Where to begin with the latest Bond outing; Skyfall? Theres quite a lot if were going to be honest and not be lazy like I was with my review of "The Avengers".
So first off, lets start with the man himself. Because of MGM's financial state it was 4 years in between Craig's previous and recent adventures as 007. Do you remember in 2006 when the pitch for Casino Royale was to show a "young Bond": no Q, Moneypenny, just been given the license to kill. It's been that long that now members of MI6 such as Ralph Fiennes' Mallory are questioning whether Bond is up to the challenge anymore - "its a young mans game." Craig is impressive in this entry: frustrated by younger colleagues (Q, Eve), how his method of espionage is becoming outdated and by his own body - he's older, slower, weaker; Bond's out to prove himself. Fortunately Craig delivers, he more than proves himself (however I do hope that Craig's contracted 2 more Bond's come out sooner rather than later as he will look too old if we have an 8 year wait for them).
So that's the hero of the way, now onto our villain. When I heard that (the great) Javier Bardem was to be the antagonist I thought that he must have seen something great in the role for him to take it - Bardem appears to be the type of actor that carefully chooses his roles. What a good decision he made in taking the role. His bleached blonde antagonist is brilliant: creepy, camp, flirtatious, intelligent, monstrous. His malevolence is clear when he forces Bond to test his accuracy in one scene, the villain is solidified as a great movie-monster in a fantastic twist (SPOILER: I am quite concerned though that anyone younger watching a Bond film will identify disability with villainy - there is a lot of Bond villains like this when you think about it.) Bardem's Silva touches several boxes for a Bond villain, example island lair - check. This sort of incredibly layered villain is what Bond needs to be a compelling hero, which was a bit lacking in CR and was in QoS. Despite his wickedness there is a part of you that understands his lustful revenge for M, he is understandable and (devilishly) brillaint at the same time.
Next applause must go to Sam Mendes, throughout the film there is question of Bond's (and M's) way of espionage, whether they should still be remaining in the shadows and Mendes uses this recurring theme to his advantage - Bond is introduced by way of shadow, a brawl in Shanghai is a combination of illumination and silhouettes, the climax is surprisingly gothic. No angle or shot pulls you from the experience (the only one that came close was a Mendes trademark - the reflection off a car mirror - and that was just me noticing it, it wasn't off-putting).
Together with Mendes the work of cinematographer Roger Deakins must be mentioned. The film is incredibly beautiful to look at: the reds and yellows in Shanghai, the barren wasteland in Scotland, the details of oak tables in London, you just don't want to stop looking at it.
The script is also intelligent, for instance balancing clever references to what has came before: "we don't really go in for that sort of thing anymore", "oh go on, eject me!" with Silva's compulsory villian monologue about his nana and rats.
Praise must also be given to the fresh blood that has been drafted in on this film, Ben Whishaw and Naomie Harris are great support and will make fantastic contributions to the series. Berenice Marlohe is also believable as Severine and Ralph Fiennes does a lot with quite a thin role - looking forward to seeing him in the future.
Judi Dench as M must absolutely be mentioned, she has given the M role more depth than I thought possible, she has been a vital and brillant piece of this franchise and her chemistry with the films hero and villian are electric. In terms of plot this is M's film, the character is more involved than just the mission briefing than ever before and Dench is an enjoyable presence on-screen.
Furthermore the soundtrack is incredible, Adele may very likely become the modern era's Shirley Bassey which I am up for. Thomas Newman is also on his game here, incorporating notes and beats from Adele's track seamlessly.
Now at this point it appears that all I have to say for this film is praise but it does have its flaws. Theres the gaping flaw that Bond would have died in the first ten minutes: bullet wound, fall off a bridge, lost in a rapid. Still alive. Okay. Because thats possible. Truth be told this may be THE best Bond film, I personally believe that the standard was set by Casino Royale (yes there are others such as Goldfinger - and I am in dire need of rewatching it) but I find this film being just as good. Now the trick with all Bond films is how they age, this is its 50th year after all, we all know James Bond will return, he isn't going anytime soon so time will tell whether this film is worthy of a full 5 stars but at the minute it's certainly worth of a 4.75. Now I intend on going to see this again and if I believe I've been caught in the hype then I will alter my score but right now this is definitely one of the best Bonds which hits all of its targets.
4.75
So first off, lets start with the man himself. Because of MGM's financial state it was 4 years in between Craig's previous and recent adventures as 007. Do you remember in 2006 when the pitch for Casino Royale was to show a "young Bond": no Q, Moneypenny, just been given the license to kill. It's been that long that now members of MI6 such as Ralph Fiennes' Mallory are questioning whether Bond is up to the challenge anymore - "its a young mans game." Craig is impressive in this entry: frustrated by younger colleagues (Q, Eve), how his method of espionage is becoming outdated and by his own body - he's older, slower, weaker; Bond's out to prove himself. Fortunately Craig delivers, he more than proves himself (however I do hope that Craig's contracted 2 more Bond's come out sooner rather than later as he will look too old if we have an 8 year wait for them).
So that's the hero of the way, now onto our villain. When I heard that (the great) Javier Bardem was to be the antagonist I thought that he must have seen something great in the role for him to take it - Bardem appears to be the type of actor that carefully chooses his roles. What a good decision he made in taking the role. His bleached blonde antagonist is brilliant: creepy, camp, flirtatious, intelligent, monstrous. His malevolence is clear when he forces Bond to test his accuracy in one scene, the villain is solidified as a great movie-monster in a fantastic twist (SPOILER: I am quite concerned though that anyone younger watching a Bond film will identify disability with villainy - there is a lot of Bond villains like this when you think about it.) Bardem's Silva touches several boxes for a Bond villain, example island lair - check. This sort of incredibly layered villain is what Bond needs to be a compelling hero, which was a bit lacking in CR and was in QoS. Despite his wickedness there is a part of you that understands his lustful revenge for M, he is understandable and (devilishly) brillaint at the same time.
Next applause must go to Sam Mendes, throughout the film there is question of Bond's (and M's) way of espionage, whether they should still be remaining in the shadows and Mendes uses this recurring theme to his advantage - Bond is introduced by way of shadow, a brawl in Shanghai is a combination of illumination and silhouettes, the climax is surprisingly gothic. No angle or shot pulls you from the experience (the only one that came close was a Mendes trademark - the reflection off a car mirror - and that was just me noticing it, it wasn't off-putting).
Together with Mendes the work of cinematographer Roger Deakins must be mentioned. The film is incredibly beautiful to look at: the reds and yellows in Shanghai, the barren wasteland in Scotland, the details of oak tables in London, you just don't want to stop looking at it.
The script is also intelligent, for instance balancing clever references to what has came before: "we don't really go in for that sort of thing anymore", "oh go on, eject me!" with Silva's compulsory villian monologue about his nana and rats.
Praise must also be given to the fresh blood that has been drafted in on this film, Ben Whishaw and Naomie Harris are great support and will make fantastic contributions to the series. Berenice Marlohe is also believable as Severine and Ralph Fiennes does a lot with quite a thin role - looking forward to seeing him in the future.
Judi Dench as M must absolutely be mentioned, she has given the M role more depth than I thought possible, she has been a vital and brillant piece of this franchise and her chemistry with the films hero and villian are electric. In terms of plot this is M's film, the character is more involved than just the mission briefing than ever before and Dench is an enjoyable presence on-screen.
Furthermore the soundtrack is incredible, Adele may very likely become the modern era's Shirley Bassey which I am up for. Thomas Newman is also on his game here, incorporating notes and beats from Adele's track seamlessly.
Now at this point it appears that all I have to say for this film is praise but it does have its flaws. Theres the gaping flaw that Bond would have died in the first ten minutes: bullet wound, fall off a bridge, lost in a rapid. Still alive. Okay. Because thats possible. Truth be told this may be THE best Bond film, I personally believe that the standard was set by Casino Royale (yes there are others such as Goldfinger - and I am in dire need of rewatching it) but I find this film being just as good. Now the trick with all Bond films is how they age, this is its 50th year after all, we all know James Bond will return, he isn't going anytime soon so time will tell whether this film is worthy of a full 5 stars but at the minute it's certainly worth of a 4.75. Now I intend on going to see this again and if I believe I've been caught in the hype then I will alter my score but right now this is definitely one of the best Bonds which hits all of its targets.
4.75
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