Interesting, but...

Rating: 6/10 (11 November 2012)

First things first. This is nowhere near as dreary as Quantum of Solace. That was one film which after watching gave me the feeling: "Did I just watch a Bond movie or a star-studded documentary on water preservation?" At the same time, Skyfall is not Casino Royale either. Craig's debut Bond vehicle had the right mix of decadence, delicatessen, and deviousness on either side of the fence. Comparing films is not necessarily a good thing, but then, Bond flicks are prime targets for such a study and I would have to say this could have been a lot better.
To start with, the story fits in with the premise of Bond returning to his past to confront those pesky ghosts. Likewise M. In a story closely resembling Mission Impossible (1996), Bond must prevent a list of all field agents and their aliases from falling into the wrong hands. Although the list is lost, Bond nearly succeeds, but for an apparent failed shot from Eve (Naomie Harris), he plummets into the white waters below and is presumed killed on duty. Cut to a daring attack on MI6 HQ and Bond gets all teary-eyed about dear ol' England and reports for work, with a stinking breath and bloodshot eyes for good measure. His evaluation tests prove negative, but M (Dame Judi Dench, in a far cry from the imposing matriarch of the secret service) overrules them and reinstates Bond into active field work, much to the chagrin of Interior Security Chairman George Mallory (Ralph Fiennes). Packed off to Shanghai to resume his tete-a-tete with the assassin who stole the list, Bond fails again, but this time, is thrown a lifeline by a mysterious woman called Severine (Berenice Marlohe). She leads him to Raoul Silva (Javier Bardem), a former MI6 agent who was once loyal to M only to be sacrificed by her on a doomed mission and has now sworn vengeance on "Mommy" (as he calls M). Bond captures Silva but loses Severine along the way. A sneering Silva taunts M in captivity (similar to how Joker delighted himself in provoking Dent, Batman, and Gordon in The Dark Knight). Through a combination of computer wizardry and clever disguises, Silva escapes from the cage and bombs an underground rail line, throwing Bond and his pursuers off-track (literally). Meanwhile, as Silva has released few names from the list and those agents facing public executions due to blown covers, M is summoned to a court hearing where she faces tough questions. Bond has determined that Silva is on an all-out assault to get M and she barely escapes. Bond takes her to his childhood home called Skyfall in Scotland and proceeds to guard themselves along with the house-keeper Kincaid (Albert Finney). The first line of attackers arrive and Bond & Co deal with them successfully, albeit with M getting shot. Silva arrives in a helicopter and proceeds to decimate the house with heavy firepower. Bond increases the stakes by lighting cylinders in response to Silva torching his beloved Aston Martin and finally kills him with a knife, but is left downcast as M succumbs to her injuries. Eve reveals that she is actually Moneypenny as Mallory takes over M's job.
The story is not entirely original, borrowing elements from spy flicks. Bond's motivation which seemed to be under scrutiny in QoS (one of the few saving graces of that film) is taken for granted here, in a manner that is almost off-hand. The background score is jarring at times, and Adele's rendition of "Skyfall" is not bad but not great either. The fights are great but not memorable. Shanghai has been shot beautifully, though! As for acting, Bardem is the top-dog. His chuckling demeanor, his rat monologue, his macabre face as he removes his false teeth, all serve to paint him as a coldly vengeful former agent. Craig is great as well, but seems to be strangely subdued in some scenes. I got a great kick out of seeing Fiennes and I am really curious to know how the next instalment will pan out, given the prickly relationship M and Bond share. The two ladies are neither Black Widow nor Vesper Lynd but somewhere in between, which is all the more confusing. Ben Whishaw adds charm to a tiny role, but seriously, where are the gadgets, man? All said and done, this film raises more questions than answers. And those questions are more to do with the film itself, than anything else!