Skyfall Review

Bond, James Bond. 

In a movie that brings emotional moments together with high-intensity fight scenes, Skyfall delivers where the previous to Bond films failed.

Character 

Finally....yes let me say that again....finally a true James Bond film starring Daniel Craig. I know, you're probably sitting there saying, "but dude, Craig was Bond the last two films." While you're correct, I'd like to point to the fact that Craig played the most mischievous, dangerous, angry, and down right mean Bond I've ever seen. Bond was never a beat the living daylights out of every dude, blow things up, and try to get into trouble kind of guy. Nor was Bond ever upset. Usually he just smirked and walked out of a gun fight prim and proper.

And here it is, that prim and proper, no more rope-a-dope blow things up Bond. It's the fact that in this movie Bond is a sleek, stylish, sophisticated  and intelligent agent. He's no longer the guy out to make revenge, but he's the agent that Bond used to be.

Not only is he less angry, but he appears older. This makes Bond less of the fighter, and more of the agent that we seek. In certain moments throughout the film the old Daniel Craig version of Bond would have went guns blazin' and not thought twice about it. Not in Skyfall though. In one instance Bond could have ran down and kept shooting, but he stops and surveys the scene. The next thing he does isn't to shoot, but to think.


Javier Bardem plays Raoul Silva, the villain, in what seems to be a villain that tips it's hat to Dr. Evil of Austin Powers. Silver is a smart fellow who's rather strange, but also very interesting. It's obvious Silver has gone through some serious trauma. Silver's tactics are modern, they're technology based, and they are pretty serious. For once the villain of Bond is something realistic, and not something over the top like the old heydays.

Story

The story in Skyfall is a bit dry, but it's one of the more intriguing stories of recent Bond's. In the previous two films, Casino Royal and Quantum of Solace, Bond was seeking revenge because a girl was involved. This time it's not so much a story of saving a Bond girl as it is a true story of love.

The events that take place in Skyfall show the true colors of Bond. Not only his willingness to run away, but also is willingness to stand by someone who believed in him. Plots in the story show Bond's background, how he grew up, and where he grew up. It also shows how much he wasn't necessarily loyal to his country, but to his leader.

There isn't a lot to say about the story other than what I've already say for fear of spoilers. I will, however, warn you of the pacing. It can be very slow at times, and for an instant I wasn't sure if the plot was ever going to develop.

From the opening scene's train fight to the events that lead up to the introduction of Silver, most of the events that take place are slow and boring. We can tell James Bond has gotten weaker, he's gotten older, and most importantly he isn't the same Bond he was before. We've also noticed how much the villains have changed. In previous movies they were out to get rich, to steal, or to commit crimes against others. In this movie it's personal. Everything about the movie is on a personal level. From the interactions between Bond and Silva to the interactions with Bond and M (Judi Dench).

What isn't so exciting about the movie is the predictability. Certain things continue to occur throughout the movie and it was if the writing was on the wall. I love good plot points, but I don't like plot points that dress themselves up in a shiny prom dress and yell "look at me...I'm a plot point". And in all honesty, that's the biggest flaw in Skyfall.



Final Thoughts

Overall I enjoyed Skyfall. It's a very personal story with emotional moments that tugged on the heart strings. Skyfall is a return to classic Bond form and one that long time Bond fans had been screaming for. The smart and sexiness of Bond is back. It's no longer shoot, kill, run, punch, kick some dudes, blow something up, and then get the girl. It's the best thing they could have done for the franchise and the numbers have shown it. Bond set a franchise record for opening weekend and is on pace to break all-time franchise numbers in the box office. Not only that, but Skyfall stayed relevant coming out between Disney's amazing Wreck-It Ralph and the tween favorite The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2. For those reasons and the fact that this is one of the must see's of 2012, Skyfall receives an 8 out of 10.