Skyfall
I’m starting this one with controversy; my favourite bond was Pierce Brosnan. I think he captured everything that Bond was about: the suaveness, the brilliantly terrible one liners (‘you don’t need that gun’ ‘that depends on your definition of safe sex’) (‘one rises to the occasion’ Bond can do boner jokes but he does them suavely) and also the slight undertone of being a bit of a psycho. Adding emotional depth but not too much because it’s James fricking-karate-chopping-martini-drinking-equipment-destroying-women-collecting Bond not a Nicholas Sparks novel (if you’re a male and get that reference then I feel for you).
This to a point is why I still find it hard to see Mr Craig as everyone’s favourite British agent. He displays some qualities but has seemed to play them too strongly. He plays the psycho a bit too strong because he kills pretty brutally and doesn’t seem to care and then he goes all emotional and lovey dovey over a girl.
Obviously I’m talking about Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace here but that meant that I went into Skyfaaaaaaaaaall (as Adele would say) with a bit of trepidation expecting a very good spy film but a mediocre Bond film. What I got was a great Bond film. What I got was one liners, girls (only 2 I think but it’s a start) and awesome cars (a special car for Bond fans as well). True the gadgets still aren’t there but this is winked at by the new revamped Q.0 (get it? It sounds like 2.0) played by Ben Whishaw.
At first upon hearing that Sam ‘American Beauty’ Mendes was up to direct I expected a film with a lot of people sitting around saying very deep lines and having a pretty nihilistic view but the film is a thrill ride from start (especially the start) to finish, showing that Sam Mendes, mainly untested in terms of action, can really pull off some spectacular fight/chase/shooty scenes.
As I live in London and work there I personally related with Bond where he faces his greatest challenge to date. The London Underground at rush hour. Whilst this may sound pretty lame the film carries this, and all the other scenes with its tongue firmly in its (and some females) cheek and does it brilliantly.
Not to say that this film isn’t deep, as its Sam Mendes there had to be some overarching theme and in this it is essentially Die Hard 4. Computer hackers versus old fashioned bad assery which on its own doesn’t sound deep but it kind of is when mixed in with the plot of technology taking over and the cold hearted nature of British intelligence.
Special mention has to be said for the acting with Craig and Judi Dench pulling out some of their better work to date but like Batman the main good guy is outshone in this film by the menacing Raol Silva played to perfection by Javier Bardem. The introduction of the man is one long tracking shot with him walking down a room and is probably the highlight of the whole film for me. My qualm about him is that his genius descends into madness a bit too ridiculously and he doesn’t get the screen time his character deserves. Mendes should also have stuck him to just a talking part as well as a chase scene with him in seems a little forced and hurts his character a bit.
Whilst a great film there are a number of flaws. There is some pretty strange character development (Bardem’s change being one of the most pronounced with him changing from criminal genius to intense mental problems in the space of a few minutes) as well as Naomie Harris’s change in character which is a bit of an alteration from how the character is meant to be perceived (watch the film, you’ll know what I’m on about. Who am I kidding judging by the box office you’ve probably already seen it 5 times).
Anyway bit of a long review so here’s a summary: the first Daniel Craig Bond film in my opinion (with the others being good Jason Bourne rip offs) and whilst it’s no Goldeneye (my generation’s best Bond) it definitely holds its own in the Bond canon and judging by the critics reviews and box office figures, most people agree. I give Skyfall 008.5 out of 10.
This to a point is why I still find it hard to see Mr Craig as everyone’s favourite British agent. He displays some qualities but has seemed to play them too strongly. He plays the psycho a bit too strong because he kills pretty brutally and doesn’t seem to care and then he goes all emotional and lovey dovey over a girl.
Obviously I’m talking about Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace here but that meant that I went into Skyfaaaaaaaaaall (as Adele would say) with a bit of trepidation expecting a very good spy film but a mediocre Bond film. What I got was a great Bond film. What I got was one liners, girls (only 2 I think but it’s a start) and awesome cars (a special car for Bond fans as well). True the gadgets still aren’t there but this is winked at by the new revamped Q.0 (get it? It sounds like 2.0) played by Ben Whishaw.
At first upon hearing that Sam ‘American Beauty’ Mendes was up to direct I expected a film with a lot of people sitting around saying very deep lines and having a pretty nihilistic view but the film is a thrill ride from start (especially the start) to finish, showing that Sam Mendes, mainly untested in terms of action, can really pull off some spectacular fight/chase/shooty scenes.
As I live in London and work there I personally related with Bond where he faces his greatest challenge to date. The London Underground at rush hour. Whilst this may sound pretty lame the film carries this, and all the other scenes with its tongue firmly in its (and some females) cheek and does it brilliantly.
Not to say that this film isn’t deep, as its Sam Mendes there had to be some overarching theme and in this it is essentially Die Hard 4. Computer hackers versus old fashioned bad assery which on its own doesn’t sound deep but it kind of is when mixed in with the plot of technology taking over and the cold hearted nature of British intelligence.
Special mention has to be said for the acting with Craig and Judi Dench pulling out some of their better work to date but like Batman the main good guy is outshone in this film by the menacing Raol Silva played to perfection by Javier Bardem. The introduction of the man is one long tracking shot with him walking down a room and is probably the highlight of the whole film for me. My qualm about him is that his genius descends into madness a bit too ridiculously and he doesn’t get the screen time his character deserves. Mendes should also have stuck him to just a talking part as well as a chase scene with him in seems a little forced and hurts his character a bit.
Whilst a great film there are a number of flaws. There is some pretty strange character development (Bardem’s change being one of the most pronounced with him changing from criminal genius to intense mental problems in the space of a few minutes) as well as Naomie Harris’s change in character which is a bit of an alteration from how the character is meant to be perceived (watch the film, you’ll know what I’m on about. Who am I kidding judging by the box office you’ve probably already seen it 5 times).
Anyway bit of a long review so here’s a summary: the first Daniel Craig Bond film in my opinion (with the others being good Jason Bourne rip offs) and whilst it’s no Goldeneye (my generation’s best Bond) it definitely holds its own in the Bond canon and judging by the critics reviews and box office figures, most people agree. I give Skyfall 008.5 out of 10.