I am not the biggest Bond fan. I found his version of a spy a bit more flash than substance. As a child of the Bourne generation, I felt Bond had been a relic of an older generation, with a more contemporary assassin to take his place. It did take a few years, but now it appears Bond has a few tricks up his sleeve while Bourne might be on the rocks. Skyfall is not only a great Bond movie (my favorite since GoldenEye), it is a great spy thriller, and one of the better movies of 2012.
Mr. Bond (Daniel Craig), after a thrilling opening sequence, failed to complete his mission, got shot, and is left for dead by M (Judi Dench). M has new problems to deal with. MI6 has been attacked by an unknown terrorist and is being pressured by former agent and superior Mallory (Ralph Fiennes) to retire before her reputation is tarnished. Through the trial we learn about M’s past with a man named Silva (Javier Bardem), who was once as beloved an agent as 007. When Silva comes back into the picture, the history of both 007 and M gets brought back into the picture.
The Bond franchise made a bold choice using Sam Mendes as a director. Mostly known for smaller intimate fare like American Beauty, Mendes brings his pedigree for hurt characters and infuses MI6 with them. Bond get a literal hole and a figurative one with his haunted past. M has demons and burdens that can be seen behind her stoic figure. New characters Mallory, Silva, and Eve (Naomi Harris) each have something that makes them fallible.
Making fallible characters is fine but in the end we know Bond is going to find a way back on top. This is where the screenwriters deserve Skyfall’s highest praise, and give us something I hope the Bond franchise does more of: they put characters around Bond in peril. Silva’s past is with M, not with Bond. Bond’s psyche and relationships are tested, not the man’s life itself. Because only Bond is indispensible to this franchise, this gives Skyfall greater stakes than in the past. As a result, Judi Dench is given significant screen time for the first time, which pays dividends when the climax arrives. Bond’s climaxes are usually go big or go home, but by focusing the attacks on a few characters we care about, the explosions have more resonance no matter how big they are.
With the focus on other characters, Skyfall short changes Bond a little bit. Craig does play hurt very well, and hopefully more of his past pain will bubble to the surface. Javier Bardem makes a great villain whenever he plays the role. This one is not as menacing as Anton Chigurgh, but a much lighter version of the Joker with more of a personal vendetta with MI6. Dench and Fiennes bring royalty to their roles, and Naomi Harris has fun with the evolution of her character. Unfortunately, some of the subplots in Skyfall result in other characters being shortchanged. Adele’s opening is a more colorful version of David Fincher’s Dragon Tattoo opening, but still very stylish and cool.
Hopefully Skyfall represents a new direction for James Bond’s character. Instead of building the conflict around a physical battle, the movie builds around his personal conflicts like friendships and motivations. These effects usually leave a greater impact on the viewer. Skyfall isn’t the right title for this Bond movie. It should be Sky High, since that’s the trajectory the franchise is headed.