Film Review: SkyFall

“The Best Bond ever!” I’d heard the reviews say. That’s a lot of hype to live up to. Hype like that can end up spoiling a film you may otherwise have enjoyed just from expecting too much from it.

So I was cautious when I went into the cinema, trying to hold back my expectations just a bit so that if it wasn’t the best Bond ever, but was still an enjoyable Bond, I wouldn’t be too disappointed.

Maybe I should declare allegiances from the start. I already thought Daniel Craig has been the best Bond of the series. This probably has more to do with the tone of his movies than the actor. They are much more dark and gritty than most other Bond films (My second favourite Bond is Timothy Dalton whose films also toyed with taking the series in a more gritty direction).

I had loved the fact that Quantum of Solace picked up the plot thread from Casino Royal and really hope the Quantum organisation will feature in future movies (not every movie, it was wise for them to not play a part in Skyfall  but I think they can pop up every so often).

One thing that always bugged me about old Bond was how self contained each film was. Events in one film very rarely had effect on future films (there were a couple of exceptions). Today’s audience expect more from their film series. They want to become emotionally involved in a character and see them grow over several films.

This doesn’t have to be in such a direct way as Quantum did it though, and SkyFall, I think, manages this in a way that leaves the film completely accessible even if you’ve never seen a Bond film before. There are events in this film that will have an effect on the status quo in future films. Both on Bond’s character and the wider fictional universe he inhabits. I can’t mention what they all are, of course, without spoiling the film.

One thing I can mention though (It’s been in all the trailers after all) is that Q has finally been introduced into this rebooted Bond universe, and he’s played to perfection by Ben Whishaw. He may be young (Bond comments on his spots) but he plays it as a mature man trapped in a young man’s body. He may be a computer wiz but he’s no teenage hacker stereotype, much preferring a cup of Earl Grey to a can of energy drink and this works really well for his character and his chemistry with James.

 

Chemistry is a bit lacking with the traditional “Bond Girls” though.  His fellow agent, Eve, lacks the usually fiz you get between Bond and his leading ladies and the only character with lines we actually see him bed, Sévérine, is in and out of the picture so quickly she’s hardly worth mentioning.

You get the feeling these women were only included to fulfil the requirements of the bond formula after all the real leading lady of this movie is Judi Dench’s M.

Never before has Bond’s boss featured so much or as such a crucial part of the plot in a Bond film. Her past comes back to haunt her in the form of an ex-agent who’s a bit bitter about how he parted company with his employment.  Judi Dench has always made the most interesting on screen M, from her first appearance back in Goldeneye. The fact that she was the only actor to carry on into the reboot shows just how valued her performances have been in the short bits of each film she has featured in.  Here she really gets to shine though. She is in the film almost continuously from the half way point. Trying new twists to the formula like this is what the series needs to keep doing to remain fresh.

 

The Villian of the piece, Silva, played by Javier Bardem is probably the only villain in Bond’s recent history with any depth of character. Javier’s performance complements the script to allow you to believe in the character and his motivations. Other bond villains have wanted money or power but Silva wants revenge. It’s personal and that always makes for better viewing.

 

You’ve probably heard, but this year marks the 50^th Anniversary since the release of the first Bond film “Dr No”. Skyfall film was littered with references to celebrate that fact, lines about old gadgets “What were you expecting? An exploding pen? We don’t really go in for that sort of stuff anymore”

To the appearance of a certain classic Bond car (complete with Gadgets)

 

It also references the source material. Unlike the books the films have never really gone into Bond’s history, until now. Particularly in reference to Bond’s childhood in Scotland (see, The role of Bond was one where Sean Connery’s accent wasn’t as misplaced as you might of thought... unlike when he was a Russian submarine captain with a Scottish accent) all these references are nice touches to reward the long-time bond fans.

 

So was it the “Best Bond ever!”? It’s actually hard to tell. There are a LOT of bond films. Some of which I haven’t seen in about 15 years so I think it might be unfair to proclaim this without doing a marathon of all Bond films first. I will however say it’s defiantly Daniel Craig’s best Bond film and it also beats all of Pierce Brosnon’s films. That’s as far as I’m willing to commit for now.

 

Maybe I’ll try and do a Bond marathon  at some point and get back to you with a definitive answer.