Review of Skyfall (2012) by John A — 04 Dec 2014

::SPOILERS:: What is it about Skyfall did I find the most staggering? Lets see Roger Deakin's vibrant visual style?, Sam Mendes' singular directorial edge which shines through in every aspect of this production. Daniel Craig's consistently multifaceted portrayal of Bond which never shows signs of Craig phoning it in. Javier Bardem giving the Bond franchise a villain on a par with Heath Ledger's Joker by level of sheer madness, and ruthlessness. Judi Dench really sinking her teeth into her performance as M delivering a solid tour de force. The thoroughly unexpected twist surrounding Bond Girl Eve played with an irresistably steamy allure by Naomie Harris Is it essentially the breathtaking action sequnces which will be ingrained in the consciousness of Bond fans forever.

No, what staggers me the most about Skyfall is how genuinely personal the story was for all characters concerned. For Bond it's being faced with the possibility that he is beyond his prime, and his efficacy as an agent. M is being confronted by her greatest failures, and how it comes back twenty-fold on MI-6. How Raoul Silva is an agent betrayed by someone he trusted, and held close as a surrogate parental figure. A relationship echoed between M and Bond. It is indeed haunting when Silva observes how M sends Bond into the field knowing full well he might not be up to the task. It has the audience wondering truly did M push to have Bond sent out to insure another mistake gets killed, OR was it because she trusts Bond and knows that he will push past his limitations to get the job done. There is a genuine sense of vulnerability all the way through Skyfall to the point that the final showdown in Bond's childhood home truly feels like a desperate last stand. This effectively creates a sort of tension never before seen in a Bond film.

It's also nice to know the creative learned from their mistakes in Die Another Day and this time creating a 50th anniversary film that actually feels reverential and fresh as opposed to the fanwank-fest that their 40th anniversary entry displayed. Skyfall intends to show us that Bond is still the standard that all other action heroes are compared and even when his adventures get silly or outlandish, Bond is still the prime example of debonair action hero, and it will indeed be a long time before another one comes along to even remotely compare to it.