The End of the Beginning: Tubes reviews SKYFALL

Bond Begins was just supposed to be one movie. Craig was supposed to emerge from CASINO ROYALE as the Bond we know and love. This wasn't the case and instead we have a trilogy of films that don't quite fit in with the pre-established Bond canon and explore aspects of the character that was never looked at deeply before. We've seen Bond's formative experiences in CR, his perspective on duty and revenge in QOS, and now we get our first glimpse at Bond's past. It's been a subject that is talked about in brief in the novels and mentioned only once in the films. Now we have something concrete and visual from Bond's history and now it is canon. Our mystery man has a backstory and a home. Well, he had a home before Bond caused a helicopter to crash into it.

SKYFALL is the culmination of 6 years of new and revised backstory to the Bond legend. It takes a character that has veered a bit in the recent past and puts it back on the track Ian Fleming laid down 60 years ago. It's also a top-notch entry in the franchise and the first worthy anniversary film since TLD 25 years ago. SKYFALL is a movie that starts loud like all other Bond films, but instead of whimpering out like so many others with big openings; SKYFALL ratchets the tension while paring down the extravagance. It's often at it's best when characters are talking to each other, as we see the verbal fencing between antagonists and friends.

Craig gives us his best Bond performance to date. He was great in CR and QOS, yet he adds both playfulness and texture to the character. His Bond is now equally prone to cracking a dry joke as cracking bones, but still is a worn down secret agent. Bond now doesn't get drunk to forget Vesper, Bond gets drunk to forget everything. We also see Bond as a wreck off duty for the first time on screen; an important aspect of Fleming's character that was perpetually glossed over. This Bond lives and dies through his job.

Javier Bardem's Silva might be the best Bond villain of all time. His motive isn't greed or personal ego; Silva simply wants get his revenge on M. He is the embodiment of the Oedipal nightmare, a man constantly obsessed with killing his surrogate authority figure. I feel as if Silva's presence has been hinted at since the Craig era began, as everyone in MI6 sarcastically refers to M as "Mum", while Silva takes that literally. Silva is charismatic, devious, and downright hilarious at times.

One of the unique and odd aspects of SKYFALL is the lessened emphasis on Bond girls. Severine is a presence during Bond's initial investigation and Eve is constantly in the film, but neither are the focus of an extended romantic interest. The main event is Bond vs. Silva and I'm glad they didn't feel the need to muck that up with a significant romantic lead. Both Naomie and Berenice make their presence known, with Eve being one of the few believable female agents in the franchise.

Sleep is depriving my critical thinking skills, so more analysis will come tomorrow.

Tubes wrote:

I feel as if Silva's presence has been hinted at since the Craig era began, as everyone in MI6 sarcastically refers to M as "Mum

Just a correction - they're actually referring to her as "ma'am", the honorific. It's the female equivalent of "sir."

That said, there is this exchange in QUANTUM OF SOLACE.

Quote :

CAMILLE: So, what's your interest in Greene?

BOND: Among other things, he tried to kill a friend of mine.

CAMILLE: A woman?

BOND: Yes. But it's not what you think.

CAMILLE: Your mother?

BOND: She likes to think so.

Largo's Shark wrote:

Tubes wrote:

I feel as if Silva's presence has been hinted at since the Craig era began, as everyone in MI6 sarcastically refers to M as "Mum

Just a correction - they're actually referring to her as "ma'am", the honorific. It's the female equivalent of "sir."

Well go figure. I had connected the dots of Bond and Camile's exchange in QOS and Bond's "I love you too" quip when he gets the DBS in CR and assumed everyone else at MI6 was in on the joke that M was a mother hen. Especially since the "ma'am" title never showed up in the Brosnan films and everyone else refers to her by her codename.

But the ma'am does sound dangerously similar to "mom", so much so that you have to wonder if it weren't done on purpose - at least in SKYFALL.

I agree with most of your thoughts, Tubes! Particularly you mentioning that this film didn't whimper out after an explosive start. It was able to maintain tension and energy throughout without needing to match the scope or scale of the massive opening action sequence.

I've always heard it as "ma'am" and never otherwise. I always attributed how it sounded similar to "mom/mum" to those weird English accents they had.

I would agree with your assessment, Tubes. I also liked the film for the most part.

I always heard it as "mum" too, which I figured was intentional, considering the film largely says M is basically the closest thing Bond has to a mother. If I recall correctly, Dench's M hadn't been referred to nearly as much in that manner in her prior Bonds as she had in Skyfall.

Then again, I'm an ignorant American. Where's my Big Mac.

More thoughts of mine. The writing is above par, better than what we got in CR and QOS and miles beyond the later Brosnan films. I can't think of any that are particularly cringeworthy like the previous films missteps. I did find it amusing for M to defend her actions as "making a judgement call", where she blasts Bond for making a judgement call in killing Mollaka in CR. A reversal of roles, so to speak. The dialog also has a playful tone to it, which both masks and amplifies the threatening nature of Silva's lines and makes Bond a more likable character. He's not as much of a hardass as his previous films.

The structure and set pieces of the film feel out of place for cinema Bond, yet fit in very well with his literary counterpart. Fleming's Bond novels are always bizarre in some way or form and having Bond fight a henchman in a pit with a Komodo Dragon or having the villain announce his presence in the finale with rock music seems perfect for that sort of story. The staging of the pre-title sequence seemed a bit stiff to me, as no doubt it was rehearsed to death. That 12 minute segment took 5 months of pre-production and shooting to create and it's stiffness takes me out of the movie. Bond is almost going through the motions until he gets shot by Eve. I suppose that could serve as a counterpoint for the changed Bond and MI6 later in the film and a sign that the invincible Bond that appeared in QOS is gone. It still doesn't excuse the relative lack of excitement compared to the rest of the film.

My favorite bit was Bond vs. Patrice in the Shanghai skyscraper. Bond sneaking up on Patrice was effectively shot and full of tension and the backlight fight between the two was amazing. Those few minutes beat out all of Craig's other fights and the Bourne series as well. All in one shot and just an emphasis of speed and reflexes between two men. I'm also happy they brought the DB5 back not only as nostalgia, but as a useful tool for Bond.

On the technical side, Deakins photography lives up to the hype. Easily the best looking Bond film since YOLT. I like the decision to open up the film a bit for IMAX and I wished the Bond franchise used the taller format more often. Then again, I don't like seeing scope framing unless it was shot with anamorphic lenses, so I don't expect others to agree with me. I'll probably catch SKYFALL in a regular theater as well, so it remains to be seen if I'll maintain this after seeing it in scope. The film in IMAX also had an amazing soundtrack, with well mixed directional sound and amazing clarity. I imagine this is what people thought when listening to GOLDENEYE's DTS track in theaters.

Final thoughts? SKYFALL is worth the trip. I literally had to drive through a minor snowstorm to get there and I have no regrets for doing that. SKYFALL gives us an imaginative and intriguing Bond film that stands on it's own without the rest of the Bond canon to hold it up. Only a few Bond films can lay claim to this ability and SKYFALL belongs with them.

:4*:

1. ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE
2. FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE
3. CASINO ROYALE
4. FOR YOUR EYES ONLY
5. THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS
6. GOLDFINGER
7. SKYFALL
8. GOLDENEYE
9. THE SPY WHO LOVED ME
10. DR. NO
11. LICENCE TO KILL
12. OCTOPUSSY
13. LIVE AND LET DIE
14. DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER
15. QUANTUM OF SOLACE
16. A VIEW TO A KILL
17. MOONRAKER
18. YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE
19 THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH
20. TOMORROW NEVER DIES
21. THUNDERBALL
22. THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN
23. NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN
24. DIE ANOTHER DAY

SKYFALL's ranking will likely change over time. CR improved while DAD and QOS declined.

Conspiracy time, but this is something I thought of while watching. Silva's revenge is on his former authority figure, for whom he used to be her preferred agent in the 90's. Marginalized and forgotten in the quest for the greater good, Silva is bent on making his former boss pay for slights real and perceived and will take the entire machine down if necessary.

Silva is twisted parody of Pierce Brosnan.

Enjoyed reading your thoughts Tubes, agree on many of your points! The film would rank in my top 10 as well. I'd need to see it a second time before properly reviewing it however!