anything about GF, you hear: "pre-title sequence!" "theme song!" "girl painted gold!" "Oddjob throwing his hat!," "ejector seat Aston Martin!" "'No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die'" CLASSIC!

    Yeah - OK - but did you see the rest of it? You know... the other half of the movie where Bond is captive in a basement in Kentucky?

    GF is a top 10 Bond for me (like, #10) - but it's far from the best Bond film.
  • Posts: 19,339
    Jazz007 wrote: »
    I agree with those saying GF is the most overrated Bond film. Any time you hear anything about GF, you hear: "pre-title sequence!" "theme song!" "girl painted gold!" "Oddjob throwing his hat!," "ejector seat Aston Martin!" "'No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die'" CLASSIC!

    Yeah - OK - but did you see the rest of it? You know... the other half of the movie where Bond is captive in a basement in Kentucky?

    GF is a top 10 Bond for me (like, #10) - but it's far from the best Bond film.

    Once again spot on !!!
  • Posts: 15,117
    I will repeat it again: it is the claim that SF is the most overrated movie of all time that is a ludicrous and frankly stupid statement. Not the most overrated Bond movie or Mendes movie or of overrated movie of the decade or the year, but the most overrated of all.
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    Ludovico wrote: »
    I will repeat it again: it is the claim that SF is the most overrated movie of all time that is a ludicrous and frankly stupid statement. Not the most overrated Bond movie or Mendes movie or of overrated movie of the decade or the year, but the most overrated of all.

    Even more hilarious is that the article was posted not even two years after SF released. You can't truly gauge how a film will age in such a short time, much less make such a weighty judgment about it being the most overrated film of all time.
  • Posts: 15,117
    The plonker who wrote this shows zero cinematic culture.
  • Posts: 19,339
    Like most critics ...bloody useless and damaging to genuinely good films such as SF.
  • talos7talos7 New Orleans
    Posts: 8,208
    The villains in both of Mendes Bonds tend to ham it up in a way that diminishes their effectiveness.
  • MansfieldMansfield Where the hell have you been?
    Posts: 1,263
    Skyfall, like any other thing, is only overrated for people who don't like it.

    I could call Abraham Lincoln an overrated president if I didn't like his policy or the outcome of the American Civil War, but that does little to diminish his grand stature in history. (Lincoln is my favorite president btw).
  • edited March 2017 Posts: 676
    NicNac wrote: »
    None of the Bond films are overrated, or underrated.

    They are all exactly as good as I think they are.
    "Overrated" and "underrated" are pretty much useless as adjectives. All they really mean is "I don't like this" or "I like this."
    barryt007 wrote: »
    Same here...its #7 on my rankings list..i enjoy it....very patriotic film to me.
    Skyfall's patriotic feeling is unique in the series and greatly contributes to my enjoyment of it.
    Shardlake wrote: »
    All the action sequence feel like they've been grafted from one of the Brosnan films, they are just vanilla apart from the PTS which along with the Mr White meet up is the best the film has to offer.
    Yup. You know the action sequences are in trouble if you can just cut them out without hurting the progression of the story. This is how the action was written in the Brosnan years (e.g. caviar factory in TWINE, Bond leaving the ice palace and then coming back immediately in DAD) - it has no function in the plot and grinds everything to a halt. I thought it was a real shame to again see action like this in Spectre... Cut out the Rome street race, and you miss nothing. Cut out Hinx kidnapping Madeleine and the plane chase, and you miss nothing. Cut out Hinx attacking Bond on the train, and you miss nothing. Compare with the action in CR (e.g. parkour, stairwell fight, sinking house) which drives the plot forward, develops character and has consequences.

    Even something like the courthouse shootout in Skyfall is infinitely more exciting than the stuff in SP, because it comes from character and progresses the story. It feels earned and vital.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    edited March 2017 Posts: 23,883
    Milovy wrote: »
    Even something like the courthouse shootout in Skyfall is infinitely more exciting than the stuff in SP, because it comes from character and progresses the story. It feels earned and vital.
    I completely agree. When I watched the film last week I recognized what an impressive scene that is on several levels, even though it's so simple and inexpensive. 'Less is definitely more' in comparison to the inconsequential banality in the latest entry.
  • JamesBondKenyaJamesBondKenya Danny Boyle laughs to himself
    Posts: 2,730
    I've voiced my opinions on skyfall but one thing I would like to point out is I think it has the best moment in any bond film post dr no when he jumps into the train and straightens his cuff link
  • peterpeter Toronto
    Posts: 9,509
    @Milovy you have, perhaps, stated the most accurate analysis to date: action for action sake is empty and has no objective; real action is character motivation and the most formal way of film story-telling (actions speak louder than words, hence; DH is NOT about John McClane killing bad guys, but, instead, through actions, it is about a guy trying to save his marriage...).

    CR has this in spades, QoS too... yes for SF, ... and, as a SP apologist (knowing all it's warts), no... it's a film with loosely strung together sequences, none really related to the other in such a cohesive manner as the previous DC films where character action is telling story ... More like the director needed to kill time/budget and tossed in a car scene...

    Once again, I say this as a SP apologist.
  • JamesBondKenyaJamesBondKenya Danny Boyle laughs to himself
    Posts: 2,730
    peter wrote: »
    @Milovy you have, perhaps, stated the most accurate analysis to date: action for action sake is empty and has no objective; real action is character motivation and the most formal way of film story-telling (actions speak louder than words, hence; DH is NOT about John McClane killing bad guys, but, instead, through actions, it is about a guy trying to save his marriage...).

    CR has this in spades, QoS too... yes for SF, ... and, as a SP apologist (knowing all it's warts), no... it's a film with loosely strung together sequences, none really related to the other in such a cohesive manner as the previous DC films where character action is telling story ... More like the director needed to kill time/budget and tossed in a car scene...

    Once again, I say this as a SP apologist.

    +1
  • Posts: 3,333
    bondjames wrote: »
    Milovy wrote: »
    Even something like the courthouse shootout in Skyfall is infinitely more exciting than the stuff in SP, because it comes from character and progresses the story. It feels earned and vital.
    I completely agree. When I watched the film last week I recognized what an impressive scene that is on several levels, even though it's so simple and inexpensive. 'Less is definitely more' in comparison to the inconsequential banality in the latest entry.
    Was that the scene that ended with Bond shooting a combustible fire extinguisher? I have to admit I groaned inwardly the first time I saw that. I've probably mentioned it before but I have an extreme dislike of the over-use of "shoot to explode" objects in modern Bond movies: propane tanks, fire extinguishers, air tanks, gas canisters. It's such a bloody cop out.
  • edited March 2017 Posts: 676
    @bondsum To be fair, he doesn't shoot the extinguisher to cause an explosion, but rather to flood the room with chemical, which diminishes Silva's field of view and allows M to escape.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    Milovy wrote: »
    @bondsum To be fair, he doesn't shoot the extinguisher to cause an explosion, but rather to flood the room with chemical, which diminishes Silva's field of view and allows M to escape.
    Precisely. It's a superior scene, showcasing Bond's smarts in a tense scenario, Mallory's bravery, and even MP's usefulness in a stressful situation. It's one of the few moments the Scooby Gang are tolerable to me. I think this is the moment when Mallory realizes that Bond still has the goods, which is why he goes along with the 'breadcrumb' plan later on. The buildup to it is excellent as well.
  • edited March 2017 Posts: 676
    Yes, the Scooby gang's involvement makes sense in this situation. The battle has been brought to them, so to speak. An assault on home territory. Even Tanner acquits himself nicely. I love the little wink Bond gives Mallory, and it's great to see Mallory getting in on the action after we've learned about his military past. (Of course, a little goes a long way, and we really don't need to see his M toting a gun in any future films.)

    And the buildup is fantastic. The recital of Tennyson is clearly Logan's addition (he loves having characters quote poetry)... Based on his contributions to Skyfall (betting that Silva's monologue is another, but I am less certain about that one), I was expecting a lot more from Spectre. I guess he is better at dialogue and theme work than at story.
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