Skyfall

2012
Director: Sam Mendes
Writers: Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, John Logan
Cast: Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Javier Bardem

I will admit that I'm not the biggest James Bond fan. I've seen a handful of the films and particularly enjoyed Casino Royale but am definitely not a Bond, let's quote all the villains and name all the cars, buff. I hadn't been particularly excited about the Skyfall release until I saw the trailer ("Javier Bardem is in it?!") and started to hear some rave reviews. Therefore, I decided to embrace the Bond hype by booking tickets for opening night, sitting in a packed cinema and revelling at the sight of Skyfall.

The film got off to a brilliant start with a thrilling chase that quickly set the plot into motion. Though not the biggest Adele fan, her bond theme worked very well within the opening credits which, though not as visually intriguing as Casino Royale's, fitted well with the film's themes.

With regards to the cast, I've always liked Craig's portrayal of 007 so no particular surprises there. Dench is great as usual as M, who gets a deservedly bigger role this time which seemingly explains the lack of a strong Bond Girl presence. The young Q (Whishaw) was a good addition, but I found Eve (Harris) to be rather annoying. It is Javier Bardem, though, as Raoul Silva who is the star of the show and the film simply would not be as good without him. He enters the screen in a brilliant fashion, albeit a tardy appearance, and has an overriding presence in each scene, with his personal attachment to M being particularly interesting. His only fault for me is a slight lack of originality. Through no fault of his own, his detention in a circular prison was strongly reminiscent of the iconic Hannibal Lecter scene and one could not help but be reminded of the Joker as Silva takes on a policeman's appearance and brings a humorous edge to the character. This is not to say that Bardem does not deliver a brilliant performance and his acting prowess is proven as he successfully plays a lighter villain to that of the terrifying Anton Chigurh whom he portrayed in No Country for Old Men.

The cinematography was superb and particularly beautiful with the shots of flaming oranges and yellows in the film's concluding sequences. Such visuals and intelligent camerawork, again I must make reference to Silva's arrival, brought a much needed cinematic edge to the franchise rather than simply being a big action-packed adventure film. Its subtle touches of humour were well placed throughout the story and the pacing was almost always appropriate.

With the final scenes referencing the classic Bonds, I think it is about time I watched the earlier films. Goldfinger is already ticked off the list and hopefully many more will be too; maybe they will make a Bond convert out of me yet.

8/10