Review Detail

Skyfall is, by some margin, the absolute worst Bond film ever made. For this edit to make it watchable would be no inconsiderable achievement, but the fact that it actually comes out as an enjoyable couple of hours is testament to the editor’s skill.

In addition to cutting all of the illogical digs at a man in his early-40s being an old fart, the editor has also made the film feel much more like a proper Bond movie. The plot is somewhat more coherent, the villain feels more menacing and Craig behaves considerably more like a secret agent rather than a puffing old gizzard who everybody wants to retire.

The quality of the edits are seamless and, despite being presented with a stereo soundtrack, both the audio and visuals are comparable to the original, even when viewed with a decent AV setup.

The only real problem lies in what no editor can fix - that awful third act where Bond cooks up the most ridiculous plan in the history of the franchise. If I had the skill to be a fan editor, I’d be tempted to decimate this entire part of the film. Problem Elminator has taken a more subtle approach which has certainly made it less painful to sit through, but I’d have liked to have seen a few more ruthless cuts here (not least to the buttock-puckeringly embarrassing Home Alone sequence).

After despising Skyfall both in the cinema and on Blu-Ray, I can now finally enjoy watching it as a decent part of Craig’s highly variable story arc. If you hate Skyfall, you should absolutely give this edit a watch.