Skyfall (2012)

After 50 years and 23 films, it looks like its time to carve a man out of the myth that is James Bond. Skyfall not only takes the franchise to one of its darkest, most reflective chapters but also gives real flesh and depth to 007 himself. Skyfall makes Casino Royale look like a joke… and I really liked Casino Royale. Director Sam Mendes takes the audience for an introspective journey and along the way he delivers both spectacle and, in conjunction with killer performances from the entirety of the cast, a real emotional core.

Skyfall scales down the adventure a little from some of Bond’s past exploits (fear not, its still nothing short of grand in scope), with much of the plot being centered around the ever mysterious ‘M’ and her role as both the head of MI6 as well as James’ Handler of sorts. A new threat has emerged in the form of a mole, who does not want money or power and who has not hatched some grand scheme involving impossibly large lasers. No, this is a villain who wants to take down MI6 from the inside. This is a person with a very serious desire for vengeance. This is most certainly the most personal James Bond plot regarding the mythos of both the character as well as the series' major tropes.

Daniel Craig’s third time round as Bond truly proves to be the charm, easily topping his previous episodes, bringing not only a sense of hyper-masculinity to the role, but a multi-layered deconstruction of what was previously only ever really a stock character. Craig’s subtlety is what sells this newfound depth, presenting a fragile man underneath the chipped and aging shell of a secret agent. The tough guy persona only serves to cover a vulnerability and this really removes 007 from this pantheon of mythic heroes and places him somewhere in the realm of a mere mortal… and this really is a good thing. As much as I have been against the tendency of Hollywood to simply grittify and dirty cinematic icons in an attempt to make them seem more personable and approachable (Read: I wish the Dark Knight Rises was actually a batman story), this newfound humanity casts a kind light upon this English super spy.

The supporting cast is also to be very highly commended. Returning champion Judi Dench as the mysterious M delivers in buckets, giving her best showing of the character to date. Series newcomer Ben Whishaw as the new quartermaster Q is extremely endearing and the contrast of this characters quaint nerditude (that’s totally a word now as far as I am concerned) against Bond’s stoicism is a joy to watch and something that will pay dividends in future installments. Ralph Fiennes makes an interesting and very welcome addition to the cast, bringing with him an interesting new dynamic. Finally, the villain Silva played by Javier Bardem is a true terror and absolutely a worthy foe- giving the audience a true nemesis to Bond. He is an enemy certainly worthy of 007's attention, especially because of the horrifying comparisons that can be drawn between the two.

 The only criticism I have of the film is a minor one. Whilst the score is very good (and Adele’s theme song extremely well suited), music could have been used a little more sparingly; at times it really wasn’t needed as Mendes strong visuals were able to carry the story on their own. Without a doubt this is the best-looking Bond movie and it has very little to do with the updated technology. It is evident that Mendes is an artist and unlike any Bond before this movie has images that are both striking and memorable examples of good cinematography. This film looks incredible and the use of colour is absolutely impeccable. It abandons atypical action movie style shooting in favour of some truly artistic cinematic choices that I believe will help set this movie apart in a franchise of very mixed artistic credentials.

I’ll keep this simple for you: Skyfall absolutely impressed me. To be perfectly honest, I went to this movie with no expectations. My dad is something of a James Bond fanatic but I did not allow myself to be caught up in his almost infectious excitement for this film. While he was beaming on the drive to the cinema I was being haunted by the thought that I could be about to sit through another steamer like Quantum of Solace. I am so glad that was not the case. Quite the opposite really. Skyfall proves that not only the character but the James Bond Franchise itself still has a story worth telling.

Alex

There is always a bigger rat.