Technical Aspects Means It's An Oscar Contender

Rating: 9/10 (2 November 2012)

You know to expect with a Bond film - girls , gadgets , stunts and excitement in a story that is pure escapism . In other words they're enjoyable rubbish . The formula changed somewhat with the arrival of Daniel Craig in CASINO ROYALE where the story is much more character driven . QUANTUM OF SOLCACE was a slight step backwards but upon hearing Oscar winning director Sam Mendes was going to direct the latest film in the Bond franchise SKYFALL it was going to be the Bond film people either love or hate. After just seeing it I can say it's a film I absolutely loved
One should admire the courage of the producers in making a Bond film that while on the surface follows the formula of the franchise is a quantum leap away from what the audience is used to . Bond is now a vulnerable complex character who has self doubt and the characters around him exist in the real universe . Gareth Mallory is a former SAS soldier and a reference is made to his time in Northern Ireland . Q isn't a wizard who can conjure invisible cars out of thin air , he's a computer nerd and his armoury is limited to guns and tracking devices and much of the plot revolves around Bond's boss M . In other words this is the most realistic Bond movie
But it's the technical aspects that probably sets SKYFALL apart from the rest of the series . Roger Daeakins the cinematographer has been Oscar nominated eight times without success and he's made the most visually striking Bond movie . A sequence in Shanghai where Bond follows an assassin in to an office block where the action takes place in front of advertising screens has a hypnotic beauty rarely seen in cinema never mind a Bond movie . Likewise the editing which is handled by Stuart Baird is very impressive and is a million miles away from QUANTUM OF SOLACE which ruined that movie for a lot of people . I expect both Deakins and Baird to be at least Oscar nominated for their efforts with a few other nominations for the technical crew . This is the best Bond film from a technical viewpoint
Some things don't work work however . The plotting has upset a few people and as has been mentioned some of the storyline seems to be forgotten about like the abrupt disappearance of Bond after the the opening sequence . There's also few other irritating plot holes like this and it's never a good sign that a film has several screenwriters . One bone of contention is that much of the story takes place in mundane locations such as London and Scotland . One does wonder if it's a film that will appeal to a British audience rather than an American/international one ? One point that will spilt audiences is how low key the villain's aim is
If there's one disappointment for me it's Javier Bardem as the baddie . It;s often been said that good actors make for unimpressive Bond villains and Bardem does ironically chew up the scenery as Silva who seems to be the MI6 version of Hannibal Lector . There also seems to be a homosexual subtext to the character that remains unexplored . One also can't help noticing Kincaid , Bond's childhood gamekeeper, should have seen Brian Cox cast instead of Albert Finney
But all in all SKYFALL has been one of the most entertaining nights out at the cinema I've had in a long time . Some people will no doubt hate what the producers have done but I'm glad to see a character driven Bond film based in the real world . As I said it's a film of technical hypnotic almost poetic beauty and I expect it to pick up a few Oscar nominations. If Roger Deakins doesn't win an Oscar for this the next Bond film will need a plot involving a baddie letting off a nuclear device on Oscar night