Before Skyfall came out, we
didn’t know what to expect. We weren’t totally sure what the film was about,
either. All we knew was that EON was intending to kick Bond’s 50th
off in style. One of the chief indications of this was by hiring Sam Mendes are
director. Mendes was known more for character driven dramas like American
Beauty and Road to Perdition than he was for action, so there were some who
were skeptical of him being chosen. Not me, as I was too busy shouting
“INSPIRED DECISION!” Next up, the studio started hiring some of the best
technicians in the business, and enlisted some of the best actors currently
working such as Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes, and Albert Finney. Naturally, we
all got excited, but I don’t think any of us were ready for how much this would
change the way we look at the series.
Throughout this retrospective,
you’ve probably noticed me bring up Goldfinger a lot, usually in the case of
comparison. So, with how much I hold the other films up to its standards, you
might assume it was my favorite. As a matter of fact, it’s not. For that honor
is held by Skyfall, which is just about the most perfect blending of everything
I already love about Bond, and every new road I wanted it to go down.
Thrilling, rich in character, suspenseful, funny, superbly acted, terrifically
directed, and flawlessly produced, Skyfall is not only a fantastic James Bond
film. It’s simply a fantastic film!
In this film, Bond is believed to
be dead for months after accidental friendly fire, leading to a criminal
escaping with a flash drive containing the identities of agents placed in
criminal organizations around the globe. And after an anonymous attack against
MI6, Bond, who it turns out wasn’t dead, returns to Britain to resume service.
The only problem (or should I say problems) is his physical and mental damage,
rendering him less invincible than in previous features. Nevertheless, M, who
is being pressured into retirement from service, clears him for duty. Following
the trails laid out for him, Bond eventually comes into contact with the flash
drive’s current possessor Raoul Silva, a former agent of MI6 believed to have
been dead for years, but has been plotting revenge against M for her past sins.
The whole film can be summed up
with the overused, but still poignant “Old dog, new tricks.” Turns out, this
one phrase works its way into nearly every aspect present in Skyfall. This
sticks out the most from a screenwriting perspective. I don’t know if I can
think of any other film in the series which is so faithful to the original
traditions of Bond, and yet so completely different at the same time. Maybe
Casino Royale, but not like this. Of course, we still get the same wit and
excitement that we crave from 007, but this film creates a different kind of
mixture. Not only do we hear about portions of Bond’s life, we’re practically
shown the conditions of how he grew up. This film makes more of an effort at
diving into his psychological state than any other title I can think of. For
Daniel Craig, this is his shining moment of the franchise, and this is the Bond
that everyone deserves to see. Beneath the typically icy exterior of Craig lies
a glimpse of a subdued pain, backed up by great writing and an excellent
performance, before he completes his evolution into the Bond that we all know
and love. On top of that, the movie also touches into his almost maternal bond
with M, with Judi Dench also providing her best work in the series. That
doesn’t mean we lose any of the beloved staples, mind you. In fact, the film
pays the proper homage to all these classic fashions, whether it’s the obvious
Aston Martin or the lesser known pen grenade. And the fact that this film
finally introduces Moneypenny and Q into the new timeline doesn’t hurt.
When it comes to direction, none
of the others films even come close to how stellar this movie is. I seriously
go back and forth on whether I consider Skyfall or Road to Perdition as Mendes’
best film. Worries on whether he could handle action were obviously for naught,
but the reason the studio’s choice was so inspired was because of Mendes’ best
quality: His focus on great characters and great performances. He focuses on
what he should be focusing on, getting the best performances from his cast. His
sense of pacing, his control with character, and his ability to extract every
ounce of potential out of this movie as humanly possible, while paying proper
homage to the old staples of the Bond series, is just phenomenal. Mendes (who
worked with Craig on Road to Perdition) is a professional with actors, and the
ensemble cast that he has to work with is stellar to the last digit. People
sometimes liken his style for this film to The Dark Knight, which Mendes
apparently drew inspiration from in making this movie, but I just don’t see
that influence at all. Maybe one or two beats feel similar, but aside from
that, I think it’s superficial. This is a Bond film through and through, told
with an original vision, and considering Christopher Nolan admitted to drawing
influence from the Bond saga for his Dark Knight trilogy, the influence feels
even less obvious.
Best of the cast? For me, that
distinction belongs to Javier Bardem as Raoul Silva, a character who many
regard as one of the better Bond villains. In my opinion, I think he’s THE best
Bond villain, and the main reason is because of his motivations. He’s not in
league with a major organization or driven by petty goals like wealth or world
domination. His goals are much more intimate and personal. This is simply a man
who’s been scarred by past events, betrayed by the people he trusted most, and
now seeks revenge against the cause of it all. Are his methods extreme?
Absolutely, there’s no denying that, but the movie at least helps up to
understand and sympathize with the pain that he’s endured. And Bardem just
nails the character right on the head. He’s intelligent, conniving, malicious,
and at times, he’s even funny. If I’m not mistaken, I heard he even improvised
that entire story about the rats on the island his grandmother owned. That is
some genius acting.
Just like in the writing and the
direction, old dog new tricks even works its way into the technical elements.
This is how a Bond film should be made. With great photography, gorgeous sets
and costumes, great sound design, catchy music, and top notch practical action sequences
with little to no digital manipulation (they couldn’t really film alongside scorpions
and komodo dragons, could they?). That’s the short version of it, but each
element deserves more words than just that. Dennis Gassner’s sets and Jany
Temime’s wardrobe do a great job at emphasizing place and character. Chris
Corbould is smart to favor on set effects and miniatures for the action, and
only rely on CG when necessary. Scott Millan and Greg P. Russell had a hard job
trying to fit Karen Baker and Per Hallberg’s stellar sound design and Thomas
Newman’s slick score in, but they pulled it off with finesse. Of course, the
one person no one can stop talking about is DP Roger Deakins. With good reason,
for this is some of his greatest work to date, and the best use of digital
photography I can think of. Nobody does lighting or photography better than he
does, and the angles, shadows, zooms, pans, and close ups outshine any DP
assignment in the past few years, minus The Tree of Life. Simply put, it’s the
best looking Bond ever.
My eyes got huge and my jaw gradually dropped when I saw this scene.
Finally, I’ll bring up the other
popular element from this movie; Adele’s title song. This is the best song I’ve
ever heard written for a Bond film because, again, it takes a very
old-fashioned approach, but gives itself this sense of style that many of the
other songs can’t boast. It’s a work that feels fully original, but you can
still see the influence she drew upon, such as the jazzy sway of “Goldfinger”,
the classy modernization and epic build up of “You Know My Name”, and the
memorable beauty of “Nobody Does It Better”, while also using Monty Norman’s
original Bond theme in the background progressions. With the melancholy melody,
the thematically linked lyrics, and Adele’s soulful voice, it’s just a perfect
song to me.
This song. Is. PERFECT!
All of this was no less than
Skyfall deserved. The end of the film hints at a return to the old mold of the
classic Bond films, but after this movie, I don’t think I ever want to go back.
I want to see them continue to try new things, break out of the norm, get some
fresh ideas on the table. Oh well, maybe the future will surprise me. Casino
Royale was such a fresh and elegant treatment to give Bond, and this completed
the evolution of the character with flying colors, becoming a smash hit.
Critics lauded it, it became the new highest grossing Bond film ever, and it was
only the third Bond film to ever win an Oscar. Two actually, as it won awards
for Sound Editing and Original Song. It’s considered one of the best, and it’s
my personal favorite. Every time I watch it, I like it even more than the last
time. It’s a film that stays with you long after it’s concluded. Bond’s 50th
anniversary couldn’t have been started on a better note, and it left us hungry
for what would come in the next 50 years. It pleased longtime devotees, and won
over new fans. This old dog does, in fact, still have new tricks up his sleeve.
***** / *****
Thus concludes my marathon of the
23 James Bond films. I’ll make one last post tomorrow with my thoughts on how
far the franchise has come, and my excitement for the future. I’ll also be
ranking the films and the Bonds, and listing the top five villains, Bond girls,
and songs.
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