2. Sparing Use Of CGI
After the Pierce Brosnan-era Bond films having their cake and eating it too with regard to bombastic, elaborate visual effects sequences - notably the horrendously overblown water-skiing scene in Die Another Day - Casino Royale was like a slap in the face, a refreshing turn towards simplicity and organic stunt-work for the most part, very much in tune with its more gritty and realistic approach. Quantum of Solace indulged a little more in CGI - notably for the elaborate shot in which Bond and an assailant fall through a glass roof - but on the whole kept to the same key; Skyfall is very much the same, for while there are a few noticeable green-screen shots, the majority of its thrills - namely the Shanghai sequence and the finale - look very much in-camera for the most part. Much like Nolan's films, Mendes' work does a huge credit to practical effects over fielding it out to a render farm; thus, we consciously are more engaged with the action when it seems real, rather than if it is a digital creation.