I finally got to watch Skyfall, despite
initial reservations resulting from Quantum Of Solace. It has managed to top both that
and Casino Royale, as many others have also said. This is basically the Bond
movie I was after, and has all the elements it needs to make it work well are accounted for. The problems that Quantum Of Solace had are not present here for the most part, largely due to an extended run time. Negatives
that I’ve pointed out with Skyfall are pretty nit-picky, so don’t worry about
those too much. Starting from a clean slate, the plot revolves around a list of British agents being stolen. Bond needs to find the list before it can be used against him, 'M' and the United Kingdom, but the foe- Silva- uses his advanced computer technology to remain one step ahead of James Bond whenever he gets close. However, it is soon found that Silva and 'M' have a history, and that Silva intends to seek his revenge upon her and the company. It's up to 007 and a few others to kill him before he can act upon his vengeance, and James needs to gather all his skills in order to do so.
It's clear from the characteristic opening chase
that the action is miles better than Quantum Of Solace’s. The jumpy, chaotic
editing and pace of the last films action scenes is abandoned in favour of less
frequent, more streamlined and ultimately more effective explosions mayhem. The humour that was missing from Quantum is strategically
re-injected here once again. Intense scenes would have become too
dense without a little lightening up with James Bond’s sarcasm. Daniel Craig
also scowls less in skyfall- which was his main expression through all of Quantum Of
Solace- and shows a much broader emotional range. The artfully creative opening credits
holds a few images and references to what happens throughout the movie; so keep an eye out for those. As expected, Judi Dench is
marvelous as ‘M’. She is given even more screen time and hands-on scenes, which
was refreshing.
Judi Dench as 'M'; I'm sure she needs to hunch over her desk in an authorising manner as much as Craig needs to take of his shirt in every movie. Probably in the contract.
The villain here is positively menacing and
completely intimidating. These traits where somewhat missing from the
antagonists of Casino Royale and Quantum Of Solace, and Silva is the
‘Bond-baddy’ I had envisioned from the beginning. What sold me was Javier
Bardem’s performance, as he becomes engrossed and convincing with this
unpleasant character. From his introduction, he is a nasty piece of work that
could- and does- give Bond a run for his money. Speaking of whom, Bond's
character is leaps and bounds more likable than he was in Quantum- an issue
that hurt the movie greatly as you can see in my review. There is a sense of
vulnerability to him, assisted by his very well written back-story. I’m sure I
wasn’t the only one wondering why the movie is called Skyfall; it is only
hinted at in the opening credits as well as another scene. Once we find out, it
was an “ooohhh right” type of moment (although maybe that was just me), and
turns out to be a very fitting title.
"THIS IS MY 'SHOOTING YOU IN THE FACE' FACE. SAY IT LOOKS WEIRD AND I'LL SHOOT YOU IN THE FACE."
Another issue that as been eleviated from the
previous installment is a longer runtime. Two and a half hours usually feels a
bit indulgent and stretched for me, but it is completely necessary here and
just flew by. More room is given between action and shooting for dialogue, with
stronger character development resulting. The two 'Bond-girls' are my favorites
so far. Eve, played by Naomie Hariis, is especially good, as is Severine
(Berenice Marlohe). I was expecting more of them though, but I’ll discuss that
later on. Predictably, my absolute favourite part of Skyfall involves a few Komodo dragons (that have been brilliantly digitally
rendered). Its short in comparison to other fights, but my love of monster
movies drove my likeness for this part. For me, it was also a vague throwback
to the original spy movies, where the evil guy would use animals like henchman
against the good-guy (Although they aren't Silva's, it just seemed reminiscent of that to me; think ‘mutated sea-bass’ from Austin Powers. ok maybe that's not the best example). In fact,
the chunk that takes place in Shanghai is very well done overall. One of the standout
scenes has a continuous zoom-in shot free of editing during a hand-to-hand
fight. Good choreography shows when no editing is needed to make it look
realistic.
The setting of the finale in Scotland.
I rarely do a review where I don’t mention
a films score, as personally it’s one of the first things I notice. Skyfall’s
is the best yet. It uses that Bond theme like it needs to- perhaps more frequently
which I liked- but the original sections are equally as exhilarating. Even
though I am new to the Bond movies, it’s clear that there are many references
to the series here. One that is fairly hard to miss was a vintage 007 car that
eventually gets destroyed- not that any car he steps into has a choice- but it’s
nice to look at and appreciate until then. The last thirty minutes or so is set
in country Scotland. Together with the almost gothic architecture, a
brilliantly melancholic and dark atmosphere is set for the finale. This is
where Skyfall’s amazing cinematography is on show, and this portion of the
movie is significantly more serious than anything preceding it. It has been
said by others before, myself included, that these last three 007 movies have
been darker tonally, but it's here where that is truly apparent and clear. It
works amazingly well; I really loved the whole finale.
Javier Bardem as Silva. There was some serious hair bleaching going on here.
Every movie has its negatives, but as you
might have guessed there aren’t many in Skyfall. One constant negative element
Casino Royale, Quantum Of Solace and Skyfall have in common is the underuse of
the so-called ‘bond-girls’. I might be wrong in this opinion, but I had
always thought they where more central in these movies. That may be the case in
the older ones, I’m not sure, but in Craig’s Bond films their roles are less
than I had anticipated. This may have been deliberate to separate these from
the rest of the series. Not to worry, it barely put a dent in what I clearly
believe is a solid movie. There where a few too many ‘nudge-nudge, wink-wink’,
corny one-liner heavy conversions between James Bond and Eve, I thought. Again,
I’m sure this is a throw back to the 007 movies more than anything else, which
explains why I didn’t quite get it or like it.
"La-di-da-di-da- HOLY SHIT JAMES BOND IS IN MY SHOWER WHAT THE HELL"
Many critics and long-time James Bond fans
are hailing Skyfall as one of the best of the bunch so far. From what I have
seen I wouldn’t hesitate in seconding that notion. Skyfall, as well as Casino
Royale and Quantum Of Solace, have managed to entertain me; someone who had no
initial interest in watching these movies. It’s a little unclear as to where
the series will go after this installment, but lets hope its just as good, if
not better than Skyfall.
4.5/5
Recommended classification: 12+ for
moderate action violence, infrequent coarse language and sexual references The official trailer for Skyfall:
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