"Casino Royale" established a new kind of James Bond in Daniel Craig and his gruff and rough portrayal of the usually cool and suave Bond. "Skyfall" continues to mine this new James Bond persona, as we actually see a James Bond emotional enough to shed tears. This was not really the James Bond we knew before. I am getting ahead of myself.
The title "Skyfall" refers to the old Bond estate in the Scottish highlands where James' parents Andrew and Monique Bond were buried. This estate was the site where the climactic booby trap and shotgun battle between Bond and the bad guys took place.
The plot of this movie started from a stolen list of MI6 agents which devolved into a story of revenge of Silva (Javier Bardem in another crazy eccentric character reminiscent of his "No Country for Old Men" performance), also a former MI6 agent, who wants to kill M (Judi Dench) for betraying him in the past. The ever loyal Bond, of course, does all he can to save his boss, despite being betrayed himself.
Despite the very basic plot, the good thing about this Bond movie is the breathtaking cinematography by Roger Deakins. All those imaginative camera angles and brilliant colors make all the scenes come alive right out of the screen. I echo other critics in finding this probably the best shot of all the James Bond films. Having Oscar winning director Sam Mendes at the helm, the dramatic trajectory of the story is built up perfectly. As the 50th anniversary presentation of this spy franchise, various homages to Bond lore abound throughout the film, from the classic theme song to the classic Aston Martin.
I felt the simple revenge story line was stretched too long for comfort by maybe an hour. The entire Macau scenes, including the Komodo dragons and Bond girl Severine, could have been excised without really affecting the basic story. However, the amazing cinematography highlighting the best of the exotic locales, the editing of the fantastic action sequences involving trains and the evocative dramatic performances of Daniel Craig and Judi Dench make this still a compelling Bond movie overall. But no, as I mentioned earlier in this article, Craig's Bond really is not the James Bond we knew before.
Another Bond Movie to look forward to and Agent 007 has been being in the thrills for several decades now.
ReplyDeleteThe screenwriter also stretched the scene on Skyfall location where the revenge took place, all along we thought the "skyfall" term justifies the train fight scene but then again it gives meaning to M's (J. Dench final exit) and Bond's imperfections.
ReplyDeletewatched this during opening day, been meaning to write a review about it but I guess.. I'd rather not. Well, I was kinda expecting more from this 3rd Daniel Craig installment - the first two has more fluidity than the latest and it has a totally different story. But I must admit that it has all the element of a james bond movie including a badass villain! And the vintage car with the machine guns - whoa!!!
ReplyDeleteWatching this was actually my first time to watch a Bond movie.I admit super ganda pala nya.Dami ko pala napalampas na magandang movies.
ReplyDeleteI might just add this to my bucket list. I've never been a fan of Daniel Craig and thought he was too lame to be the lead role, but I've changed my mind. Thanks for the spoiler!
ReplyDeletejust heard great and positive reviews about skyfall.. still haven't watched it though.. hope i still can while it's still up in the movies :)
ReplyDeleteWhat I love most of all is their gallant attempts at reminding us of the things that made Bond endearing....when Craig's Bond fixes his shirt and his suit after a fight...that was a throwback to each time that Roger Moore would fix his tie and his suit after his fights....When they brought back the original Aston Martin, used by Sean Connery in "Goldfinger", complete with the ejector seat, they did so with the original Bond music played in the classic tempo..... I am old school when it comes to Bond....although Craig's first 2 portrayals of Bond, broke box-office records...I always hungered for "my Bond"....My Bond was always Dapper, Dashing and graceful under pressure....I think, this time around, there was a valiant effort in going back to the basics....Craig's suits were so well tailored, he appeared like a model...and now you have Q, who came along with a gadget and Moneypenny who just flirted with Bond.....So for me....because of "Skyfall", Daniel Craig is now....James Bond.
ReplyDeleteItin. I am so sorry if I spoiled something for you. I tried to be as vague with the plot points so as not to spoil. May I know what spoiler I wrote so I can edit accordingly?
ReplyDeleteJonathan I was looking forward to your comment knowing what a big 007 fan you are. Was the Skyfall estate, its caretaker, or Bond's parents, ever mentioned in any of the previous films?
ReplyDeleteIt was never mentioned before Fred...nothing about Bond's family was ever mentioned in the previous films....except, very briefly in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service"...when the genealogist looking at Bond's Family History noted that "The World is Not Enough" was written on the family crest of the Bonds....It was only revealed here in "Skyfall", that Bond was from Scotland....well we all know that Sean Connery is from Scotland....but we never knew that Bond was....some fans were hoping that family caretaker Kinkaid would be played by Sean Connery...but that was really just wishful thinking Fred.
ReplyDeleteFred....While James Bond's roots were never mentioned in any of the films...in one of the books...."You Only Live Twice"...James Bond was described as...born of a Scottish father Andrew Bond of Glencoe, and a Swiss mother Monique Delacroix of Canton de Vaud.
ReplyDeleteoh Thank you! I am looking forward to a DVD copy. It's been awhile - like Pierce Brosnan - since we saw a Bond movie.
ReplyDeleteI especially love Bond soundtracks though and excited to hear Adele belt it out.
I was lucky enough to watch Skyfall as well and although it was not your usual high-tech gadget type of Bond film, I'd say I really enjoyed the film. It goes back from the past including the Bond ancestral house & old car. I also loved the soundtrack with Adele on it.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to this new 007 movie. Sure, my my brother and Papa will be watching this. My father got to see all of the James Bond movie. =) Thanks for this post.
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