More or less Spoiler Free
Someone once described James Bond films as pantomime. The audience already know the story and the characters. They even have some idea of what the set pieces will be and even a good chunk of the dialogue. Instead of looking for originality, they seek familiarity and the producers must be careful to balance any departures from tradition with sops to it.
Skyfall has the luxury of being released in the fiftieth anniversary year of the first canonical Bond film. As such, it has a little more freedom than most outings to directly reference the past. Expect shaken vodka martinis drunk in casino bars, Aston Martins, tuxedos and exploding pens. Some might feel this is slightly over-done, a touch too obvious, but the presence of the franchise paraphernalia allows Skyfall to depart from the usual formula and offer up a darker, more intimate story that still takes place very much within the familiar Bond universe.
Skyfall follows the traditions of recent action movies by filling in the usually blank background of its universe. MI6 is represented not as an International Rescue-cum-Justice League organisation but as a harangued government department that must justify its existence. M is not an anonymous benign overseer, but a pragmatic senior civil servant engaged in crisis management. Most importantly, Bond is not an omniscient superman, but an experienced and damaged field operative approaching the end of his career. Of course, this should not be overstated, Skyfall owes more to Spooks than the Sandbaggers. Nevertheless it is a film where despite the usual explosions, rooftop chases, assassinations and considerable damage to property, there is a definite feeling that someone somewhere is doing the paperwork and managing the insurance claims.
The film focuses on Bond’s relationships with the fixed points and certainties in his life: MI6, England, M and alcohol. Sex, being transient in Bond’s world, barely features. Yes, there are two Bond girls and no, he does not spend the film in a state of chastity, but except in the literal sense, there really is not very much in the way of steamy love scenes. Furthermore, Skyfall is a fairly poor showcase for Bond’s ability to save a damsel in distress, at one stage he appears genuinely uninterested in the fate of the latest femme fatale, despite her unusually tragic backstory. Even where the film’s antagonist is concerned, Bond chases him across the globe because his duty to M demands it, not because of any personal antipathy. Even during the mandatory evil-plan explanation, he barely reacts.
Daniel Craig plays Bond as distracted and frustrated with his apparently erratic abilities. He does not quite have the sure and certain swagger that has hitherto been his trademark. Where Connery or Moore would have taken certain reptilian encounters in their stride, Craig effects surprise, even disbelief at the turn of events, albeit using them to his advantage. Still, he does his duty and it becomes clear over the course of the film that duty to England and to M are really the only things this Bond has to live for. The same is shown to be true of the other characters; when their duty is unclear and stress takes its toll, alcohol appears very much as a crutch, neither M nor Bond nor even Q ever miss the opportunity to drown their sorrows.
This is not to say that the film is bleak and humourless. In fact, it is one of the funnier Bond films. The absurdities of Bond’s world are highlighted and played with, and the dialogue is wry, snappy and except for a few slightly clunky exposition dumps, unforced. All the characters get some one-liners and they are delivered with a sense of relish. There is however a slightly touching moment of humanity when, after dispatching a villain, Bond comes up with some suitable last words, but appears so pleased with his quick thinking that he nearly fluffs the delivery. In addition, despite the attempts at a slightly more realistic world, Skyfall features Daniel Craig’s first truly grotesque Bond Villain, lovingly played by Javier Bardem.
To say more about the film would spoil much of the impact, and I will leave spoilery reviews and discussions of the specifics to other reviewers. As a whole, Skyfall is good entertainment and is a little deeper than some previous offerings. However, it should not be watched too critically; it is still a Bond film and there are plot holes you could drive a T-54 Battle Tank through. It is a film to watch in a reasonably full cinema with a lively audience and ideally one or two drinks.
Skyfall is the 23rd Bond Film and was released in the UK on 26 October 2012 and 6 November 2012 in the US
James Bond – Daniel Craig
Raul Silva – Javier Bardem
Eve - Naomie Harris
Sévérine - Bérénice Marlohe
M – Judi Dench
Q - Ben Whishaw