It’s been just over a decade since Sam Mendes’ beloved James Bond film, “Skyfall,” debuted in theatres and grossed $1.108 billion worldwide. Bond (Daniel Craig) faced off against a devastatingly effective terrorist, Raoul Silva (Javier Bardem), who was hell-bent on destroying MI5.
“Skyfall” was a huge success with both audiences and critics, earning a 92% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, compared to a disappointing 63% rating for its 2015 sequel, “Spectre.” Despite the fact that Mendes directed both films, he believes “Skyfall” is the superior of the two. The director spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about how a production delay on “Skyfall” aided it in the end as he had more time to work on the script.
Mendes stated: “These films are extremely difficult to create. We had the time to go down blind alleys and try things like the [scrapped Bond/Silva team-up] during those 10 months of downtime, and that’s when the script really turned around.”
However, Mendes did not have that luxury the second time around, and it had a significant impact on the script. “And that time was not afforded to me when we made ‘Spectre,’ and you can see the difference in the script,” he continued.
The 2015 film followed Bond as he investigated the enigmatic Spectre organization, which funded a new intelligence programme for the UK that allowed them to conduct illegal operations without being investigated. Not to mention the plot twist that linked Bond’s family history to the film’s villain.
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