When a hard drive containing the names of 100 NATO spies is stolen, James Bond (Daniel Craig) is sent to retrieve it, at any cost.
On the trail of the culprits, 007 discovers a threat that hits too close to home. Now that his past is catching up with him, he’ll face an even more uncertain future.
We say, Skyfall is the best Bond ever.
TAYLOR: Our special guest tonight is actor, producer and resident Bond expert, Dan Toolsie.
TOOLSIE: I liked it. No time is wasted getting to the action, the first eight minutes or so is a non-stop, “oh my goodness that just happened,” action sequence. But, after that, I found if you wanted to know why anything was going on, you had to pay very close attention to everything that happened and remember each little hint.
HOWE: I agree with you on that, I loved Skyfall. Bond movies really do set the standard for action films these days, and one thing you have to keep in mind, they do a lot of old-school filming. They hardly rely on CGI for their special effects, for example in the opening chase scene they used over 30 Audis, 20 odd Land Rovers and a couple of motorbikes.
TAYLOR: Daniel Craig is my favourite Bond, because although the stories are still fantastic, he and his modern treatment of the character are more realistic. Bond is a pill popping alcoholic womanizer with an attitude problem and a license to kill.
He’s not cheeky, he’s not cute. He’s got problems. As for Skyfall, I liked its ability to nearly mask the fact that my butt would’ve preferred a shorter film.
TOOLSIE: This installment is not without its traditional Bond flavour. There were a few one-liners that had me laughing, Bond finding himself in the company of exotic women and a fancy British car that, well, I don’t want to ruin it for you. I was hoping I’d see some new 21st century gadgetry in this one but I didn’t.
HOWE: Javier Bardem gave a great performance as the bad guy, Silva. He felt like an old time baddie, the whole movie felt old yet modern.
Even the opening theme tune they got right this time, going back to their roots, having the powerful Adele sing rather than some naff pop group.
TOOLSIE: For fans of the books, like myself, there are a couple allusions to Bond’s past, such as his parents and his history in Scotland. It also dives deep into the storied relationship between 007 and M.
TAYLOR: This film unfolds a Bond drama that we’ve never seen before and that not only creates a realistic excitement but sets up future films as well. I wouldn’t have changed a thing, it’s nearly perfect.
Taylor gives Skyfall four Q’s out of five.
Howe gives it 4.5 scorpions out of five.
Toolsie gives it six out of eight possible Walther PPK rounds, but that’s classified.
Skyfall is playing at the Landmark Cinema 7 in Penticton at 7 p.m. and 10:10 p.m.
Brian Taylor and Peter Howe are movie reviewers from the Okanagan.