My Take on "Skyfall"...

Elspode · 11-24-2012, 08:58 PM

"Skyfall", as reviewed by perhaps the world's biggest Bond film nerd...me.

There is nothing more subjective than one person's opinion of a given piece of film. That subjectivity becomes even more profoundly - well - subjective - when one is expounding upon a franchise as venerable as the James Bond series. With "Skyfall", Ian Fleming's secret agent celebrates his 50th year on the silver screen, and "Skyfall" is a serious contender for the greatest Bond of them all...but then there's that damned niggling subjectivity factor.

First and foremost, the Bond of 2012, Daniel Craig, is perhaps less like any Bond to have graced this franchise to this point. He is more crude, rougher, and more casually callous than the Bonds that have come before him. Of course, it wouldn't do to have him be a street thug, and so he cleans up very well. In so doing, the vast difference between tuxedoed Bond and drunken, unshaven Bond is greatly exaggerated...a juxtaposition that "Skyfall" uses to score big character points. Craig's version of Bond also plays off of M (Dame Judi Dench - the greatest M so far) to much greater effect than the earlier entries in the series offered us. Indeed, most of the considerable expansion of Bond's personal characteristics and backstory have come out as a result of interactions with Dench's M, who displays a borderline maternal attachment to him. So where does all this damnable subjectivity come in? In the fact that Craig *is* so much deeper and rougher than any Bond before him that it becomes difficult to make a one to one comparison between any of the films.

There have been five Bonds since Sean Connery launched the series in 1962 with "Dr No" (sticklers for accuracy are welcome to...um...stick it - George Lazenby does *not* count, because George Lazenby was a terrible mistake. Nor does David Niven make it into my big screen Bond headcount, because the original "Casino Royale" was a parody, and we're talking genuine Bond, here). Until Daniel Craig came upon the scene, "suave" was the watchword; "smooth" was the overarching attitude. If one understands that Roger Moore was to Bond as Adam West was to Batman, then it is easy to see that this unerringly shallow characterization of our hero was wearing thin thirty years ago, and Craig's badass Bond has revived this franchise in a way that only big changes could have done. Timothy Dalton was serviceable, Pierce Brosnan was very good, but they were still constrained by the overarching requirement that their Bonds be regally British first, and near-superheroes second.

"Skyfall" delivers, therefore, the most complex, compelling, accessible, and - dare I say - *vulnerable* Bond ever. I am committed to not putting out spoilers for this amazing movie, so I can only generalize, but, suffice to say that, 30 minutes into "Skyfall", we are made aware that Bond is no Spring chicken any longer. Physically and emotionally, he is more than ready for retirement, and if not for the several perils facing M, he might well have done...however, no one pays to see Bond fade into the sunset. Our hero proceeds to claw his way back into the game, because M knows Britain needs him...and does She ever!

Javier Bardem is this serving's Bad Guy, and he plays it in a classically over-the-top, sneering, ubertechno, gay-tending manner. Any sense of threat from his character really comes from what he is able to do, and not really what he projects. From my read on him, he is somewhat more pathetic than scary, but then when someone gets to be pathologically pathetic, well...they can be pretty damn scary, huh? There is, in fact, more than little of Anthony Hopkins' Hannibal Lector in our villain du jour. Bardem is out to avenge himself against M for reasons that, thankfully, grow M's character considerably for us by providing the character a history from before she *was* M. Bardem's bad guy, like all Bond bad guys, is a genius (computers, in this case), and of course has unlimited resources in terms of hardware, weaponry and minions.

None of this, of course, is new for a Bond film, but somehow it all plays so much better in "Skyfall" than I've seen in many a year. I attribute his to the fact that, at long last, we have some truly satisfyingly complex characters underpinning it all, and we are inherently willing to overlook the fact that all that is really missing is a white Persian cat and the drive to rule the planet in order for Bardem to be just another angry caricature.

So, what do we go to a Bond film for? First, Action...guys fighting, cars chasing each other, things exploding. You'll all be happy to know that some of the best set piece action sequences ever filmed make an appearance here. Second, cool gizmos...exploding pens, super spy cars, radio transmitters that fit into the heel of a shoe. If this is what you enjoy best...don't let the fact that this film actually *mocks* that part of the Bond canon deter you from seeing it (our new Q is, of course, a computer nerd). Trust me, you won't miss it when all is said and done. However, those of you who get sentimental over historic spy objects will want to gird your loins, and prepare to lift a sentimental goodbye toast to perhaps the most iconic Bond toy that has ever existed. Thirdly, some of us enjoy the hot babes. Many an actress' career has either been launched or promoted by being in a Bond film, and the ladies in this one are terrific. However...they are *not* plentiful. Yes, Bond does some lovin', but it is not at all as you might expect from past history. It is, in fact, entirely reasonable in the context of the film, and, for those who have learned that doing James Bond is often the kiss of death, well...it often is.

For true lovers of the series, it is a bit boggling to consider how the pieces are moved around to reset the board for the next film by the time "Skyfall" ends. Changes of actors and actresses in recurring parts has always been one of the series' greatest challenges, and "Skyfall" handles it all better than I would have dared hope. It is all done deftly and believeably, to the extent that it is pretty clear to me that the people who are now in control of this series love our superspy and the world that he has saved time and time again, and want to see him watch over the Free World well into the next generation. And, as a relatively minor, but to me, important aside - the credits sequence restores naked female silhouettes to the equation, albeit sparingly. It is also worth noting that Adele's theme song is brilliant, as is most of her work. John Barry's classic Bond theme appears both in the theme song, and again in the film, at a place in the story so perfect that the hairs on my arm stood up.

In summation, I will answer the question I set out at the beginning. *Is* "Skyfall" the greatest Bond film ever? Yes...with this codicil - it is the greatest Bond film of the new era. "Goldfinger" is still the greatest Bond film of all time by any other measure, and I don't expect that to ever change. Nor will anyone, in my eternal little-boy-who-won't-grow-up Bond world, ever supplant Sean Connery as *the* Bond. However, Daniel Craig is now, without question, the second greatest Bond overall, and certainly *the* right guy to see this franchise into the future...at least one or two more films worth before he becomes too superannuated, and must inevitably pass the Walther PPK to the next guy.

Go see it. It is terrific.

Clodfobble · 11-24-2012, 10:08 PM

Thank you, Els.

xoxoxoBruce · 11-24-2012, 11:30 PM

As usual, Elspode describes it with eloquence and accuracy unparalleled.

I think the new "cleans up well" but grittier Bond, plays well in a post 9-11 reality where the threats to the empire are not always sophisticated.

Quote:

Indeed, most of the considerable expansion of Bond's personal characteristics and backstory have come out as a result of interactions with Dench's M, who displays a borderline maternal attachment to him.

My take on the attachment is that M is the former Miss Moneypenny, and when the former M retired, Moneypenny was promoted to fill his shoes. Logical because she was a senior navel officer, had the very top security clearance, was the former M's right hand woman, and knew more than anyone how MI6 worked.

Of course Miss Moneypenny had a crush on Bond, although I don't think Bond scored. But the sexual tension was so obvious I'm sure she thought of Bond when she was alone with her tea and purple Jack Rabbit.

Ibby · 11-25-2012, 04:13 AM

Connery is definitely my fav of course but dalton is actually my second. i haven't seen a single Craig film yet and I'm still not sure I'm convinced its worth bothering, no offense to your review els. but i'm considering it at least.

BigV · 11-29-2012, 07:58 PM

purple is a popular color, isn't it?

DanaC · 11-30-2012, 10:30 AM

Excellent, thanks Els.

One thing I would take issue with though: Dalton was more than serviceable. The stories he was given didn't stand up to classics like Dr No, or Casino Royale. But his performance was brilliant, and up to that point the closest to the character in the novels. He was *my* Bond :p And I was heavily into the books at the time. In fact I'd never got on with screen Bond until Dalton came along. Didn't appeal to me much as a kid, though I sat through them with the family. Always preferred the books and found screen Bond jarred with my image of him.

That said: I think Craig is the best of them all. His Bond has a grittiness and moral ambiguity to him that sits very closely with the character in the books.

cellarolson · 09-12-2013, 10:42 AM

I can't say I was that taken with it myself but perhaps I'm a little picky and fickle and I'm only really interested in the new Bond gadgets. I love the cars and crazy toys he gets and wasn't reall that impressed with Skyfall. I have to say though, the one item I love more than anything are the classy watches. Craig's Omega was ok but my favourite ever was Timothy Daltons TagHeur in The Living Daylights which is featured here. I thought he was a great Bond and that watch just oozes 80's style espionage for me. My decade and my film completely - would love to get my hands on one.

Gravdigr · 09-12-2013, 01:42 PM

1. Sean Connery
2. Roger Moore
3. Pierce Brosnan
4. Daniel Craig
5. Timothy Dalton

11-24-2012, 08:58 PM	#1
Elspode When Do I Get Virtual Unreality? Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Raytown, Missouri Posts: 12,719	My Take on "Skyfall"... "Skyfall", as reviewed by perhaps the world's biggest Bond film nerd...me. There is nothing more subjective than one person's opinion of a given piece of film. That subjectivity becomes even more profoundly - well - subjective - when one is expounding upon a franchise as venerable as the James Bond series. With "Skyfall", Ian Fleming's secret agent celebrates his 50th year on the silver screen, and "Skyfall" is a serious contender for the greatest Bond of them all...but then there's that damned niggling subjectivity factor. First and foremost, the Bond of 2012, Daniel Craig, is perhaps less like any Bond to have graced this franchise to this point. He is more crude, rougher, and more casually callous than the Bonds that have come before him. Of course, it wouldn't do to have him be a street thug, and so he cleans up very well. In so doing, the vast difference between tuxedoed Bond and drunken, unshaven Bond is greatly exaggerated...a juxtaposition that "Skyfall" uses to score big character points. Craig's version of Bond also plays off of M (Dame Judi Dench - the greatest M so far) to much greater effect than the earlier entries in the series offered us. Indeed, most of the considerable expansion of Bond's personal characteristics and backstory have come out as a result of interactions with Dench's M, who displays a borderline maternal attachment to him. So where does all this damnable subjectivity come in? In the fact that Craig is so much deeper and rougher than any Bond before him that it becomes difficult to make a one to one comparison between any of the films. There have been five Bonds since Sean Connery launched the series in 1962 with "Dr No" (sticklers for accuracy are welcome to...um...stick it - George Lazenby does not count, because George Lazenby was a terrible mistake. Nor does David Niven make it into my big screen Bond headcount, because the original "Casino Royale" was a parody, and we're talking genuine Bond, here). Until Daniel Craig came upon the scene, "suave" was the watchword; "smooth" was the overarching attitude. If one understands that Roger Moore was to Bond as Adam West was to Batman, then it is easy to see that this unerringly shallow characterization of our hero was wearing thin thirty years ago, and Craig's badass Bond has revived this franchise in a way that only big changes could have done. Timothy Dalton was serviceable, Pierce Brosnan was very good, but they were still constrained by the overarching requirement that their Bonds be regally British first, and near-superheroes second. "Skyfall" delivers, therefore, the most complex, compelling, accessible, and - dare I say - vulnerable Bond ever. I am committed to not putting out spoilers for this amazing movie, so I can only generalize, but, suffice to say that, 30 minutes into "Skyfall", we are made aware that Bond is no Spring chicken any longer. Physically and emotionally, he is more than ready for retirement, and if not for the several perils facing M, he might well have done...however, no one pays to see Bond fade into the sunset. Our hero proceeds to claw his way back into the game, because M knows Britain needs him...and does She ever! Javier Bardem is this serving's Bad Guy, and he plays it in a classically over-the-top, sneering, ubertechno, gay-tending manner. Any sense of threat from his character really comes from what he is able to do, and not really what he projects. From my read on him, he is somewhat more pathetic than scary, but then when someone gets to be pathologically pathetic, well...they can be pretty damn scary, huh? There is, in fact, more than little of Anthony Hopkins' Hannibal Lector in our villain du jour. Bardem is out to avenge himself against M for reasons that, thankfully, grow M's character considerably for us by providing the character a history from before she was M. Bardem's bad guy, like all Bond bad guys, is a genius (computers, in this case), and of course has unlimited resources in terms of hardware, weaponry and minions. None of this, of course, is new for a Bond film, but somehow it all plays so much better in "Skyfall" than I've seen in many a year. I attribute his to the fact that, at long last, we have some truly satisfyingly complex characters underpinning it all, and we are inherently willing to overlook the fact that all that is really missing is a white Persian cat and the drive to rule the planet in order for Bardem to be just another angry caricature. So, what do we go to a Bond film for? First, Action...guys fighting, cars chasing each other, things exploding. You'll all be happy to know that some of the best set piece action sequences ever filmed make an appearance here. Second, cool gizmos...exploding pens, super spy cars, radio transmitters that fit into the heel of a shoe. If this is what you enjoy best...don't let the fact that this film actually mocks that part of the Bond canon deter you from seeing it (our new Q is, of course, a computer nerd). Trust me, you won't miss it when all is said and done. However, those of you who get sentimental over historic spy objects will want to gird your loins, and prepare to lift a sentimental goodbye toast to perhaps the most iconic Bond toy that has ever existed. Thirdly, some of us enjoy the hot babes. Many an actress' career has either been launched or promoted by being in a Bond film, and the ladies in this one are terrific. However...they are not plentiful. Yes, Bond does some lovin', but it is not at all as you might expect from past history. It is, in fact, entirely reasonable in the context of the film, and, for those who have learned that doing James Bond is often the kiss of death, well...it often is. For true lovers of the series, it is a bit boggling to consider how the pieces are moved around to reset the board for the next film by the time "Skyfall" ends. Changes of actors and actresses in recurring parts has always been one of the series' greatest challenges, and "Skyfall" handles it all better than I would have dared hope. It is all done deftly and believeably, to the extent that it is pretty clear to me that the people who are now in control of this series love our superspy and the world that he has saved time and time again, and want to see him watch over the Free World well into the next generation. And, as a relatively minor, but to me, important aside - the credits sequence restores naked female silhouettes to the equation, albeit sparingly. It is also worth noting that Adele's theme song is brilliant, as is most of her work. John Barry's classic Bond theme appears both in the theme song, and again in the film, at a place in the story so perfect that the hairs on my arm stood up. In summation, I will answer the question I set out at the beginning. Is "Skyfall" the greatest Bond film ever? Yes...with this codicil - it is the greatest Bond film of the new era. "Goldfinger" is still the greatest Bond film of all time by any other measure, and I don't expect that to ever change. Nor will anyone, in my eternal little-boy-who-won't-grow-up Bond world, ever supplant Sean Connery as the Bond. However, Daniel Craig is now, without question, the second greatest Bond overall, and certainly the right guy to see this franchise into the future...at least one or two more films worth before he becomes too superannuated, and must inevitably pass the Walther PPK to the next guy. Go see it. It is terrific. __________________ "To those of you who are wearing ties, I think my dad would appreciate it if you took them off." - Robert Moog

11-24-2012, 10:08 PM	#2
Clodfobble UNDER CONDITIONAL MITIGATION Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 20,012	Thank you, Els. __________________ My book My other book My spirit animal

11-25-2012, 04:13 AM	#4
Ibby erika Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: "the high up north" Posts: 6,127	Connery is definitely my fav of course but dalton is actually my second. i haven't seen a single Craig film yet and I'm still not sure I'm convinced its worth bothering, no offense to your review els. but i'm considering it at least. __________________ not really back, you didn't see me, i was never here shhhhhh

11-29-2012, 07:58 PM	#5
BigV Goon Squad Leader Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Seattle Posts: 27,063	purple is a popular color, isn't it? __________________ Be Just and Fear Not.

09-12-2013, 01:42 PM	#8
Gravdigr The Un-Tuckian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: South Central...KY that is Posts: 39,517	1. Sean Connery 2. Roger Moore 3. Pierce Brosnan 4. Daniel Craig 5. Timothy Dalton __________________ These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA, EPA, FBI, DEA, CDC, or FDIC. These statements are not intended to diagnose, cause, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. If you feel you have been harmed/offended by, or, disagree with any of the above statements or images, please feel free to fuck right off.

09-12-2013, 10:42 AM	#7
cellarolson Alphabetarian Join Date: Sep 2013 Posts: 12	I can't say I was that taken with it myself but perhaps I'm a little picky and fickle and I'm only really interested in the new Bond gadgets. I love the cars and crazy toys he gets and wasn't reall that impressed with Skyfall. I have to say though, the one item I love more than anything are the classy watches. Craig's Omega was ok but my favourite ever was Timothy Daltons TagHeur in The Living Daylights which is featured here. I thought he was a great Bond and that watch just oozes 80's style espionage for me. My decade and my film completely - would love to get my hands on one.

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