Skyfall Review

Skyfall is both retro and modern, it carves a new canon for the series and long-term fans may be slightly confused by the mixture of new faces, old names and when exactly this story is supposed to be set. Thankfully these puzzling points are not too detrimental to the film and easily forgettable once it picks up speed.

An impressive opening chase scene ends with a mission failure and the unprecedented seeming death of Bond. The following title sequence is classic Bond fare, enhanced but not deformed by modern CGI and special effects. It centres on the apparent death of Bond and a wound sustained in the opening chase. Whilst it’s obvious that Bond is not dead the opening credits suggest a more metaphorical demise and this is where the film gathers most of its intrigue.

Casino Royale was a success partly because of a bond with character development for once, rather than just smug suave swagger. Skyfall takes that development further with an even colder, more pissed off man than was left at the end of Casino Royale. He understandably feels betrayed by MI6 and takes something of a holiday whilst the organisation suffers crippling dramatic events weakening their position.

With the end of Casino Royale signalling the death of love for Bond, Skyfall explores his only other emotional connection, and that’s with the longstanding M. The closest thing to a mother figure for Bond, she finds herself pushed to her limits as MI6 crumbles and her past decisions come back to haunt her. Judi Dench’s acting is exceptional and engaging throughout, and she stands definitively as one of the shining highlights of Skyfall. 

A complete antithesis to Bond takes up the role of villain and yet their circumstances are awfully similar. The crucial difference being that Bond didn’t break under the strain of his experiences whereas the villain we see most definitely has. Javier Bardem plays the insane former agent Silva with a mesmerizingly malicious quality. He’s effortlessly calm and creepy, almost comical with a childlike demeanour wrapped in psychopathy. He is a villain not without logical justification and his scenes with M are hypnotic yet unsettling to watch. Whether the film tops Casino Royale is a debate worthy of its own entire article but I think I can safely say that Silva takes the prize over Le Chiffre and whoever that guy in Quantum Of Solace was.  

Wounding and rebirth are definite themes as Bond’s eventual return is less than a flawless transition. We see an imperfect bond having to re-master his skills and this is another unprecedented first for the long-running series. Sure we’ve seen Connery and Moore fumble with jetpacks and inflatable fedoras or whatever but never has Bond had to go back to the basics, and Skyfall is at its core, a stripped back basic James Bond.

Shaking not stirred, License to spill, i could go on...

That said, the production values are no less than you’d expect from a bond film. The difference is that here is a more focused production rather than a film simply with money thrown at it. The soundtrack is a significant stand out point of the film and it knows almost all the appropriate moments for suspense, silence and nostalgic hints of the famous theme.

There are also plenty of memorable, globe-trotting action scenes that keep the pace of the film up without crossing into meaningless, tensionless territory.  Many action films recklessly plaster themselves with non-stop stunts and not a single reason to care about them. The 007 films are not an exception to this rule, but Skyfall knows when to hold back and when to push forward, making it a far more accessible venture than Daniel Craig’s first outing but not suffering from being dumbed down like his second. Overall this is a far more thought out production than the prior Quantam Of Solace, which felt simultaneously bloated and shallow. 

The film’s cinematography is very strong with well-considered framing and lighting providing for some iconic images especially in the later scenes. The entire second half of the film is a masterful blend of past and present, coming as close to Bond’s own childhood past as possible whilst tying up this trilogy of prequels with an innovative and inspired conclusion.

There is very little to fault with the film’s theming and technical execution, the only real negatives to draw from Skyfall are regarding where the series goes next. Bond is essentially complete in terms of character development, fully realised as the cool, calm killer we’re used to.  How many times it’s possible to innovate and truly challenge Bond on more than simply physical levels remains to be seen.