Skyfall
At last Bond hits his mark
Release Date: October 26, 2012
Director: Same Mendes
Starring: Daniel Crag, Javier Bardem, Judi Dench, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Wishaw, Naomie Harris, Berenice Marlohe
Plot: After being injured in combat Bond must come back from the dead in order to fight an adverary with roots closer to home than he realises, one who will stop at nothing to destroy MI6 and 007's boss M for perceived past crimes.
When one thinks of British film and
television, one can't help but immediately think of Harry Potter,
Doctor Who and of course James Bond. The 007 franchise, like any
other has had its ups and downs over the years. Most of these were
largely solved when Daniel Craig took over the lead role, the
campiness that had been increasing in recent years was largely
removed as was the over reliance on increasingly fantastic and
unrealistic gadgets. Instead 007 largely had to rely on his own wits
and minimal fire power in order to save the day
Skyfall is the latest installment in
this new breed of James Bond, following the rather disappointing (but
still, in my opinion, underrated) Quantum of Solace and features a
moodier more cynical James Bond . In order to distance itself from
its less than well received predecessor it moves away from the
Quantum storyline and instead focuses on an original storyline
focusing more on Bond's superior M and the film flourishes for it as
many people, including myself consider it to be one of the best
entries in the 50 year run.
Daniel Craig turns in his best
performance this time round, after being put out of action by one of
his own allies he returns from 'death' bitter, out of shape and less
compliant than ever, he is forced to undergo a rigorous fitness test
and in doing so we are rewarded with the rarely seen site of Bond
struggling, he isn't ready for the events of this film and as such he
finds it that much harder. Throughout the film we are shown hints
that Bond is passed his prime and that his time on the job is now
limited. This is perhaps best demonstrated in a fantastically
understated scene with Bonds new 'Q'uartermaster (ably played by Ben
Wishaw) and again when Gareth Mallory (Ralph Fiennes) reminds 007
that this “is a young man's game”. It begins to show the
potential for taking the series in new directions not seen before 007
is but a codename after all, Bond does not have to occupy it forever.
But as good as Craig was as the British
super spy it is Javier Bardem's charismatic villain Raoul Silva that
steals this show. Where Bond is understated Raoul Silva is over the
top, he is rarely seen engaging in physical combat so it is hard to
tell if he is truly Bond's equal but he is a new breed of villain,
one for the modern ages, as is mentioned in my previous post. He is a
computer hacker, arguably something far more dangerous than a mere
megalomaniac. He doesn't hold the world to ransom under threat of
nuclear strike, he doesn't want the world, he has a more personal
agenda. Bardem imbues Silva with a delightful flamboyance that really
makes him a joy to watch, though he doesn't appear until over an hour
into the film and arguably that means that he isn't really developed
as well as he could have been. He is first seen delivering a
wonderfully disturbing story about rats before borderline sexually
harassing 007, and this is one of those things which makes him so
interesting, is he gay? Or is he just trying to unsettle our hero?
Either way way it creates a dynamic between the two that continues
until the film's dramatic conclusion.
While arguably there is no Bond girl in
this film, well no main one anyway, neither of the other two could be
describes as main characters. The closest thing this film has to a
Bond girl is M herself! Promoted from instrument of exposition into
full fledged main character, she has finally been fleshed out into a
character we can all relate to...in theory, while I have no doubt
this would work for most people, I just find the character a little
bit too annoying to be tolerated as a field agent for the entire
film. I have felt that way since the days of Bernard Lee and I still
feel it now. Obviously I have nothing against Judi Dench, she is one
of the best actors of our time but I think M is meant purely as a
bureaucratic foil for 007 not as his sidekick.
The supporting characters are a blend
of fantastic and mediocre as both of the supporting Bond Girls are
bland and uninspiring, both are pretty yes but that is not the only
requirement for a bond Girl anymore and neither are really that
interesting. Even Naomie Harris, who is normally quite good as an
actress, was only more slightly watchable as Bond's junior agent and
soon to be series regular Even Moneypenny than Berenice Marlohe as
the latest Bond 'squeeze' Severine who is uninteresting and
underdeveloped, even compared to previous Bond Girls. Luckily neither
of them are around long enough to bring the film down. On the plus
side Ralph Fiennes, as per usual, delivers a stellar performance,
this time as Gareth Mallory the droll liason between MI6 and the
Government with more importance to the overall story than what it
initially appears. But even Ralph Fiennes is overshadowed by Ben
Wishaw who plays the new age Q. Since the early days I have always
loved the scenes featuring Bond's quartermaster who was played by
Desmond Llewlyn until his tragic death, and this new film is no
different. Though now they have decided to bring Q into the 21st
Century, gone is the cantankerous old man from previous installments
and instead we are treated to a young nerd, who is barely older than
I am. But it creates a fascinating dynamic between the two about
Bond's increasing antiquity compared with Q's youthful, technological
innovation.
Story wise the film seems fantastic on
first glance, and it actually is, but the more times I have seen it
the more problems I have with the narrative. For example, that rather
intriguing storyline about Silva attempting to release the names of
all undercover agents to the world is a plot line that could very
well be the main focus of a film, but it is casually discarded after
about fifty minutes in favour of the more traditional cat and mouse
game between hero and villain. Which brings me onto my second
criticism, throughout the film I couldn't help but draw many
similarities between Raoul Silva and Heath Ledger's interpretation of
the Joker in the Dark Knight, both always seem to be one step ahead
of the protagonist, both seemingly get caught and incarcerated only
to reveal it is where they wanted to be all along. However where
Silva's character falls short is in his overall scheme. He goes to so
much trouble hacking the MI6 system, stealing the names of those
aforementioned agents to discredit both MI6 and M, as well as being
purposefully detained before successfully taking Q's arrogance down a
peg or two as he manipulates MI6's own computer system into releasing
him...Only to walk into a crowded room and take potshots at M, it
seems like so much effort for a rather minimal payoff. However this
lack of sense is soon forgotten about when the narrative takes us to
Scotland and to Bond's childhood home 'Skyfall' for a beautiful yet
not overdone conclusion, Raoul Silva and Bond do not have a
traditional final fight, they do not trade blows in some perilous
location as has been done for fifty years previously, instead we are
treated to something a bit more realistic (arguably) and indeed
something which in my opinion is much more spectacular to watch
culminating in one of the greatest tragedies in Bond history since
his wife was murdered on her wedding day!
Overall the film is not without faults,
but it still remains one of, if not the greatest entry into a series
that has spanned fifty years and twenty three films. Through a more
grizzled take on 007 and a flamboyantly memorable villain this film
has breathed new life into a character who audiences, like the
characters within the film had begun to question whether or not he
still had a place in this world. I heartily recommend this film to
everyone...even if it were for the fantastic opening song by Adele
now the proud winner of a Golden Globe.
