Really, I think comparing 'Skyfall' with 'Casino Royale' is like comparing 'Goldfinger' and 'Thunderball' with 'From Russia With Love': Both very damn good Bond movies, but when it comes on details like tone and atmosphere they are different from each other.
Many people praise 'Goldfinger' as the quintessential James Bond film where everything comes together: A comical Q-Branch scene, a car with gadgets, lasers that destroys doors and....Bond, original death by gold paint, lush hotelrooms, an almost comical villain with a tedious taste for gold, etcetera.
And many praise 'Thunderball' for actually topping the 'Goldfinger'-blockbuster feel, with even more lush locations, a larger villainous plot, sharks as pet toys and moreover a true Bond battle that has its climax under water. People also praise 'Thunderball' for being it the film where James Bond as a character is really at his best here; He really deploys his espionage capabilities to a maximum.
Still, many other people praise 'From Russia With Love' as the one and only faithfully adapted Ian Fleming espionage thriller. The film is much more grim, has a bit less humour and Bond simply fights without camp oneliners. Bond has almost no gadgets in his possession and Major Boothroyd (later Q) looks nothing more than a boring assistant.
But if you ask me, both 'Goldfinger', 'Thunderball' and 'From Russia With Love' earn the same rating. Just....for differents reasons. I think that's how you should compare 'Skyfall' with 'Casino Royale'. And IMO, taking my arguments into account, both 'Skyfall' and 'Casino Royale' have my 4.5/5 stars ('OHMSS' and 'FRWL' have my full 5.0 out of 5 stars rating). Happy dear lads ;-)?
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And, I'm gonna get killed for this, but... Goldfinger is overrated imho. Yes, TB's diving scenes are too long, but I just prefer SC's performance plus I can never take Fröbe serious as main villain. It does have some great moments, like the GF's demise, the DB5 and Pussy Galore is cold, but has "something".
I understand. But my point is: Even the best of the best (rated) Bond films are different from each other and each of you gives your unique feeling/ride and treats you with a different atmosphere.
OHMSS: The definite christmas-Bond-film, which you should see during the holidays. The perfect camera shots of the alps give you this unique feeling that isn't visible in any other Bond film.
GF: Lush, American-esque, a bit camp but certainly very summery film. The horses, the hay at Goldfinger's horse farm, the brown wood designs of Ken Adam, the aerial shots of Miami. Stunning, but stunning in its own way.
TB: The most tropical Bond film IMO. Even more tropical than DN. The underwater scenes are still breathtaking. And as I have said before, money-wise, production-wise SKYFALL is this years THUNDERBALL.
SKYFALL: Very sober, Scottish feel. It's the real autmn Bond film if you ask me. Havind just seen the main titles......this..this is definately my favourite Bond film that I have seen in cinema. This really is BOND, and it oozes Maurice Binder in his early years (TB, YOLT, especially LALD). This Bond-film IMO marks a new renaissance of Bond films!
No?
Concerning the actual main titles from Danny Kleinman:
My thoughts? I adore them! And honestly? I think the titles are better, especially way more effective than the titles for 'Casino Royale'. Why?
I think Adele's theme song AND the actual main title visuals by Daniel Kleinman perfectly blend together. These main titles are not just very creative and visually stunning, they take you on a rather dramatic, horrific tour full of visuals that are reminiscent of death and sad funerals.
I love the blood red colours a lot. And the visuals of skulls and tomb stones mixed with a slowly moving girls every now and then, give me goosebumps.
Moreover, I really think these titles are reminiscent of Maurice Binder's early designs for 'Thunderball' (Lots of bright red and green colours, as if the girls are swimming in blood or poison), 'You Only Live Twice' (Deep red colours and visuals of melted lava) and especially 'Live And Let Die' (Everyone knows the voodoo themology of these titles, and it gives you chills too!).
Most importantly, Skyfall's main titles are the best to watch. The visuals move very slowly (perhaps the slowest of all of Kleinman's titles), to blend in with Adele's slow-tempo song. I love that. I. JUST. LOVE. THAT! The MK12-titles for 'Quantum Of Solace' were causing headaches, just like all the shaky cam.
One last thing, Bond falling off that water fall. It's......it's like a dead body really. Perfectly kicks-off the titles, very much like Binder's 'You Only Live Twice'!
Concerning the overall look and feel. I....still need to properly think about that. 'Skyfall' is very much a stand-alone film. It's very 'grand', very 'big', especially cinematography-wise. This....I am finally going to see a Bond film getting nominated for an Oscar! I have never experienced THAT! ^:)^
It was the most psychological, I think. Made you really think of the inner turmoil of the characters, and it was really the first film in the franchise to address the issue of spies in the modern world and if they are needed anymore.
Maybe 'Skyfall' and 'Casino Royale' are...hard to compare because of their uniqueness in its own way? That's more or less my point. I think both films deserve 4.5 stars. But both....earn these stars in a different way.
From Russia With Love is a lot better than Goldfinger.
There, I compared them.
Totally agree.
Skyfall on the other hand delivers in spades. There are still a few problems plotwise, but the overall execution of delivering a satisfactory story, and the delivery of everyone involved, make for an excellent film. SF transcends what I thought a Bond film could be: a film with themes, subtext, convincing drama, along with all the classic Bond moments and oustanding cinematography. So it's hard for me to compare Skyfall to any of the Connery films: it's a different kind of movie.
CR got everything right for me. Campbell understands Bond, right down to the details such as Bond standing up when a lady leaves the table.
I LOVE the first 30 mins of Skyfall, the Macau scene and the following London scenes, but I don't know why, I feel the ending is just underwhelming with a hugely flawed resolution.
FRWL, GF better than TB.
SF beats CR.
TB beats FRWL.
Agreed but I still feel like SF is more analogous to GF than it is to TB, and CR is closer to DN. Hopefully, Bond 24 will be the new TB.
"SKYFALL" is a piece of crap and an embarrassment to EON Productions. It's one of the most badly written Bond movies I have seen from the entire franchise. And like "GOLDFINGER", one of the most overrated. It was embarrassing, watching this movie.
Hey DRush76. You know what crap is? Shit.
Hey DRush76. You know what crap is? Shit.
Yes dear. I know. And that is exactly what I had encountered when I saw "SKYFALL".