Skyfall

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 Skyfall

If you’ve seen the trailers for the newest James Bond film, titled “Skyfall”, you might have assumed, like I did, that the title came form the shot of James Bond being shot and falling off the top of a moving train. He falls from the sky…No? Too much of a stretch? Okay, I apologise. Anyway, he plummets a long way to a surging river below, and if it were anyone else in that situation, surely they would have died. But not James Bond. So with MI6 thinking he’s dead, Bond takes some time off and chills out on a secluded island paradise. But when events soon force him out of hiding to do his duty for Queen and country, our hero proves that he still has what it takes, even after a few months of drinking and playing with scorpions.

Most moviegoers may not know this, but it was a struggle to bring the latest installment in the longest running franchise of all time to the screen. In fact, it almost didn’t happen at all. After the dismal “Quantum of Solace”, the studio which has produced every Bond film for the past fifty years, MGM, almost went bankrupt. In a deal that saved them, they resurfaced and got straight to business on the secret agents 23^rd outing. An interesting choice in director was announced with Sam Mendes, who splashed onto the movie scene in 1999 with “American Beauty”. And they chose him for a Bond movie? Well, he can handle action scenes well, and you’ll agree with me if you’ve seen “Road to Perdition” and “Jarhead”. Mendes is also a master at characterization in the midst of a heavy, dramatic story (see “Revolutionary Road”). So whether the story needed Sam Mendes, or Sam Mendes chose the story, the result either way was probably one of the best Bond movies ever made.

The villain this time around, is also one of the most complex and more nuanced characters to take on Bond in the whole series. Played to eerie perfection by the extremely talented Javier Bardem, who scared us all to hell in “No Country for Old Men”, he takes the audience into his sick and twisted world with immense skill and craft. His entrance into the film was also riveting to watch, and unusual as well.

The reintroduction of Q to “Skyfall” was a welcoming addition. He wasn’t evident in the last two films, and the portrayal of the gadget master this time around is generations away from the previous portrayal by Desmond Llewelyn, who played Q a total of 17 times up until “The World is Not Enough” in 1999. When that actor was killed in a tragic car accident in 1999, John Cleese stepped in for one turn as Q in 2002’s “Die Another Day”. This time around, it’s the young and talented Ben Whishaw who doesn’t dispense too many gadgets, but shows his smarts through his computer skills. He aides Bond immensely in the film and the dynamics between the two actors are entertaining. It will be fun to watch them share more scenes in future movies.

For a bit of a change, there isn’t so much of a focus on the women this time around. Whereas in previous installments, they would either be a one night stand, the good girl gone bad, or the girl just out of Bond’s reach, the parts of the women characters in “Skyfall” are small and simple, but still pivotal. However, in staying true to the winning formula, Bond shacks up with a couple of them for some steamy scenes, but as always, very little is shown, leaving the rest to our imagination because lets face it – James Bond is made for the kiddies.

I thought Daniel Craig’s performance this time around was fantastic, again. His portrayal of James Bond seemed more natural here than his last turn in Quantam and miles away from his debut in “Casino Royal”. Since it’s been six years when we first met him, Craig’s characterization of Bond carries all the scars and experience of an agent who is too far gone in the world of espionage and can’t be rescued. He is there to stay and simply gets on with the job.

For this review, I have tried to make a conscious effort in not giving away too much of the plot, as I’m aware I’ve done with previous reviews. I hope I didn’t spoil the film for you, but rather give you some of my impressions on what made it so good, and it was a very good film. To wrap things up here, I’ll just touch on the meaning of the title “Skyfall” again. It had nothing to do with Bond falling from the sky off that train like I guessed, but is instead in reference to a special location that takes centre stage later on down the track. This part of the film was an interesting turn of events and once again cemented this current Bond series as being different from earlier versions; essentially, it’s still about Britain’s greatest secret agent stopping the bad guys and saving the world, but our current run of films is certainly more grounded in reality. And get ready for a bit of a twist towards the end. That’s it from me.

In conclusion, Bond fans won’t be disappointed and new fans will find much to enjoy. Here’s looking forward to the next two installments with Mr. Craig. 


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