Review of Skyfall (2012) by Stevenf — 19 Feb 2013

After 50 years, and 50 plus mistakes in Quantum of Solace, director Sam Mendes has delivered the home front of Bond movies, its big, bold, smart, and simply feels like classic Bond, while maintaining its more gritty and realistic approach to the genre.

It's got all the ingredients of the Bonds of yesteryear with a few spices added in, take out the disastrous films before we had the reboot, and they all cumulate in this,and what a thrill to behold.

An opening scene involving a thrilling chase through Istanbul already feels better than the opening of Quantum, its cleaner, crisper, and is relevant to the story which follows.

An attack on MI6 sets up a story that is perhaps one of the best Bond plots to grace the big screen, Judi Dench finds her true calling in this film, having a much more pivotal role as M, who is the target of estranged agent Silva, played creepily by Javier Bardem, perhaps not as menacing as his turn in No Country For Old Men, but certainly a nod to classic Bond villains, and the nods don't stop there. Q makes his return to the Bond universe, but in a very different, and in the younger form of Ben Wishaw, its Bond, but with its own modern spin ('What did you expect? An exploding pen?").

The set pieces are explosive and epic, a subway train tumbling through the roof was a particular highlight, but the climax in the old orphanage was superb, Sam Mendes pulled no punches in delivering an exhilarating finale, even with the inclusion of Albert Finney (The Bourne franchise).

There where complaints regarding the lack of chemistry between Craig and Naomie Harris, who played Eve in the film, but I personally seen this as deliberate to mask the eventual history behind Eve's character.

The friendly exchanges between Bond and Q are the real comedic points of the film, with Bond viewing Q basically as a mere schoolboy, Q soon proves his worth as the film progresses with the ongoing mission to identify Silva.

But it is really the relationship between Bond and M that solidifies her role as a central character within the bond universe, Craig and Dench do a brilliant job in playing the mother and son role which is rare to see for such a weathered franchise, and their friendship, albeit strained, his truly put to the test in Skyfall as M's past makes an unwelcome return. Was it better than Casino Royale, they are quite on par in my opinion, Casino Royale changed the rules completely but Skyfall did a wonderful job of enforcing them, while not trying to stray too far of the British spy's rich history.

Skyfall rips apart the armour of the previous films and creates a vulnerable and emotional film that doesn't hold back in piercing the chest with a mass of bullets, its true core lies within the history and relationship of the characters, and this film wipes the slate clean to make a point of saying that Bond is here to stay.