Too much

Rating: 6/10 (29 April 2013)

For the first few minutes of 'Skyfall', you might think you were watching a tense, downbeat, almost-realistic thriller. Then Agent Bond answers his boss in London with a curt, improbable "Ma'am", and the silliness begins. Of course, Bond's is a trademark silliness, one that has come to be so perceived as part of what defines Englishness that the character was even included in the opening ceremony of the London Olympics; and it's fair to say that in many ways, Skyfall is an entertaining film, as it romps violently, and theatrically, around the globe in the firm tradition of its many predecessors. Like the other films made using current actor Daniel Craig, there's a superficially dark mood fronting the in-jokes and computer-assisted choreography, and a little less lasciviousness than some earlier incarnations, although I wouldn't go as far as to say that there's anything here that could actually be taken seriously. Sam Mendes handles the job of directing competently, and most of the cast give it a spirited effort: Javier Barden makes a suave, effete villain but Julie Dench is somewhat (and surprisingly) anaemic as Bond's boss M. Personally, I've never quite got the appeal of the franchise; and much as I like the highlands of Scotland, where the conclusion is set, the film is unquestionably overlong. I've seen worse light entertainment; but something so flimsy would be sweeter if shorter.