Movie Review - Skyfall

 Skyfall (2012)

Director: Sam Mendes

Starring: Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes

I have an unapologetic man crush on Daniel Craig.  Who can blame me?  The man is handsome, well-spoken, in great shape, and fashionable as hell.  I was never really a huge fan of the Bond movies prior to Casino Royale, but since Craig took over the role I have become a bit of a Bond freak.  No disrespect to Sean Connery, but to me Craig is Bond.  The swagger, cool demeanor, and raw physicality he brings to the role is what makes his portrayal of Bond so special in my opinion. 

Just the fact that this is another Daniel Craig Bond film was enough to get me incredibly excited for Skyfall.  Not even the relative disappointment of Quantum of Solace could dull my anticipation.  In fact, with highly accomplished director Sam Mendes (and heavyweight actors like Javier Bardem and Ralph Fiennes) involved, and the overwhelmingly positive buzz surrounding the movie, I went into the theater with ridiculously high expectations.  Probably the greatest compliment I can give Skyfall is that I was not disappointed.  

But don't take that previous statement to mean that this review will be a love letter to the latest Bond flick.  I've heard a number of people claim that this is greatest Bond movie ever.  I'm no Bond aficionado, but those people are crazy in my opinion.  This isn't even the best Daniel Craig bond movie.  For a while, though, I thought it could be both.  The beginning of Skyfall is pretty much perfect.  The opening sequence, with a (very Bourne-esque) motorbike chase, and an extended fight scene on the roof of a train that reminded me just how much of an ass-kicker Craig's Bond is, was phenomenal.  That is immediately followed up by one of the best opening credits sequence in Bond history, accompanied by the incredible Adele theme song.  

But things go somewhat downhill from there.  Daniel Craig grows a really bad beard, and develops a dependency on alcohol and pills.  Oh, and his shoulder hurts.  Of course, this all fits into the theme of the movie.  You see, this is a very different Bond film because it's the most personal one ever.  For the first time, we see a Bond grappling with his position in the world, and the question of whether he is still fit to do his job, or whether his job is even necessary anymore.  As part of that, the story delves more into the personal history of the character than ever, and we see Bond at his weakest (mentally and physically).  The decision to make that sort of Bond movie is a brave one, and the movie is very effective in that regard.  If you like the concept of a Bond movie as a character study, then you will love Skyfall much more than I did.  

For me, thought, I could have done with a little more of the traditional Bond elements in this movie.  Of course, as with previous Craig-era Bond films, there are no gadgets for the most part.  But much more bothersome than that is the fact that the the scale just seems so small compared to previous films.  The movie starts off in Turkey, and visits China and Macau (both stunning sequences), but, once again, because this is such a personal battle for Bond, a lot of the action takes place in (and underneath) boring old England, and the (actually very good) climactic final showdown actually occurs on a quiet farm in Scotland.

Once again, this is all very brave decision making and effective for what it is, but I couldn't help yearning for the days of globe-hopping, world-saving James Bond.  One of the reasons for this lack of scope is the villain, played by Bardem.  The Spanish actor is predictably brilliant in the role, but the character just left me a little cold.  He was clearly very smart, but never seemed to have an ingenious scheme beyond killing a little old lady with whom he had a pretty bizarre, almost Oedipal fascination.  That does allow M a nice send-off, but all the M-centricity made me wonder exactly who went to see Skyfall for Judi Dench?

Those were my issues with film, but there is a lot of great stuff in Skyfall.  The movie is visually stunning, particularly some of the scenes that take place in China.  And Craig is, of course, perfect.  His fashion is impeccable, and his aura of charm and menace is, as always, irresistible.  The signature Aston Martin is used once again to incredible effect.  For a Bond film that is unconventional in many ways, Skyfall actually introduces a lot of the typical Bond elements to the Craig-verse that had previously been missing: namely the characters of Q and Moneypenny, both of whom were well cast.  The idea of Q as a somewhat snarky, young 21st century tech whiz is perhaps not the most inspired, but it definitely works.  And the chemistry between Craig and Naomie Harris (Moneypenny) is very natural and convincing.  I also have a feeling that Fiennes will fit right in as the new M.

Interestingly enough, Skyfall may be the best movie featuring Bond ever, but I'm not sure it's the best Bond movie, if that makes any sense.  As a study of what might be the result of a man like Bond doing what he does for a living (clearly very Nolan-verse Batman inspired), and the necessity (or lack thereof) of a seemingly antiquated concept like the Cold War spy in modern times, Skyfall is undeniably successful.  But with a Bond movie, there also comes certain expectations.

I hate to appear as the lowest common denominator, but the next Bond movie could do with a few more large-scale action pieces (and yes, explosions, although there are some impressive ones here), not to mention a few more plots for global domination and mustache-twirling from the villain.  I do look forward to seeing where the next director to have a shot at Bond will take this series: will that director continue the narrative of a beat-down, slightly more world-weary and potentially over the hill Bond? Or will Craig be back to Superman in the next movie? Probably a balance somewhere between this movie and the comic book existence of the Brosnan movies, for example, would be best.

Verdict: 7/10