After being around for 50 years, any hero can get tired. Just ask Batman or Superman, who have both required huge overhauls to remain relevant in modern societies. James Bond ran into this problem like no other.
In a post-9/11 world, what place does a womanizing, globe-hopping secret agent occupy? Some believed Bond was getting too old and irrelevant, and they were right. “Casino Royale” in 2006 reignited the franchise and gave hope to plenty, but its follow-up, the shockingly mediocre “Quantum of Solace,” settled everyone back into thinking that maybe it was time for 007 to retire.
But “Skyfall” proves that Bond is far from done. Where “Casino Royale” was a brilliant reinvention of the character, “Skyfall” is the first Bond movie in a long time to actually feel like a Bond movie. It’s a perfect celebration of the 50th birthday of one of cinema’s greatest heroes.
The film is the first straightforward action flick from director Sam Mendes. Mendes won an Oscar for directing “American Beauty,” but the closest he’d previously come to directing an action movie was “Road to Perdition,” a mob flick starring Tom Hanks.
Mendes smartly takes Bond literally back to his roots. In the two previous Bond films, we’ve seen what’s made Bond the way he is. In “Skyfall,” we see what Bond’s made of. One could say it’s an action film that doubles as a character study, a dissection of the psyche of a character everyone knows so well but so little about.
Unlike almost any Bond film before it, “Skyfall” is driven by an emotional core. Though it’s certainly present here, we don’t see so much of Bond charming women as we see him interact with the people who mean the most to him. All of this culminates in an emotionally charged ending that’s sure to leave plenty in shock.
Of course, none of the film’s emotional components would have worked if it weren’t for the stellar acting. The always-great Judi Dench delivers another great performance as M, Bond’s boss, while newcomers Ben Whishaw and Naomie Harris, who play Q and Ms. Moneypenny, respectively, do solid jobs in updating two of the series’ most famous characters.
But the glowing stars of the show are Daniel Craig and Javier Bardem. Craig steps into his own in “Skyfall,” completely owning the role and never losing sight of who Bond is. He previously seemed to struggle with the character, playing him as an impulsive killing machine. While that worked in his prior outings, his emotional side increases here, showing us more of the charming Bond we all know and love.
What can’t be said about Javier Bardem? After winning an Oscar for his portrayal of an almost-mute assassin in “No Country for Old Men,” he delivers a delightfully bombastic performance as Raoul Silva, a former operative who worked under M, but was forgotten by her when he was taken prisoner.
Bardem presents Silva as equal parts Hannibal Lecter and Heath Ledger’s Joker. He’s a caustic, uncontrollable villain, but his evil plot doesn’t revolve around taking over the world; he just wants revenge. Bardem plays a character so disturbed and hurt by his former employers that it’s hard not to feel some sympathy for him. Indeed, he’s the series’ most likable villain since 1964’s “Goldfinger.”
Mendes made a great choice in bringing Roger Deakins aboard as cinematographer. Deakins, who shot classics such as “The Shawshank Redemption” and “The Big Lebowski,” composes shots with stunning beauty and grace. Additionally, the film boasts some of the best action sequences in Bond’s history. It’s clear that as much as Mendes wanted to make an emotional Bond movie, he and Deakins never lost sight of the fact that they were making a great action flick.
The film’s best sequence, however, is reserved for its end. It perfectly wraps up the last three films and prepares the audience for what’s to come. The days of Bond’s one-liners and obnoxious gadgets are over. We’re in the real world now, dealing with real-world problems. But thanks to Mendes and Craig, we’ve got a real-world hero to deal with them.
This film image released by Sony Pictures shows Daniel Craig as James Bond, left, and Judi Dench as MI6 head M, in a scene from the film "Skyfall." Dench has been the Bond matriarch: the strong-willed, no-nonsense mainstay of feminine authority in a movie franchise that has, more often than not, featured slightly more superficial womanly traits. In "Skyfall," Dench isn't just dictating orders from headquarters, but is thrown directly into the action when a former MI6 agent, played by Javier Bardem, is bent on revenge against her. (AP Photo/Sony Pictures, Francois Duhamel)
