Skyfall
It's the 50th anniversary of everyone's favourite spy, no not Jason Bourne but same initials. James Bond has returned and is better than ever.
After a critical disappointment called Quantum the studio had gone into bankruptcy and the future of the james bond franchise was put into jeopardy, but when MGM sorting out its money problems the new bond film, Skyfall, was green lit.Oscar Winning british director Sam Mendes takes the reigns on this 23rd Bond adventure which can basically be described in one simple word, classic. What this new Bond adventure does for the character is reignite it for a new generation and also gives throw backs to the old, classics of the Sean Connery era.
The film starts off with an excellent pre-title sequence where Bond and fellow agent Eve have tracked down an assassin who has stolen a hard drive containing the names of Nato agents of M16. The chase leads all through Istanbul, from car to motorcycles across rooftops to a fight on top a moving train. The sequence is also inter-cut with footage of M16 headquarters, this gives more screen time for both Judi Dench's M and Tanner played again by Rory Kinnear. The other agent, Eve, is played terrifically well by 28 Days later alumni Naomi Harris. The seen ends where Eve is forced to "Take the Bloody shot" by M in order to stop the assassin from escaping. She ends up shooting Bond. When Eve proclaims her failure over the intercom, M is the one who takes it the hardest, you can tell as she stares solemnly out into the rain. This is where opening credit sequence begins, with the rain turning into the moving current that carries Bond from his fall off the train to the depths of the ocean.
On first viewing I was a little taken aback. This is by far the darkest opening credit sequence in Bond history but thankfully original credits animator Daniel Kleinman returns after his role was taken over by MK16 for Quantum. I was disappointed by the title sequence for Quantum, it felt too real. I like my sequences with more of a fantasy feel and less of a realistic rust. That's why the title sequence for Skyfall I loved. It went back to having strong connections to the movie and not just for show. Hints are dropped here and there about the overall arc of the story and some of the locations. The graveyard and the spooky house with deer statues in front of it. We even get an early glimpse of the villain, similar to Eva Green's appearance in Casino's opening credits (blink and you'll miss it). It all connects with the overall theme, tone and arc of the movie, even the song does too, which finally gets back to including the title in it. The song, Skyfall, is sung brilliantly by Britain's top musical icon Adele. When you first hear it, if you have not listened to it a hundred times like I have, you with get a chill down your spine and you may very well cry near the end. It is the swan song for the kind of swan song that Skyfall represents. One more thing to note there is more of a female presence in this credit sequence. Bond has female hands pull him down into the water, one of them I thought defiantly reminded me of Adele, a nude sexy girl does finally appear and a woman pointing a gun, this sequence was very cool cause it then drew us into the barol of the gun and out into another sequence consisting of burning target sheets of Bond. Then came the chiniese dragons breathing fire. By far my most favourite, and the most interesting, out of the Daniel Craig era of Bond credit sequences.
Back in England, about 4 months later, M is writing Bond's obituary. She has trouble writing, she is unsure of what to say. M, played by Judi Dench, has grown very attached to Bond. She first appeared in the early 90s along side newcomer at the time Pierce Brosnan in GoldenEye. At that time she was not afraid to send a man out to die and gave one of the best descriptions of Bond in ages, "I think you're a sexist, misogynist dinosaur. A relic of the Cold War, whose boyish charms, though wasted on me, obviously appealed to that young woman I sent out to evaluate you". Judi Dench then continued the role for the next 5 movies, going also through a change in Bonds from Pierce Brosnan after Die Another Day (2002) to Daniel Craig of Casino Royal (2006) and now her feelings have changed towards Bond, she cares for him more. That is why in Skyfall Judi Dench gets to dig in deep, M is the main female lead in this film, a first in the franchise history and a great one. M is under scrutiny for her skew up in Istanbul and by hand of the PM is being put into early retirement. Gareth Mallory, the head of the new security defence, is played amazingly by Ralph Fiennes. It's exciting to see him in the role, seeing as where the role eventually leads its real exciting. When Gareth mentions how M has had a long history of helping protect her country it can be seen as praise for what Judi Dench has done with the role for the last 6 films in the series. In Mallory's terms, her country has the highest respect for her and she should retire with dignity. M, on the other hand, feels she shouldn't leave MI6 in worst shape then she found it. On return trip to MI6, the headquarters is hacked and an explosion rocks the building. This leads Bond to come back out of hiding.
After Bond goes through all the tests and exams M puts Bond back on duty. During his time in the new MI6, an underground bunker, he has a moment with Eve, poking fun at her shooting skills. She stifles back, "You better keep moving" continuing the humour. Bond then meets Mallory after a tense psychological exam where Bond calls his current female boss a bitch and storms out after mention of the word or name Skyfall.
Now Bond is back in the field. And after giving Tanner some pieces of shard from where the assassin shot him, they learn of his identity and where he'll be next. This segment is the first to be similar to when Batman took the bullet fragment out of the wall, this time though it is defiantly more believable. Tanner's mention on how he obtained the information is, I believe, a little reference to Felix Leiter (who is out this time round). In this film Bond/Craig really shows how much he worked. There is a great segment where he follows an assailant to the top of building and holds on for dear life while holding on to the bottom of the elevator that said assailant is on.
What is best about Skyfall is how all the characters connect. Bond meets Bond girl Severine through the assailant (Patrice) with a game chip he found in Patrice's bag and upon finding Severine he is then led to Silva, the villain of the film. As far as Severine goes the actress who portrays her, Berenice Marlohe, is excellent. She gives her character the right mix of mystery and sexual appeal. She's amazingly divine as the latest in bond women. And before I forget actors Naomie Harris and Ben Whishaw play characters Eve, a new secret agent, and Q, an updated version for the 21st century. Eve is a very appealing character and makes for an interesting bond girl, her character has quiet the twist near the end. The new Q is fantastic, his banter with Bond is something that has been missing from the films since Desmond parted ways with the role back in the late 90s.
We then are finally barren witness to the appearance of Javier Bardem as the villain Silva. He is classic villainy all the way through. He tells a creepy story about how him and Bond are the last two rats/survivors of the old world and that they could eat/kill each other or work together. In the end, we learn, while Bond has Silva's attention too, Silva's main target is M. He has bodyguards, his own island, and a mistress, who Bond makes love to in an intimate shower scene. Javier Bardem is by far the best bond villain of them all. Javier gives Silva huge emotional range, he is just fantastic in the role and the blonde hair does start to suit him.
With the villain now introduced and his plan revealed the 2nd act gets on its way, giving a chance for the new Q to shine. Another surprising bond reference is given when Silva talks of his past to M. A lot of references to the old bonds pop up here and there.
Eventually with some excellent chase sequences through the london underground and a stand off at an enquiry hearing Bond kidnaps M. Yes, you heard right. This can then be put that M is in fact the true Bond girl of this picture, her character finally has more importance than a mother;y figure sitting behind a desk.
The 3rd act culminates in Scotland where we are treated to a good deal of history in Bond's past. An excellent finale, with mixtures of both Home alone and Apocalypse Now.
Comparing to Dark Knight Rises, Skyfall does something different, instead of doing what Rises did, they do the opposite. Closing the door and now finally setting all the key players in they're respective roles. Great Acting, interesting characters all round, a brilliantly realized story, a score thats done beautifully by Thomas Newman and the one thing that Bond needed, Class, makes Skyfall one of the best Bond films to date and the best action movie of the year. Yes, even before both Avengers and Rises.
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