Review of Skyfall (2012) by Andrew M — 21 Apr 2014

Before the release of Skyfall, Daniel Craig's iteration of James Bond was in a bit of hot water. On one hand, the hugely successful Casino Royale managed to jump-start the Bond franchise after the absurdly silly Die Another Day. However, the follow-up to Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, was ultimately a disappointment among fans of the franchise. Then, four years and several financial problems later, Skyfall returned Daniel Craig's Bond to the big screen in full force. Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the James Bond films, Skyfall's thrilling action sequences, smart writing, and brilliantly fleshed out characters.

Skyfall opens with a James Bond staple: an amazing action sequence that hooks you from the very beginning. In this case, Bond and fellow MI6 agent Eve chase a mercenary named Patrice, who has obtained a computer hard drive containing a list of undercover NATO agents. The fight soon moves to the top of a moving train, while Eve lines up for a sniper shot. Despite not having a clear shot, Eve is ordered to take a shot by the head of MI6, M. The shot misses Patrice and instead hits Bond, presumably killing him.

Despite the nature of this event, this is not a major spoiler. After all, what would a Bond movie be without Bond? Months after his disappearance, Bond returns to London after hearing of a terrorist attack on MI6 headquarters. Ultimately out of his element in terms of his athletics and gunplay, Bond is assigned to identify Patrice's employment, recover the stolen hard drive, and eliminate Patrice. What follows is a tense mission that not only requires Bond to delve into MI6's past, but also a past he never expected to encounter again: his own.

Skyfall's screenplay poses some interesting questions, particularly regarding the actual need for espionage. As Q says, "I can do more damage on my laptop, sitting in my pajamas, before my first cup of Earl Grey than you can do a year in the field." If that's the case, the need for espionage really is put at stake. The best thing about Skyfall's script, however, is the development of its characters, specifically M and Bond himself. There's only been a handful of Bond films where he's shown genuine emotion, but Skyfall easily trumps them all. This is seen heavily as the relationship between Bond and M is put to the test.

After two films, it seems that Daniel Craig has finally come into his own as Bond. He's the gritty, dark character that he was in Casino Royale, but he's never too gritty, or too dark. In fact, Craig manages to balance the edginess of his past roles with more wit and charm. If Sean Connery's charisma and Timothy Dalton's grit had a lovechild, you'd have Craig's Bond. Judi Dench also manages to put out her best performance as Bond staple M. Her banter with Craig's Bond is really something, and she ultimately feels like the "Bond girl" of the movie, despite the casting of Naomie Harris and Berenice Marlohe as Eve and Severine, respectively (regardless, they both are brilliant).

The real show-stopper, however, is Javier Bardem. Despite it's fame in cinema, the Bond series has never had a hugely popular villain, aside from Blofeld and Auric Goldfinger to some extent. Bardem, who plays Raoul Silva, could most definitely add his name to the list. Sporting strangely blonde hair and his Spanish accent, Bardem makes for a delightfully creepy adversary. Rounding out the supporting cast is Ralph Fiennes as Gareth Mallory, as well as Ben Whishaw as a brilliant iteration of Q.

Not only is Skyfall one of the best written Bond films, it's one of the best looking as well. Director Sam Mendes, along with Oscar-nominated cinematographer Roger Deakins, brings a great visual style to Skyfall. Settings are lit with stunning lights and atmosphere, particularly the beautiful locations of Shanghai, Scotland, and Macau. The fights are beautifully choreographed, the atmosphere is masterfully created, and the film overall is wonderfully executed, thanks in part to the aforementioned Roger Deakins and composer Thomas Newman. With all of this in mind, Skyfall is not the only the best Daniel Craig film to date, but also the greatest Bond film to date. That four year wait? Totally worth it.