After the confusing world-saving/personal-revenge conundrum that was the plot of 2008's Quantum of Solace, this new film wisely dials back on the scale. This time around, it's not the entire world that's threatened, but MI6, Bond's employer. Many in England's government are now beginning to believe that MI6 is incompetent, outdated, and no longer necessary- and it doesn't help that 007, by far their best agent, is believed to be dead after a mishap during his last assignment. Things get worse when Silva, a former agent of MI6, begins blackmailing, exposing, and killing other operatives in a personal attempt to humiliate M, the head of the operation. But, of course, James Bond is alive and well, and he returns just in time- but Silva is a manipulative villain, and to stop him, Bond will have to confront his own past in addition to M's.
A common complaint of Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace, Daniel Craig's first two outings as Bond, was that their gritty tone and emphasis on realism & character development clashed badly with the fun-filled formulaic stories of their predecessors. Well, I believe those critics have now been satisfied. Though Skyfall still has the successful tone, style, and personality of the prior films, it also brings back a lot of the fun, and resurrects some the Bond franchise's clichés with fresh twists that work very well with the Craig films' style. Silva is very much the wisecracking supervillain that we expect from a Bond bad guy, but he's got some depth to him: his backstory, where he was abandoned by MI6 and tortured to the point of attempted suicide, is incredibly tragic; and he has the deformity that's required of most Bond villains, but it's far more hidden, and far more horrific, than anyone who's come before him. As for other classic tropes, like Q, Moneypenny, shaken (not stirred) martinis, "Bond... James Bond", the Aston Martin, the distinctive MI6 headquarters, that iconic inside-the-gunbarrel shot... well, without spoiling too much, I can definitely tell you that you'll have seen them all return by the end credits.
The cast of Skyfall is made up entirely of pure talent. At this point, we all know that Daniel Craig is a great Bond and Judi Dench is a great M, but this film is the first to show the true depths of the characters and, by extension, the way their actors portray them. Bond is noticeably warmer in this film than in the last two, more prone to quips & smart remarks, and showing genuine caring for some people- quite a bit closer to the James we all know and love. Again, I don't want to spoil anything, but the location of Skyfall's denouement - and the source of the film's title - has a personal connection to Bond, and it reveals a deep side of him that we have never seen before. M, so long before a stern and imposing figure, has more tenderness to her here, with a heartrending scene in the beginning where she tries to write Bond's obituary, and a climax that she spends injured and in pain- giving her some rare vulnerability.
The villain, Silva (Javier Bardem), is one of the most entertaining bad guys of any movie released this year. He's devilishly clever, even more witty than Bond himself, and is somehow able to be both creepy and funny at the exact same time. Witness a scene where he suggestively comes on to Bond, opening up his legs, putting his hand on Bond's knee, and remarking, "There's always a first time for everything, isn't it?" It'd be disturbing, but his behavior makes it funny, and Bond's response ("What makes you think it's the first time?") defuses it into hilarity. And when Silva's not funny or scary, he's... sad. Throughout the film, Silva tells several stories of his past, and they are uniformly depressing, showing a lonely and abusive life. The fact that he describes them with the same passive, mildly amused expression as always makes them all the worse.
Bond's less alone than usual, as he has a wide array of other MI6 members backing him and M up (CIA member Felix Leiter is a no-show this time around). Eve (Naomie Harris), another agent and Bond's partner for the movie's first half, is a great character, showing just as much fortitude as Bond in the field, but displaying a lot more enjoyment and humor in her work. Once you find out just who she is, Eve becomes even cooler. Q makes his debut in the new series with Skyfall, and rather than the foppish old man of the prior continuity, our new Q is a young and handsome geek (Ben Wishaw), with lots of enthusiasm but also some inexperience and naivete. Neither he nor Ralph Fiennes' character, Mallory, show up much, and thus they don't have much depth, but they do make up an interesting, important part of the plot.
You wouldn't expect Sam Mendes, who has previously directed only quiet dramas, to be particularly skilled at directing action movies, but he sure as hell is. Every big scene in Skyfall is memorable, from a fight atop a collapsing train, to a fistfight inside a Chinese gambling ring, to a massive shootout on the grounds of... well. You'll see for yourself. The scenes are filmed well, giving us enough time to understand what's going on while still keeping us on the edge of our seats. Just as importantly, every one of these scenes also has a tinge of humor to it, which adds a ton of personality and keeps things from getting too gritty, even if danger's at its peak.
Special mention ought to go to Adele's theme song for the film, also called "Skyfall". Ordinarily a film's opening credits aren't really something important to mention in a review, but Bond movies have always prided themselves on far-out, psychedelic openings with superstar singers, and "Skyfall" ranks among the absolute best of the entire franchise. If there was anyone out there who was born to sing a James Bond theme, it's the soft, sultry Adele, and wow! She pulls it off! The cryptic and vague lyrics, combined with some astounding visuals (such as guns turning into gravestones or some remarkable images created from "blood" moving through "water"), put this Bond song (this "Bong"? ...no, let's not) right up there with "Goldfinger", "Live and Let Die", "A View to a Kill", and Casino Royale's "You Know My Name".
I've spent nearly all of this review comparing Skyfall to its 22 predecessors. That was inevitable. Everyone has seen a James Bond movie, or at least seen a parody, homage, or summary, and there's no way to look at any new ones without also looking back on one's memories of the old. In that respect, Skyfall succeeds wonderfully, blending classic Bond with a brand new style, but the really interesting thing is how well the film succeeds on its own. You could sit through all of Skyfall without having ever seen another James Bond movie, and you would never be lost or confused. So, basically, this is a movie for absolutely everyone. So go see it!
Stars: ****
Awesome
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