Skyfall

Skyfall

While the movie has a few flaws, Skyfall is miles ahead of Quantum of Solace as far as story and style go.  It feels more like Casino Royale than Quantum.  However, the movie also has a true link to being a James Bond film especially from the 60s.  Director Sam Mendes does an outstanding job bringing the series back to its roots while keeping it fresh with the reboot of the series. 

The opening chase/fight scene is amazing and fun to watch.  Bond chases a villain in Turkey. It keeps building on itself with each minute.  The opening Bond credits are very interesting and the Skyfall Adele song is very old school.  It is clearly homage to the 60s opening songs.  Adele does a wonderful job with the song. 

There are some dark elements in this movie, but there seems to be a sense of fun to the franchise again.  The moments between M and Bond are nice and heartwarming.  There is a neat bond between the two.  This movie will show you why Bond respects her and she respects him.  That’s just one of the better aspects that are stronger in this movie.  I should also mention that the story is as much about Bond as it is M. 

The movie has totally one of the strangest and interesting villains in the Bond franchise.  Javier Bardem completely steals the movie away from Daniel Craig.  Bardem has one of the best entrances into the film with a very chilling speech.  Bardem has a great presence in each scene.  He’s a smarter version of his Anton Chigurh from No Country for Old Men.  And, you get the idea this villain has smart plan and might actually win.  I also found it amusing that he doesn’t show up until deep within the second act. 

The score by Thomas Newman isn’t the strongest in the series.  Newman’s music isn’t as solid as David Arnold’s recent scores, and it is one of the weaker aspects.  It is a bit too action Zimmer-ish for me, and I’ve grown to love Zimmer.  They went a bit too far with the “modern” tracks in this movie.  However, the very old school James Bond themes do come back toward the end of the movie, and they are a welcome return. 

The other negative is there are a few pacing issues in the third act.  However, it is interesting to actually see Bond’s origins.  Some of the preparing scenes drag on a bit too long, yet the actual final battle is an interesting diversion from the other Bond third acts.  The ending is very heart wrenching, which I won’t give away. 

Skyfall almost feels like an apology for the mess that was Quantum of Solace, the script is better balanced and sharper.  The movie is very pretty to look at with the strange locations, and the action scenes are sharp and not too shaky thankful.  You get the sense where things are the whole time, especially that opening chase/fight scene.  Daniel Craig and Judi Dench are at their top game.  In this movie, you can clearly tell that Dench’s M truly cares for Bond almost like a Grandmother.  Javier Bardem is a strange take on a Bond villain and somewhat creepy.  I found myself really enjoying the movie and desiring to see another one hopefully with Sam Mendes at the helm. 

Grade A-