Movie Review - Skyfall

 

Skyfall is one of the best Batman films I’ve seen, and I mean that with the most sincerity.  I have no idea whether the writers of Skyfall were inspired by Nolan’s The Dark Knight or were told to completely rip it off.  Either way this Bond film is solid, shot well, well-acted, and is just fun to watch, even when you know what’ll happen next.

 

The Story:

Bond is in the field doing Bond stuff, when oops—he’s shot by a teammate and falls ass-first into the water below a train bridge.  But you knew that already, right?  Well, he’s believed dead, until a terrorist strikes MI6 from the inside, and Bond decides to take action once again.

 

Thoughts:

From the opening scene—action—to the ending credits, I had a smile on my face.  The movie is perfectly written in arc format: action, slowly uncovering plot, action, and then the escalated final battle.

 

But what sets this film apart from other Bond films?  Well, most of them had him going after a bad guy who is intent on world-domination, or something close to this.  Someone close to Bond, preferably a lover he just met is killed and then he sets out to destroy whoever is responsible.

 

This film makes it personal.  How?  By going after the one person who is most important to Bond, not just some lover he met 15 minutes ago in the film.  The villain’s story line is also personal and sad—he isn’t just some half-wit, who wants to take over the world, or sell the latest operative list to the highest bidder. (Which is funny, because in the beginning that’s exactly who Bond’s trying to stop.)

 

Bond is getting older, and the film isn’t scared to show it.  They strip him down to his core principals, and it’s as if the Bond story line is starting all over again.

 

But let me back up.  The opening credits are magnificent.  The effects and visuals are an instant classic.  I really can’t remember the last time I watched a film and actually stopped to admire the opening credits.  It’s some of the best cinematography I’ve seen in a while.

 

Once he’s back, after his wound, he’s broken and is slowly becoming unhinged.  Since he’s been out of duty so long, he has to go through the training and tests again.  With underlining humor, these scenes are acted and shot well.  I loved seeing him struggle to maintain, and knowing he wasn’t in tip-top shape—he still goes out into the field to stop the terrorist.

 

The antagonist Javier Bardem is creepy, sick, twisted, and super intelligent.  And he friggin’ nails it.  In one scene you feel for him, and in the next he’s spooking you out.  Some of the plot might be easily guessed at this point, but who cares, it’s so well done, that that little grievance is hardly noticed.

 

Everything comes to a head in the final sequence, which is excellent.  There are no fun gadgets or MI6 tricks up Bond’s sleeves.  It’s just him versus the villain, and he has to use whatever knowledge he’s gained in the field to overcome.  This is just excellent writing.  So where did the writers come up with all these great ideas?  Hard to tell, but I can say what it reminds me of.

 

The Crazy Batman Similarities:

Like I said above, this was one of the best Batman films I’ve seen.  Allow me to explain.  SPOILERS: DON”T READ ON, IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN THE MOVIE.

 

Well, it turns out Bond is an orphan who lost both parents when he was young.  You don’t say?  But that could be anyone?  True.  But he’s also rich and has a mansion that was left to him from his parents.  Huh?  Yeah, and he also has a butler, who watches that mansion while he’s gone and even helps him out in the ending scenes.  You’re kidding?  Nope.  And the villain even let’s himself get caught, so he can get on the inside and go after his target.  Well, now it’s starting to sound like TDK.  I know right?  But that’s not all.  At one point, the antagonist even dresses like a cop to infiltrate certain areas, just like the joker in TDK.  Oh, and let’s not forget the secret passageways underneath Bond’s mansion.  I wouldn’t have been surprised if he had a cave underground where he stored his bat-mobile.

 

OKAY, YOU CAN START READING AGAIN.

 

What seemed ridiculous:

Besides Bond’s partner in the film, there is another women lead (if you can even call it that) played by Berenice Marlohe, who I remember sharing the spotlight with Craig, along with Naomie Harris, when the film was first announced.  SPOILER: If you haven’t seen the film, I don’t think it will hurt the experience.  Anyway, she’s in the film for about 5 minutes.  But in those 5 minutes, she tries to share a terrible life story and the best part: there’s enough time to squeeze in a love scene that made absolutely no sense.

 

The love scene, I think, just filled one of the requirements of a Bond film.  It literally pops out of nowhere, just like Bond in the scene and BAM—shower love making.  Really?  The character felt thin and rammed into the script for no reason.  Her dialogue was top notch, and even her acting was excellent, but she felt out of place.  If she wasn’t in the film, it really wouldn’t have mattered. END OF SPOILER.

 

Conclusion:

Besides the Batman thing and one flimsy woman character, this Bond film has it all.  It was the perfect treat for an otherwise slow end to the film season.  Skyfall shouldn’t be missed.  There’s a little for everyone: Humor, action, romance, mystery, thrills and twists.  If you haven’t seen it, drop what you’re doing and run out to the theater, you won’t be disappointed.  Oh, and if that doesn’t do it for you, there’s also dragons…that’s all I can say.

 

A Solid 4.5 out of 5 stars (minus ½ a star for the Batman stuff and one throw-away character)