A peroxide Terminator, a magnificent M, and stunning set-pieces.
We revisit Sam Mendes' first Bond film, Skyfall…
The film:Brilliant first half, problematic second.
But even the second half is still pretty good.
Manages to celebrate the traditions/cliches of the franchise without ever descending into parody.
The plot disappears halfway through and finale is again underwhelming, although less so than the previous Craigs.
UltimatelySkyfallis a great Bond film on first watch, a very good one thereafter.
The Villain:A fine antagonist, although certainly not the best ever.
The first camp baddie since Wint and Kidd inDiamonds Are Forever(and they were only henchmen).
Silva is a heap of fun.
The Girl:M, naturally.
Obviously M is as magnificent inSkyfallas in her six previous films.
A fitting swansong for a totemic character.
Of all these retrospectivesSkyfallis the hardest.
Finding something new and interesting to say aboutSkyfallwould make the task list of a modern Hercules.
And I am no modern Hercules (I say that on all my dates).
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Still, lets give it a go.
The pre-credits sequence is brilliant.
The readjusted cufflink, the brilliant commentary by Eve (Theyre on top of a train!)
is pure Bond: stylish, silly and, crucially, fun.
If Craig was in danger of turning into Jason Bourne the opening ofSkyfallinstantly reverses that transformation.
Fight atop a speeding train?
Survive a bullet and 300 ft plunge into a river?
Its emblematic of the confidence the film has in itself.
Lets blow up MI6!
Lets make Q twelve!
Lets keep the villain hidden for half the runtime!
Lets give Bond a beard!
Director Sam Mendes isnt afraid to make bold decisions, and the vast majority pay off.
Sadly his boldest decision of all that final act doesnt quite work…but well get to that later.
A word on the beard.
Less magnificent than Pierce Brosnans inDie Another Daybut sticks around longer.
Desmond Llewelyn was Q: he appeared in 17 films, more than any other actor, ever.
Moneypenny is finally given the history with Bond the franchise coyly alluded to.
(They almost certainly shagged has just the right note of ambiguity.)
And a younger M, basically Bonds contemporary, should allow for an interesting dynamic in future films.
But before Fiennes takes the big chair, Dame Judi must depart it.
Well youre bloody well not sleeping here is just wonderfully dismissive.
Judi Dench led MI6 for seventeen years and seven films.
Now Oscar winners such as Fiennes, Bardem and Christoph Waltz pop up and nobody bats an eyelid.
Dame Judi is responsible for all that but her biggest contribution is on-screen, not off it.
Throughout her time I cant remember a scene she didnt steal.
M: the Matriarch.
Rest in peace, Maam.
The middle of the film Shanghai, Macau, the island is pure Bond porn.
The introduction of Silva is the films highpoint, and also the moment when its gambles start to backfire.
The Shanghai apartment fight is brilliantly shot: two silhouettes clashing against the cold blue light.
Instead the man is swinging from the bottom of lifts with an insouciance to make Tarzan queasy.
Life wasnt good to her by any stretch.
At least she provides us with one beautiful encounter: Bond, a mysterious femme fatale, a casino.
What more could anyone ask?
Actually, James, you remember that woman was a child prostitute?
would be a pretty valid question.
Get out of her shower!
That rat monologue, though.
By the time the lift descends the audience is on the edge of their seats.
The ensuing conversation is a true joy; Bonds What makes you think this is my first time?
is both a brilliant line and a remarkably plausible hint at a sexually liberated past.
The lad went to boarding school after all.
Strangely I feel Silva is a missed opportunity.
The character is introduced wonderfully and Bardem is brilliant in the role.
Unfortunately the potentially fascinating conflict between Bond and Silva imagine a villain sexually attracted to 007!
is ignored completely in the finale.
The knife-in-back is also a slightly anticlimactic demise.
At last Craigs Bond is given a physical equal and yet the two of them arent allowed to fight!
Once the action returns to London things start to unravel.
You know the plot-holes.
Why must Silva be captured if hes a master of espionage and could infiltrate England whenever he wanted?
Why doesnt Q check the laptop before merrily plugging it into the MI6 mainframe?
Why is shooting M at a public inquiry a safer bet than waiting outside her house?
How does Silva even know the public inquiry exists?
Posers all and too complicated for me to answer.
Lets focus on a different mistake, a narrative misstep that pushes the film into the wrong final act.
Silva should kill M at the public inquiry.
Ms death is more impactful two-thirds through the film than at the climax.
The final act could instead be a guilt-ridden Bond tracking down Silva to some exotic and dangerous hideout.
For revenge, and also to recover the stolen hard drive (remember that?)
before Silva exposes every intelligence agent on the planet.
Plus the whole hard drive plot-strand doesnt, you know, disappear.
Instead we have Scotland and the booby-trapped house.
The novelty of the finale actually makes it pretty gripping on first watch.
Mendes has taken Bond out of its comfort zone and the rules are unclear.
Unfortunately novelty is a one shot deal.
I also dislike how the previously brilliant Silva suddenly goes ker-razy in the church.
And why doesnt Silva shoot Kincade dead?
The old man still had a shotgun!
As previously mentioned, I feel a great villain got ultimately sold a little short.
Still you gotta love that ending.
Everybody knew the Moneypenny reveal but it still works.
James Bond is back.
And perhaps a little something on the future of the series if I can find enough to say.
But these can only be epilogues: to all intents and purposes were done here.
Holster the Walther, down the Martini, tighten the tie of the tuxedo.
Somebody start the Aston because Im outta here.
Ideally Id tarry a little longer but as a wise man once said: always have an escape plan.
I spent nearly a year working to complete these retrospectives.
And now the end has finally arrived, I suddenly dont want to go.
Best Bit:The rat monologue as Silva descends the lift and slowly prowls into focus.
Worst Bit:The death-by-flying-tube attempt.
Did nobody point out the implausibility?
Final Thought:Kincade was nearly played by Sean Connery.
I still cant decide if this would have been the best thing ever or totally ruined the film.