A Closer Look at the ‘Skyfall’ Trailer

If you were like us, you were up unti the wee hours of the morning last week, waiting for the first trailer for 'Skyfall' to make its way online. If you were like us, you were blown away by what looks like one of the most intense and visually stunning Bond films in recent memory, if not ever. If you were like us, you went through the whole thing frame by frame, trying to pull as many details as possible from every shot. Well, if you didn't, we did all of the hard work for you. We took an insanely close look at the trailer for 'Skyfall' so you didn't have to!

Although no one has seen 'Skyfall' yet, we went through the trailer with a fine toothed comb and will be throwing out all kinds of theories and observations. Naturally, we may stumble across a spoiler or two by accident, so consider this your official SPOILER! warning.

There is one thing made immediately clear within moments of the trailer for 'Skyfall' starting: this is going to be the best-looking Bond film yet. No contest. After all, this the first Bond film to be shot by legendary cinematographer Roger Deakins. In fact, this made examining this trailer exceedingly difficult since we had to restrain ourselves from screencapping each and every shot. This film looks gorgeous. That's not a requirement for an action film, but it's certainly pretty darn nice.

The trailer opens with audio of Bond participating in a word association exercise with a therapist while we see scenes of his daily routine. The fact that we see Bond exercising and being given a psychological examination shows just how far we've come from the unstoppable Superman Bond of the Connery years. Some may take that as a bad thing, but seeing Bond evolve throughout the years has been fascinating.

A gorgeous shot, yes, but also a shot that shows off Daniel Craig's chiseled physique. Craig's Bond may very well be the first to be treated like eye candy, putting him in the same position as so many of his female conquests in previous films.

We catch a glimpse of a terrific moment here. Bond, in the interrogation room, glibly participating in his little Q&A...

...until he hears the word "Skyfall." His face immediately changes. This is not what he wanted or expected to hear. "Done," he says and he storms out. What is "Skyfall"? Why does it have Bond so spooked?

Here is Judi Dench as M, who has now had the role for 17 years and seven films. Next to her, looking pretty sinister, is Ralph Fiennes. You don't put Fiennes in a movie unless you have something for him to do, so that begs the question: what is Fiennes doing here? Is he a hero or a villain?

Classic Bond, eh? There really is only one prerequisite to being Bond: you've got to look good wearing suit and wielding a pistol.

Incredible foreign locations have always been a key part of the James Bond series and you don't get much more incredible than this. The best Bond films tend to feel like amazing travelogues interrupted by intrigue and action.

Another angle in the location seen above. We're putting it here because it's yet another incredible shot and it features Bond in his most classic look: the tux.

Here is the trailer's sole look at the new love interest, Eve, played by Naomie Harris. Sensuous shaving is just another in a long line creative sexual encounters this series has thrown at us. Does the red lighting suggest that this encounter is taking place at the location seen above?

You never saw Sean Connery run. He was like the Jason Vorhees of secret agents: he's walk, he'd stalk and he never seemed to break a sweat. Craig's Bond, on the other hand, runs. He runs a lot. He runs more than all of the other Bonds combined. Thankfully, Craig's cinematic running is pretty impeccable, second only to Tom Cruise.

People plummeting to their deaths is a common thing in Bond films, but this is the first Bond plummet photographed by Roger Deakins. Feast. Your. Eyes!

Ah, our first truly big "action shot" from 'Skyfall.' Something caused this subway vehicle to veer drastically off course and we're pretty sure it wasn't accident.

If advance buzz is to be believed, a great deal of 'Skyfall' will deal with Bond's relationship with M. In much of the Bond series, M has simply been the person to give Bond the details of his admission after the opening credits, but the character has been steadily growing since Dench took the role in 1995. Many Bond fans now consider her to be the best iteration of the character, even surpassing Bernard Lee's original take on the character. Are the rumors true? Is this going to be Dench's last Bond film? And will she survive?

Another shot we've selected just because it looks so cool. Craig's steely eyes are his best feature and his Bond films have taken terrific advantage of this.

Who is this mysterious figure walking so calmly away from an explosion? That is definitely not Bond's hair...could this be the main baddie, played by Javier Bardem? We don't see him anywhere else in the trailer. Hmm...

A terrific shot, but is that Daniel Craig? We're not so sure. That profile sure looks like one Mr. Ralph Fiennes. That begs the question yet again: who is he playing in this movie?

"Some men are coming to kill us. We're going to kill them first." What a perfect way to introduce the trailer's final montage of destruction! And a great line of dialogue, to boot.

Our first explosion in the trailer! Could this be the fire the mysterious figure was walking away from in that image above? Also, since this is a Bond film, this surely won't be the film's sole explosion.

Although Craig's stint as Bond has had its fair share of great action sequence, it's yet to have a truly memorable car chase (let's all forget about the truly incomprehensible chase that opened 'Quantum of Solace'). Could 'Skyfall' finally deliver on this front? Not to sound like a broken record, but this is Roger Deakins shooting a car chase. Who in their right mind doesn't want to see that?

Another thing that separates Craig's Bond from his predecessors is his vulnerability. Most past Bonds would be the ones committing the underwater strangulation, not vice versa. Note the red glow from the surface...are we still at the awesome location we say earlier?

Has it really been four years since our last Bond film? It's been way too long. 'Skyfall' hits theaters on November 9, 2012.