SkyfallMovie Reviews


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Avg. Critic Score: 81 out of 100 Universal acclaim Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
13 Iffy for 13+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 100
    Entertainment Weekly | Lisa Schwarzbaum

    The third starring the totally captivating cool cucumber Daniel Craig as Agent 007 - is both an elegy and a mission statement. It's also a great, long-lasting jolt of pleasure. Read full review

  • 90
    Wall Street Journal | Joe Morgenstern

    We need 007, even after half a century of his ups and downs in various incarnations, to remind us how deeply pleasurable an action thriller can be. The latest addition to the Bond canon goes beyond thrilling into chilling and enthralling, plus a kind of stirring that has nothing to do with martinis. Read full review

  • 90
    The Hollywood Reporter | Todd McCarthy

    Dramatically gripping while still brandishing a droll undercurrent of humor, this beautifully made film will certainly be embraced as one of the best Bonds by loyal fans worldwide and leaves you wanting the next one to turn up sooner than four years from now. Read full review

  • 88
    Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

    This is Bond like you've never seen him, almost Freudian in his vulnerability. And a dynamite Daniel Craig, never better in the role, nails Bond's ferocity and feeling. Read full review

  • 88
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    With a powerful jolt, 007 feels relevant again, with serious questions about espionage vs. cyber hacking amid the fun. Read full review

  • 85
    Movieline |

    Working with the great cinematographer Roger Deakins, Mendes also presents some stunning sequences of beauty in a film where you might not expect such a thing. Read full review

  • 80
    New York Daily News | Joe Neumaier

    Though a notch below "Royale," Skyfall follows that reboot's lead, making a now 50-year-old icon as cool as when he began. Read full review

  • 75
    San Francisco Chronicle | Mick LaSalle

    Skyfall is a different kind of Bond movie, one that works just fine on its own terms, but a steady diet of this might kill the franchise. One Skyfall is enough. Read full review

  • 75
    Philadelphia Inquirer | Steven Rea

    Skyfall is certainly the most cultured Bond film to come along in some time. It's also the first of the three Craig endeavors to seriously (and wittily) acknowledge its pedigree. Read full review

  • 50
    Boston Globe | Wesley Morris

    These are truly tedious stakes for an action movie. The franchise isn't worried about world safety. It's fretting over whether to start wearing Depends. Read full review

View more reviews for Skyfall on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says Iffy for 13+ Bond returns for more racy, action-packed thrills.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that Skyfall is a thrilling, entertaining, and -- as you'd expect -- frequently violent entry in the beloved James Bond franchise. While not as gritty/dark as star Daniel Craig's last two go-rounds (Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace), Skyfall has all of the ingredients that longtime Bond fans have come to count on: sex scenes that are suggestive but not explicit, frequent sexual repartee, guns, fights, big explosions, car chases, some cringe-inducing injuries and deaths, and constant peril. There's also some drinking and swearing (one "f--k," plus "s--t" and more) and some almost flirtatious-feeling scenes between Bond and the main villain. And, of course, the requisite product placement for everything from Aston Martin cars to Tom Ford clothes.
  • Families can talk about what makes James Bond "cool." Is it his skills? His attitude? Do you consider him a role model? What makes him so appealing (and enduring) in general?
  • Is the Bond franchise still relevant for today's sensibilities? Does Skyfall advance it or keep it in the past?
  • Does Skyfall use drinking and smoking to support or take away from the Bond franchise's appeal?
The good stuff
  • message true1 Positive messages: While espionage and conflict/violence are glamorized throughout the Bond series, in this installment, loyalty, tradition, and the notion that "right trumps might" prevail.
  • rolemodels true1 Positive role models: James Bond often relies on violence to accomplish his goals, is frequently driven by revenge, has his share of vices, and has been known to choose iffy ways of resolving problems, but he's devoted to his employer, MI6, and to keeping the world's safety in balance. His mentor, M, may seem prickly, but she respects him highly. The villain is incredibly malicious and seeks to hurt for sport and vengeance.
What to watch for
  • violence false4 Violence: Though not as dark/gritty/bloody as Quantum of Solace, in true Bond fashion, there's nonstop action mayhem, with a strangling, gunfire, point-blank shootings, an execution, huge explosions, hand-to-hand combat, stabbings, car/train crashes, the works. A character removes shrapnel from himself with a knife. Characters die from falls, being eaten by hungry animals (not shown explicitly), gunshots, and more.
  • sex false3 Sexy stuff: Lots of sexual innuendo and sex scenes in the shadows -- literally, with couples in darkness in scenes that show Bond's bare chest and/or a woman's naked back. Kissing. Some scenes between bond and the villain feel flirtatious as well.
  • language false3 Language: Infrequent swearing includes one "f--k," plus a few uses of "s--t," "damn," "c--k," "hell," "bitch," "for Christ's sakes," "bastard," "buggered," and "bloody."
  • consumerism false4 Consumerism: Brands seen early and often include Rolex, Aston Martin, Audi, Sony Vaio, Range Rover, VW, Heineken, Tom Ford, etc.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false2 Drinking, drugs and smoking: A martini, shaken (not stirred), makes an appearance. Bond also drinks other alcohol frequently in some parts of the movie, sometimes with the apparent purpose of getting drunk. Social drinking at parties and restaurants. A woman smokes a cigarette.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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Exclusive Features

Cast Interviews Exclusive Cast Interview Daniel Craig talks about doing things differently and making the Bond film he always wanted to make while Javier Bardem chats about what drew him to play the villain and Bond Girls compare their scenes with 007. When Can I Watch James Bond Movies With My Kids? Sexual innuendos. Shaken martinis. A license to kill. At first glance, the staples of Sir Ian Fleming’s lethal literary creation don’t seem suitable for kids. However, there’s a campy side to the long-running film series. But where do you start and at what age, if at all? More Films on Fandango's Awards Watch