It's been a big week for 007. First, during the Olympic opening ceremony, England's most famous spy dove out of an airplane accompanied by the queen. And now, we're getting a fresh look at Daniel Craig's latest turn as the grittiest James Bond to date, thanks to a new full-length trailer for Skyfall, the 23rd entrant in the legendary franchise. Skyfall is directed by Sam Mendes (American Beauty) and premieres Nov. 9. The new two-and-a-half-minute trailer (watch it below) reveals more plot elements than the broody teaser before it, shows Bond as a rough-and-tumble super-spy who swills tequila, and gives us plenty of "moody lighting, gun fighting, nail biting, and henchman fighting," says Chris Davies at Slashgear. Here, four things critics are buzzing about:
1. Bond dies… and comes back to life
The clip "fleshes out a storyline that has been a source of huge rumor and intrigue," says Slashgear's Davies. Right off the bat we see MI6 honcho M (Judi Dench) writing 007's obituary, followed by a sniper picking him off from atop a moving train, causing the apparently dead Bond to fall several stories to the water below. But "you can't keep a super-spy down," and the secret agent somehow comes back from the dead to pursue a stolen hard drive containing a list of England's undercover MI6 operatives. Clearly, resurrection seems to be a central theme.
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2. Javier Bardem plays a super-creepy bad guy
This film has a "higher caliber of talent involved than ever," says Oliver Lyttelton at Indiewire. In addition to the reliably excellent Craig and Dench, Skyfall boasts Ralph Fiennes (Harry Potter, Schindler's List), Naomie Harris (28 Days Later), and Oscar-winner Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men), who plays a "blonde, leering" villain. At one point, Bardem is contained in a "Hannibal Lecter-style glass cage," perhaps staking an early claim as one of the most memorable Bond villains ever. And somehow, says The Washington Post's Jen Chaney, Bardem manages to look "even weirder" than he did in No Country for Old Men.
3. Skyfall has a hip new Q
Q, the genius scientist who designs all of Bond's deadly toys, is played by English youngster Ben Whishaw. But is the reimagined Q too young? It looks like the gadget guru "designs guns in between recording sessions with his pop-punk band," says Jordan Zakarin at the Hollywood Reporter.
4. It should be better than Quantum of Solace
"We've needed our faith restored a little" in the Bond franchise after the "disappointing" Quantum of Solace, says Indiewire's Lyttelton, "and this [film] seems to be taking us places we've not been with the character." Movie-goers hope Mendes can recapture the thrills of Casino Royale. And based on the new trailer, at least, "there's very little not to like here."
Take a look:
