Arguably one of the most anticipated and talent filled Bond
films has finally arrived, bringing with it great critical and fan acclaim,
something that makes a difference after 2008’s misstep with Quantum of Solace, which closed out the
story that had begun two years earlier in the magnificent Casino Royale. Now we are back with a more experienced and worn out
Bond, who has to face up to truths about his past, his future and his
relationship with M.
Daniel Craig returns in his third outing as Bond, and now
given a much better script and story to work with, he returns to the level we
saw him reach in Casino Royale,
giving us a more balanced character, demonstrating the charming gentleman, but
also the cold blood killer as well, they also introduce an idea of substance
abuse into the character. Less drugs I imagine, more alcohol and womanizing,
maybe. Craig has always strived to give us the most fully formed version of the
character, similar to what Timothy Dalton did with his run in The Living Daylights and Licence to Kill. The moments where we
get the most interesting parts of the character come during an assessment of
Bond early on, as well as the long, not in a bad way, climax of the film,
details of which I will keep quiet on.
By now, all the criticism of having Craig as Bond must be
nothing more than an old joke, he may not have dark hair or be as obviously
attractive as Pierce Brosnan, few are if we are being honest, but like I said,
he gives us an interesting Bond, one that we can largely relate to, is fallible
but one we desperately want to see succeed.
A few weeks before the release of Skyfall, Sam Mendes referenced the effect that The Dark Knight had had on the development of the film, due to it’s
success in being a big action film, but one that offered up ideas to think
about and also pushed serious character development to the forefront of the
film. Here that influence is easy to see, whilst the main development is
naturally with Bond, we get a fair bit of information and time with M, fleshing
out a role that normally only garners five to ten minutes to screen time at
best. Structurally, there is also
a number of similarities between the two films, especially when certain moments
or plot points happen and very similar points in the film, as before I won’t go
into details as it could give away spoilers.
As with most action films, the strength of the film can rest
significantly on the shoulders of the villain and how good he or she is. In
this case, the always brilliant Bardem is the one charged with making Bond, M
and the whole of MI6’s life very difficult as electronic terrorist Silva. He
doesn’t at first have the traditional quirks of Bond villains, such as
deformities, although the blonde hair is as unsettling as Donald Pleasances’
Blofeld from You Only Live Twice.
Easily one of the best villains of the whole Bond series,
Silva is a calculating and merciless man who does terrible things, some of
which we see, some we only hear of. But at the same time, he is emotionally
damaged, not overtly but it’s always there, as well as vulnerable and deeply
affected by his own past. The biggest compliment you can pay Bardems
performance is that the film picks up significantly once his screen time
increases.
The action in Skyfall returns
to the less Bourne-like style of Quantum
of Solace, to more of the Martin Campbell style of Casino Royale, where the action is brutal, but is well shot. Well
shot is probably unfair on Sam Mendes and Cinematographer Roger Deakins, who if
there is any justice in the world will surely get at least a nomination from
the Oscars for his work. A fist fight in Shanghai is so brilliantly shot and
choreographed that it could almost be taken on it’s own as a piece of art.
The story at times does struggle to keep it’s momentum going
for the first half of the second act. The pre titles sequences and twenty
minutes that follow after it are great, especially the character moments
between Bond, M, Q, Eve and Mallory. But from then up until Silva really
appears in the film, it is a bit sluggish, as they try and pin together the
opening and a character from then to the main plot. But as previously mentioned, once Silva appears and we return
to England, or Bond does, then the film picks up and runs with everything it’s
got to the end. The characters get more complex, their pasts exposed as the
action and stakes are raised considerably.
With talk of the next film already being in production, it
will be interesting to see who they will get to come on board. As there are
some significant boots to fill for all those who may be involved.
Time to bring in Blofeld maybe?
