Bond goes Bourne

Rating: 5/10 (29 November 2012)

After a very weak last Bond film (Quantum of Solace) Skyfall makes an attempt at trying to come back as a plot and character driven film rather than as an action driven one. There is no doubt that Skyfall is indeed better than the last film but it is mediocre as an action film and disappointing as a Bond film. Strangely enough, it has always been said that Craig is supposed to be the best actor ever in the Bond role. If he is a good actor he does not show it in this film. Every gesture and every posture gives the impression of being studied. Hardly ever does he appear as being authentic. He always gives the impression of someone pretending to be a tough guy. This is most obvious in the final scene where he stands on a roof like a cowboy whose horse has been stolen but who hasn't noticed it yet. Oveerall, the film has a whiff of "Ersatz" about it which starts with the theme tune in which Adele renders an unimaginative copy of a Shirley Bassey performance. Throughout the film we keep finding hints and allusions to past Bond films and one cannot help but wondering what the message is: they don't make films like that anymore? That also results in some glitches in the logic. Casino Royale was basically a re-imagining of a young Bond who wins his Aston Martin in a poker game yet here he is back with the Goldfinger DB 5. I found Bardem equally offensive as an actor since he simply copies his role from "No country for old men". The action sequences work fine and are much better woven together than in A Quantum of Solace. However, what little story there is is either between implausible and absurd (Okay, this is a Bond film but within that framework a story should at least be logical) and the main theme of revenge is something that anyone who knows the espionage genre has seen a dozen times before at least and usually better executed- most notable in Spooks. So all in all, Bond has left Bond territory and essentially we are in Bourne terrain now. If you like it, you will see an okay action film. If you are a Bond film you will be disappointed.