 |
| Courtesy of MGM |
Daniel
Craig is the Bond who changed that for me. Casino Royale was fantastic, obliterating
any preconceived notions I had about 007 as a guy who spent more time spouting one-liners,
sipping martinis and bedding beautiful women than doing actual intelligence
work. Craig’s take on the character makes him a brute in a tuxedo. For him, the
fancy trappings of the spy world are what he has to deal with to find the
threat and eliminate it.
After
a dip in quality with Quantum of Solace, which went into production with an
unfinished script thanks to the writer’s strike, the series recovers
substantially with Skyfall. Not only is it exciting, funny and surprisingly
moving, it’s the most convincing argument yet that Craig is the best Bond since
Sean Connery.
The
filmmakers – including director Sam Mendes and screenwriters Neal Purvis,
Robert Wade and John Logan – have kept the plot mostly under wraps, and for
good reason. There are plenty of clever surprises that left a big grin on my
face, and I’m a relative newcomer to the series. I’m guessing die-hard fans will
be positively ecstatic.
When
it comes to story, all you need to know is the bare minimum. An exhilarating pre-credits
action sequence makes it seem like Skyfall is going to be a quick movie.
Thanks to a mishap involving a fellow agent (Naomie Harris), Bond is wounded
and presumed dead. For a while, he enjoys his recuperation period the only way he
can: on a beach with lots of booze and scantily clad women.
Of
course, he doesn’t take it easy for long. Nobody is buying a ticket to watch
James Bond sit around and swig umbrella drinks for two hours. He’s drawn back
into action after a terrorist (Javier Bardem) makes it his personal mission to
destroy M (Judi Dench), who is both Bond’s boss and something of a mother
figure to him.
With
the help of a new associate named Q (Ben Whishaw), 007 must track down the
terrorist and avoid unwanted attention from a government bureaucrat (Ralph
Fiennes) determined to drag England’s intelligence agency out of the shadows. The
story wraps up in a genuinely surprising way and left me counting down the days
until the next Bond adventure.
This
column would turn into a list of bullet points if I mentioned everything I
loved about Skyfall, so I’ll just stick to the basics. Craig continues to be
the best aspect of the current incarnation of Bond films, instilling the
character with a grouchy demeanor that works better for me than previous
wink-at-the-camera versions of the spy.
However,
he’s got some competition in Bardem, who immediately becomes one of the top 10
Bond villains during his first scene. He’s creepy, he’s hilarious and his
behavior around 007 is almost certain to raise eyebrows. Dench is also a
standout considering she gets much more to do this time around. (I don’t really
need to write that she’s a phenomenal actress at this point, do I?) She still plays
M as an uber-stern director, but she gets a chance to show even more range
since the story revolves around her character.
Mendes,
typically known for directing high-brow fare like American Beauty and Revolutionary
Road makes a seamless transition to action, while also adding depth to the proceedings
and elevating certain roles above the caricatures they’ve been in previous
movies. He’s aided in his effort by legendary cinematographer Roger Deakins,
shooting digitally for the first time in his career. He does fantastic work,
making the often-tricky format look as rich and colorful as film.
Finally,
I can’t talk about Skyfall without mentioning the fantastic title theme performed
by Adele. Her amazing voice matches the material perfectly, and her song should
quickly take its place in the discussion of the series’ best.
Bond
aficionados will find plenty to love about Skyfall, but so will those who
simply enjoy good movies. It’s one of the year’s most entertaining popcorn
flicks.
Skyfall
is rated PG-13 for intense violent sequences throughout, some sexuality,
language and smoking.
Grade:
A-
Comments
Post a Comment