Dropped by Robert Miller
PG-13, 2 hr. 25 min.
Action, Suspense
Directed by: Sam Mendes
Written by: Robert Wade, John
Logan, Neal Purvis
Starring: Daniel Craig, Javier
Bardem, Judi Dench
Naomie Harris, Ralph Fiennes
Released: November 9, 2012
MGM
“Name’s Craig . . . Daniel Craig.”
The James Bond franchise has had more faces to its namesake than Batman, and when you’re dealing with such recognizable characters like those, it’s surprising the amount of suspension of disbelief required of the audience. James Bond has gone from Scottish debonair, to Australian model, to a string of calm, cool and collected English and Irishmen. How does a single character remain so popular over the course of 50 years? I think it has much more to do with the concept of the character himself, than the many different faces who portray him. The reason Bond outlives even the real-life actors is the fact that we truly believe he will never die, and that all of the women, cars, gadgets, shaken martinis and cold killings will continue on even as the films die out.
We’re currently in the Daniel Craig era of Bond, which started with 2006′s Casino Royale, a highly-acclaimed re-invigoration of the ongoing series that adapted the first published James Bond novel of the same name. Directed by Martin Campbell, who previously had his hand in other bond films, Casino Royale largely did away with the apparent cheesiness and predictability that came with Pierce Brosnan’s Bond and started a darker, grittier era with a fair-haired, blue-eyed, more troubled lead. And while 2008′s Quantum of Solace was sort of a setback in terms of a quick, thoughtless follow-up to Casino, 2012 presents Skyfall, a dramatic Bond film with a fantastic villain, breathtaking visuals and a torn cast of characterrs.
Director Sam Mendes has been responsible for a number of visually appealing and witty films, having won an Oscar for 1999′s American Beauty, and now, at the reins of 007 for the first time, Skyfall not only brings the franchise back to its exciting roots but also throws a spoke in the wheel with a dark past and action sequences so deliciously stark it’ll make your eyes pop. There are times when No Country for Old Men cinematographer Roger Deakins just seems to be showing off, and I think anyone experiencing it in a big-screen setting should be able to forgive the indulgences. Also, what is this mysterious “Skyfall” and what does it have to do with Craig’s Bond? Who is this new, well-dressed villain (Javier Bardem), caressing Bond’s leg as he’s tied to a chair? And is that Grammy-winner Adele singing the traditional opening Bond number with a haunting and moody atmosphere? You’ll have to find out a lot of that for yourself, because some of the fun in going to a movie is pure discovery.
Daniel Craig, starring as iconic spy James Bond, stands next to an Aston Martin DB5.
What I will tell you about Skyfall is that it finds James Bond slightly out of commission, nearly down for the count. Similar to this year’s superhero hit Dark Knight Rises, we find our generally strong, dashing, heroic lead beaten down and working on the incline. In this film, ‘M’ (Judi Dench) is sort of a catalyst, as the past haunts both her and Bond. All of MI6 finds itself up against a deranged criminal mastermind, Silva (Bardem), who uses the agency’s own secrets against itself. Much like Heath Ledger’s The Joker, or even Bardem’s own role in the Coen brother’s No Country for Old Men, antagonists have often received a surprising amount of praise over their protagonists, and this film is no different. While Craig has supplied us with a bare, cold, calculating Bond, Bardem has also given us a convincingly enthusiastic sociopath, all worth watching for the thrill of the classic high-speed chase.
The film certainly tries to twist a bit of the predictability of the series by making Bond a little less than flawless, giving him a rugged Scottish beard, and throwing him into a “hi-tech-less” world in the explosive finale. Simultaneously, it diligently tries to pay its dues to the franchise’s tropes via expensive vintage cars equipped with Gatling guns, signature cocktails, pressed tailored suits and more. Sometimes, these nods come off as a bit too forced, as if Mendes and the writers—Neal Purvis, John Logan and Robert Wade—were held at box-office gunpoint to make sure they had sex scenes, one-liners and Bond paraphernalia to boot! At least for me, it’s moments like those that sort of keep the film out of reach from the “best 007 film ever!” claims that have flooded in since its release date. Then again, Sean Connery’s original on-screen portrayal of Bond was back in 1962, making this 2012 release the “official” 50th anniversary. So maybe obliging long-time fans of the spy series what they expect isn’t such a bad thing after all.
It may not be Casino Royale, but Skyfall is certainly one of the better Bond movies in recent history. Giving franchise fans what they’ve always wanted, and movie enthusiasts a real conflict to root for, Skyfall wins in many different categories, presenting us a believable Bond world—one where the state of MI6 is in question, and a thought lingers in everyone’s mind: What’s next for Bond? And after five full decades of exploring this (sometimes) two-dimensional character, that is probably the smartest question the series could think to ask itself.
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Watch the trailer for Skyfall below:
