New Age Bond

Rating: 8/10 (7 October 2015)

Four years on from the disappointing Quantum of Solace, legendary screen hero James Bond (Daniel Craig) makes a triumphant return to the big screen. Director Sam Mendes deserves the lion's share of the credit for this triumph, for his inspiring boldness and deftness in simultaneously paying homage to the classic Bond adventures of the past whilst defying the conventions that have previously made Bond films stale and restricted. Quite frankly, a Bond film that re- establishes several series staples, explores Bond's roots, positions M (Judi Dench) in the main Bond girl role and which features a villain in Silva (Javier Bardem) whose plans are more grounded than simply world domination, deserves huge praise.
The film kicks off when a figure from M's past returns to plague her and MI6 comes under attack, a washed up and down on his luck James Bond must return to track down and eliminate the threat at all costs. These events thrust Bond into what can only be described as one of his most thrilling adventures to date, taking the now fifty year old series, in a bold new direction.
Perhaps not so coincidentally referring to the 50th anniversary of James Bond and the fact that four years have elapsed since the last Bond film (six since Daniel Craig's debut), the film's central theme revolves around the dichotomy of old and new. Over the course of the film many references are made to this dichotomy jokingly or otherwise. The film examines whether Bond is too old or still has the stuff, whether MI6 and espionage still have a place in the post- Cold War world, how rogue actors present a different threat than traditional nation states and if cyber warfare presents a greater threat than typical military actions in the field among other things. This central dichotomy of old and new is also represented through the characters played by Bond newcomers Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris and Ben Whishaw.
The performances from the film's star studded cast are predominantly solid. On his third outing in the main role, Craig finally seems to have grown into Bond's skin and taken full ownership of the character. Judi Dench as always injects M with her trademark cold professionalism while Ralph Fiennes deftly manages to make the audience constantly doubt his character's intentions. However, it is Javier Bardem who is the real star of the film, stealing pretty much every scene he is in. Bardem's villain Silva is the perfect juxtaposition between camp and playful and intimidating and frightening. A particularly memorable scene where he awkwardly caresses an imprisoned Bond more than cements his place in the lore of iconic James Bond villains.
However, not all of the performances are on such a high level which tarnishes the film ever so slightly. The two performances in question are those of Berenice Marlohe and Naomie Harris who play the traditional young and beautiful Bond girls of the piece. Now it could be argued that the characters were written poorly or were simply marginalised in favour of making M the main female presence of the film. However, it's hard to ignore the fact that the relatively inexperienced Marlohe switches from seductive and intriguing to unnatural and awkward from scene to scene and that talented actor Harris provides the film's cringe-worthy moments when flirting with Bond. Furthermore, while the film should be praised for its originality in breaking typical Bond tropes and conventions, its central plot is ultimately based on revenge, which is highly unoriginal and overdone at this moment in time.
Ultimately, Skyfall is a blockbuster with brains and is a fine example of how a good James Bond film can compete with the absolute heavyweights of the action genre. Right from Adele's iconic opening theme to the closing credits of the film, the audience are taken on a captivating thrill ride. Sam Mendes and the cast deserve massive credit for skilfully crafting one of the very best James Bond films of the series' 50 year run and quite possibly the film of the year.