Film Review: SKYFALL ★★★★½☆

007 may be celebrating his 50th Anniversary on the big screen this year, but there is clearly no sign of age with the release of Skyfall, the fantastic latest entry in the James Bond series and Daniel Craig's third round as Ian Fleming's iconic MI6 secret agent.

After suffering several years of crippling false starts, legal woes and studio shuffling, thankfully the 23rd Bond film found its way and lined up Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Revolutionary Road) to take the helm and follow up 2008's dark, violent and disappointing Quantum of Solace. Not only does the Oscar-winning director boldly make his own mark on the series, Mendes steps it up by completely delivering one of the best Bond entries on the big screen (regardless of which 007 was your first).

Skyfall opens with a relentless thrill-a-minute opening chase sequence through Istanbul via motorbikes and trains that thrusts the film forward at full throttle. But at a critical moment, 007 is wounded by friendly fire from his field partner Eve (Naomie Harris), presumed killed in action and subsequently takes too kindly to a booze-heavy self-imposed retirement on a tropical island.

Unfortunately for Bond's happily ever after is the whereabouts of the stolen hard drive containing the identities of NATO undercover agents he was assigned to secure during all the pre-opening credits action. The top secret intel has fallen into dangerous enemy hands, and M (Judi Dench) as head of MI6, is held accountable for its loss by the British brass. It's up to Bond to find the drive and reclaim it back from the threat who is not only executing the uncover agents, but also has a personal vendetta against M.

The Bond that returns to action has lost his edge, and is painfully reminded that he is of a dying breed fighting terrorism. This fact is hammered in harder by no one more than Q (Ben Whishaw), 007's new quartermaster. The new Q is not the whimsical elderly gadget wizard of the past, but rather a 21st-century bushy haired young IT snob. Q takes joy in boasting that he can inflict more damage in his pajamas with his laptop before his first morning tea than an aging trigger puller like Bond can do in a year on the field. While the blatant humor that previously accompanied the Q/Bond exchanges is a thing of the past, the clever reinvention here allows for some of the subtle (and rare) chuckles in Skyfall as it acknowledges the history in the previous installments.

It takes nearly an hour for Javier Bardem to appear as the unforgettable new villain, Silva, a former MI6 agent with a serious axe to grind with M who consistently stays one brilliant step ahead of his adversaries. Bardem brings both a grounded evil charisma, and bad ass flamboyance to the latest archenemy which will rank him up their with the best baddies of the series. It's a fine line to walk between the evil mustache-twisting bombastic Roger Moore-era villains and the slick real world modern foes seen in Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace. Bardem leaps way up off the tight rope and lands safely back down when it comes to his vengeful performance here.

To say 'this time its personal' is an understatement  It's never been more personal a mission for Bond and M (who finally has a welcome substantial role here). To defeat Silva they both are confronted by demons from their past to extents we have never seen before. We even get a glimpse into the unexplored childhood of Bond that shaped him into the hardened government assassin he has become. The rock solid screenplay allows the film to delve deeper into these back stories and explore untouched aspects of these iconic characters.

It would be wrong to not applaud the gorgeous visuals courtesy of nine-time Oscar-nominated cinematographer Roger Deakins. Sequences set in the streets of Istanbul, to the glass-encased neon-drenched skyscrapers of Shanghai, to metropolitan settings in London, to the highlands of Scotland for its back-to-basics gritty finale, the series has never had richer eyes behind the camera or been in better hands.

A staple of every Bond film is of course the fetching new ladies, played here by Bérénice Marlohe (Sévérine) and Naomie Harris (Eve). But as the new Bond girls, they as a team get a bit shortchanged in the overall story. There are also some well placed, if not brilliant (subtle and otherwise) homages to the past, and all that hype and controversy surrounding Bond drinking a nice cold Heineken have been vastly overblown (yes he does, but get over it folks).

Overall it does pull back a bit regarding a barrage of huge action set pieces to instead make time for thrilling suspense, heavy dialogue, and deep character development. But that makes for a better movie and does not mean it holds out entirely on the brawn. Craig brings another gritty A-game performance to the role and delivers with the extra dimensions the script allows him to take.

Skyfall at times takes it to a bare bones level with some selective, but impressive, explosive points to amp it up. But with a top notch villain in Bardem, the welcome additions of Ralph Finnes, Ben Wishaw and Naomie Harris to the cast, and a stripped down accessible James Bond like we've never seen before, the 23rd entry in the series delivers everything you want on many entertaining levels and ranks among the best of the recent class of sophisticated intelligent blockbusters.

In this third act of 007's Daniel Craig-era, Skyfall pays due homage to the films of the past, and finds a solid place to soar forward in a new direction now complete with all the familiar trappings and legendary elements that have made Bond a cinematic icon for the past 50 years.

Happy Golden Anniversary indeed, Mister Bond.

Skyfall opens in IMAX on November 8th at midnight screenings, and goes wide on November 9th.

REVIEW RATING:  ★★★★½☆
Directed By: Sam Mendes

Starring: Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, Ben Whishaw

Studio: Sony Pictures

Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 143 minutes

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'Skyfall' Exclusive Artwork For IMAX 12:01 Club

Following the highly collectible Frankenweenie print given to eager fans at midnight screenings on the film's release day, IMAX has another treat for their 12:01 club to mark Skyfall's highly anticipated unveiling as the first Bond film presented in the super size format. Check out the exclusive 007 artwork that will be available at the earliest IMAX screenings on November 8th.

From IMAX:

Exclusively for IMAX fans as part of the 12:01 program, those attending the Skyfall opening midnight shows will receive this exclusive, limited edition print featuring Daniel Craig as the iconic James Bond. Skyfall marks the 50th Anniversary of James Bond on film, the 23rd installment of the longest-running film franchise in history.

Skyfall has been specially formatted for IMAX and will be the first time that Ian Fleming’s James Bond 007 is presented in IMAX.

Skyfall, directed by Sam Mendes, stars Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw, and Naomie Harris.

SOURCE: IMAX

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TEASER TRAILER: 'Skyfall'

The poster was revealed last week by Sony Pictures, and now the much anticipated first look teaser trailer for the 23rd James Bond film, Skyfall, has been released.

Daniel Craig returns to the role of MI6 secret agent 007 for the third time following 2008's Quantum Of Solace. In the latest Bond adventure directed by Sam Mendes, we can look forward to a new villain Silva played by Javier Bardem, and the introduction to the new gadget master Q (Ben Wishaw). New Bond girls include Berenice Marlohe who plays Severine, and Naomi Harris joins the cast as Eve. In addition to Ralph Fiennes as Gareth Mallory, Dame Judi Dench returns as M.

According to Sony: "Bond's loyalty to M is tested as her past comes back to haunt her. As MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost."

Skyfall is set to hit theaters and IMAX screens on November 9th.

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'Skyfall' Teaser Poster Revealed

Columbia Pictures has released the first teaser poster from the 23rd James Bond film, Skyfall. Daniel Craig is seen in an iconic image that should be familiar to 007 fans all around the world.
 

According to the official synopsis, "Bond's loyalty to M is tested as her past comes back to haunt her. As MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost."

Skyfall, directed by Sam Mendes, is set to hit theaters on November 9th with Daniel Craig returning as James Bond, Dame Judi Dench (M), Ralph Fiennes, Javier Bardem, Naomi Harris, and Ben Wishaw (Q).

 SOURCE: 007.com

Film Review - WRATH OF THE TITANS ★★☆☆☆

Let's start off by addressing the elephant in the room right away: Yes, there is a marked improvement in the 3-D for Wrath of the Titans over the poor conversion process that plagued 2010's Clash of the Titans. Two years ago, the reboot of the 1981 mythical swords and sandals classic quickly became the whipping boy for the growing trend of converting 2-D films to 3-D late in post production, a process that was not always met with smashing results on the big screen. Hollywood has yet to reverse the trend of adding the third dimension to nearly every tentpole in town, but more on that later.

Ten years following the defeat of the Kraken in Clash, we find Perseus (Sam Worthington), the demigod son of Zeus, living a tranquil life as a father, widower, and fisherman. Zeus, Hades, and the other Titans of Olympus are slowly losing their Godly powers as humanity's devotion to them wanes, and their ability to contain the imprisoned evil Kronos is quickly dissipating.

Perseus becomes the reluctant hero who must travel far back into the Underworld on a dangerous quest to save his fallen father from Hades and Ares, who have betrayed him in order to grant Kronos his freedom to conquer the Earth (a cheat sheet for the Greek Gods Family Tree would be useful at some points). Cue the cameos for the half man/half beast Minotaur, the two-headed Chimera, the one-eyed Cyclops, and throw in appearances from some familiar winged characters from the 1981 original. Not that this is all a bad thing, but we have seen much of the same in the first installment.

What works in Wrath is the grand scale of the FX-heavy quest, and a satisfying battle frenzied third act. Some of the action sequences are nothing to scoff at, mostly if this is your type of movie, and you know who you are. You can marvel at the high octane battles, elaborate CGI creatures, and abundance handheld camera work that will leave you unsettled into your seat.

When Wrath is pushing ahead on all cylinders, director Jonathan Liebesman delivers moments on par, in scope, and intensity as seen in his last big screen effort, the frantic but entertaining Battle: Los Angeles. Liebesman has the knack and know how for dropping the audience right smack in the thick of full blown CGI showdowns, some of which will never be fully appreciated anywhere beyond the big screen. I am a glutton for FX heavy excess, so admittedly big budget eye candy in healthy doses is rarely lost on me.

What doesn't work here in the overall scheme of the film unfortunately is a charmless hero in Perseus, who offers little beyond brooding brawn and a reluctant warrior's heart. The straightforward screenplay allows Sam Worthington so little opportunity to shine, emote any charisma, or even breath easy with light hearted moments when he is not slaying one mythical monsters after another.

The welcome whimsical characters on the journey here are the demigod Agenor, the son of Poseidon (played by Toby Kebbell), and Hephaestus (in an all too brief appearance by Bill Nighy), the weapons forger to the Titans. Beyond them, most of the characters are just all business. Though it's worth noting that it's good to see Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes playing it out big this time out after having little to do in Clash.

Going back to the 3-D. While not as distracting as the last installment's, Wrath's conversion from 2-D does not particularly add much either. To be fair, not many recent 3-D movies have justified their release in the format (Avatar and Hugo stand in a high class of 3-D all on their own).

Too often it adds a simple effect, not an overall experience. A few shots jump out at you, sure, but I wouldn't count the extra dimension as a deal breaker here. But like most 3-D films, motion blur on fast moving scenes, and an overall darker picture (the 3-D requires more light from the projector bulbs than most theater owners are willing to give to audiences), have become a standard downside with the presentation.

So while Wrath of the Titans makes a fine Friday night piece of action packed special FX-laden escapism suited for its target audience, it is also a missed opportunity to improve upon the missteps made in the previous installment that could have benefited from some extra dimension.

Wrath of the Titans opens in RealD 3D, IMAX 3D, and 2D on March 30th.

REVIEW RATING: ★★☆☆☆
Directed By: Jonathan Liebesman
Starring: Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Rosamund Pike, Edgar Ramierez
Studio: Warner Bros.
Rated: PG-13