"Skyfall": A Review
What follows discusses "Skyfall" in some detail, so be warned if you wish to see it without having had any of its not particularly surprising plot points revealed.
"Skyfall," the twenty-third cinematic outing for secret agent extraordinaire James Bond, is a pretty good movie as far as these things go. If you are not put off by obvious capitulations to cinematic nonsense -- that ten minutes outside of Istanbul is an alpine wonderland of gorgeous scenery and perilous gorges; that the United Kingdom has host-country permission for shootouts pretty much everywhere; that computer hacking is mostly accomplished by typing more frenetically than the self-evolving hostile code -- then it's a fine way to spend two and a half hours.
It also doesn't quite hold up, and not for the usual reasons. James Bond films are always escapist, which is a generous way of saying they run the gamut from unrealistic to insultingly ridiculous. "Skyfall," though, attempts something a bit different, in that it is a film with a message. That message is this: old things are still necessary things. It's a good one, and right, but poorly delivered, mostly because the film never establishes that necessity.
The villain of the piece, Javier Bardem's Raoul Silva, is on a mission to humiliate and murder Judi Dench's M. As the film unfolds, we find that he has a rather good reason for doing so: years past, she betrayed him to the Chinese, who proceeded to torture him for a very long time. Her reason for having done so is explained away in an unfortunate monologue in which M explains that Silva, while in MI6's employ, once exceeded his brief and caused a lot of trouble. (A canny filmmaker might give us a look of alarm, or perhaps self-awareness, on James Bond's face at this point, but no such luck.) You can't like Silva, but you also can't blame him for being rather resentful. In a different movie, his quest would be played as a righteous crusade for vengeance. The man is owed some payback, or at least a generous pension.
Why do we care about any of this? "Skyfall" confers upon Silva some rather improbable powers of information dominance, plus command of squads upon squads of expert killers. James Bond must stop Silva because Silva can access all the information, and control all the machines, all the time! (This is, by the bye, also the threat in the season finale of season two of the BBC's "Sherlock," and Sandra Bullock's 1995 epic "The Net," and "Lawnmower Man," and please stop using this.) Okay, that's reason for the world to care -- and when the British soldiers swarm Silva's island compound with all its servers, you'd think they'd end that threat. But they don't! We learn this about twenty minutes later, when Silva is revealed to still have helicopters, and weaponry, and access to electronic muckety muck that he brings to bear for the climactic fight at Bond's childhood estate of Skyfall in Scotland.
Yes, Scotland: we learn that Bond, James Bond, is Scottish in the same movie whose marketing advertised an early scene in which a psychologist, subjecting the agent to free-association, says "Country," and Bond replies, "England." This is not something Scotsmen are apt to do. But you know where that moviegoing market lives.
So, in the end, of course Silva is defeated, after Bardem chews on so much scenery he chokes. M expires, thereby giving the villain his win -- although the film betrays no hint whatsoever that James Bond understands he has actually failed in his mission. His gambit to fight the bad guy mano a mano turns out to be a bust after the bad guy sensibly brings along about twenty other manos. Is there any inkling of this? Is there any shred of understanding that Bond may grasp that his plan completely failed? Is there any regret at not having had a plan B? Is there any acknowledgement that the United Kingdom, having displayed in this same movie an ability to deploy an entire air-assault company to a Pacific island in mere minutes, could likely have done the same in the United Kingdom? Finally, as M journeys to wherever spy chiefs who give up their people to Chinese torture go, is there any realization communicated to the audience that the actual threat posed by Silva -- remember, he can access all the information and blow up all the gas mains and tank all the markets! -- is still live and presumably accessible by many living henchmen?
Spoilers: no, no, no, no, and no.
"Skyfall" falls into the same maw of climactic irrelevance that consumed "Return of the Jedi," where the major scene of resolution -- Luke Skywalker's final confrontation with Darth Vader -- was pointless to the eventual outcome. Imagine an alternate "Return of the Jedi," if you will, in which Skywalker is either slaughtered by his father, or joins his father to murder the Emperor and establish a new hereditary Dark Side galactic imperium. (Hey, this sounds like a much better film, now that I mention it.) What happens next? Why, the same thing that happens when Luke and goodness win: Lando Calrissian and Wedge Antilles blow up the Death Star and everyone on board. (Like I said, much better.) This is "Skyfall" in a nutshell. The major resolution is, when you think about it, the minor resolution, and ultimately irrelevant to boot. At least "Jedi" gave us the big-picture finish. "Skyfall" doesn't even bother, on the probably correct assumption that most won't miss it.
At the end of all this, we are to be persuaded of what the late M, quoting Tennyson to boorish British Cabinet ministers, has been contending all along, and is The Big Message of "Skyfall": old things are still necessary things. A cracked porcelain British bulldog, draped in a Union Jack, is our visual signifier here, as it travels throughout the film from M's desk to what is presumably Bond's self-storage space to a future episode of Storage Wars UK. Yet "Skyfall" manages to make the contrary case in full: its major crisis is precipitated by MI6 itself, and its protagonist fails at his major mission. James Bond of the 1950s and 1960s issued from Ian Flemings's pen fighting absurdist villains, yes, but also real-world threats including first and foremost global communism. "Skyfall's" vision is more narrow, combating the monster of our own creation. The world is safer after Hugo Drax dies: it isn't after Raoul Silva does.
And there's the irony of "Skyfall," which sets up its main character and institutions as false anachronisms to be revealed as relevant and triumphant. It thereby accidentally exposes a real anachronism, exemplified in a Churchillian cracked-porcelain bulldog: a Britain that believed in something.
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Comments:
Aug '10
Re: "Skyfall": A Review
It's too big and intricate a story to fit into one movie. The movie really glossed over large parts of it. The tv series with Alec Guinness as Smiley did a much better job.
Even so, all of Le Carre's stuff should be read instead of watched. His stuff is so methodical, and internal, and intricate, that it does not translate well to the screen. In many cases, you really need to be able to back up to previous chapters to retrace the trail of breadcrumbs he leaves for you.
That being said, the performances in TTSS were spot-on. Gary Oldman was masterful, and the others did fantastic work as well. No complaints here about the acting.
Edited on November 25, 2012 at 3:54amAug '10
Re: "Skyfall": A Review
Joshua Treviño:
... that the United Kingdom has host-country permission for shootouts pretty much everywhere...
The recent James Bond novel, Carte Blanche, which was a much more well-thought-out reboot of the Bond Mythos, addresses this very well.
In the novel, Bond is not licensed to carry a gun on UK soil. As such, he's ordered to liaise with MI5 and Scotland Yard's Special Branch.
This adds something we've never seen before in a Bond story, when in one of the action scenes Bond is unarmed when he comes under attack.
When outside the UK, Bond is required to liaise with the local security service if he wants to so much as wipe his nose.
Bond, of course, finds all this bureaucracy incredibly stifling,
The villain is also a perfect reinvention for the 21st century. I don't want to spoil it for y'all...
Aug '12
Re: "Skyfall": A Review
Skyfall was an above average action film, but a terrible Bond film, even with the Daniel Craig reinvention. The central threat to British intelligence did not seem menacing enough with mid-90's movie computer viruses popping up on M's screens taunting her.
Also, Javier Bardem was a great choice of an actor for a terribly written villain. He was too sympathetic after revealing the physical effects of his torture in concert with how minimal of harm he was perpetrating. (The room full of servers didn't seem very scary.) In fact, M almost comes across like 'the bad guy' with her equally emotionless treatment of Bardem's character and Bond.
A more focused threat that builds rage in the audience would have been more effective, and Bardem's death felt like an afterthought.
The film's length seemed to be more for the director to check all of the requirements of a Bond film rather out of what the plot and characters required. A very unBondlike Bond film.
I expected better since I really enjoy Craig as Bond, and like Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace.
May '11
Re: "Skyfall": A Review
Goldeneye is my favorite intro theme (also one of the best Bond films)
Edited on November 25, 2012 at 5:15amApr '12
Re: "Skyfall": A Review
I'm not sure what "best Bond film" means, nor what most people expect from Bond films in general.
Almost every film begins with a spectacular and improbable escape/chase sequence. Jumping out of an airplane without a parachute, skiing down the alps chased by motorcycles. Then comes the dream sequence with psychedelic floating nude women and credits. Then the movie actually begins with smart ass James teasing/flirting with Moneypenny, getting his orders from M, and then getting his spy gadgets from Q. Then he infiltrates the bad guy's HQ, gets caught, escapes, and then saves the day. The more twists and reversals, the better.
Something changed in the Bond films from Craig's Casino to Skyfall. James is more human than before. The Empire isn't what it once was. The enemies are less Russian, less Dr. No, less SPECTRE, and more like home grown corporations.
M cast away 2 top agents. She abandoned Raoul Silva to the Chinese, and she ordered Moneypenny to "take the shot" on James Bond.
It's a story about fallible people. A fallible Empire. Thereby it makes what the protagonists are attempting even more impossible, and dare we say it? Heroic.
Apr '11
Re: "Skyfall": A Review
I thought that having the villain be, for the first half at least, essentially wikileaks/ Assange was a lovely surprise. If only Hollywood could more often remind us of the evils of the left.
I'd also note that the film does not, as I recall, establish that Bond was Scottish. It establishes that he grew up in Scotland, and that his family had held a house there for generations. He responds "England" to "Country"; quite a lot of English people and English families who have lived in Scotland were made to feel their nationality keenly, and the bigotry and prejudice used to be even more unpleasant. As with all such matters, there are many people who experienced no such problem (I have had little to complain about in my years north of the border, for instance, and I don't believe that Mrs. of England suffers either).
I agree.
Aug '10
Re: "Skyfall": A Review
I actually set a very low bar for Bond films, which is precisely why I'm such a cranky fan-boy when they don't meet my low standards:
Do I really ask for too much?
Edited on November 25, 2012 at 8:19pmJun '12
Re: "Skyfall": A Review
Misthiocracy
Do I reallyask for too much? · 1 hour ago
Not really, but it is disappointing to have an actor like Craig playing Bond and to not get good movie to go along with him.
Aug '10
Re: "Skyfall": A Review
Rob in N.CA
Misthiocracy
Do I reallyask for too much? · 1 hour ago
Not really, but it is disappointing to have an actor like Craig playing Bond and to not get good movie to go along with him. · 0 minutes ago
Them's the breaks.
Even the greatest actors get stuck with terrible movies.
Gary Oldman and William Hurt were in Lost In Space.
John Gielgud was in First Knight.
Orson Welles' last role was as the voice of Omicron in The Transformers Movie.
And don't get me started on the stellar cast of Caligula...
Aug '10
Re: "Skyfall": A Review
I'll make you regret starting a Bond thread. I could go on for days.
Top 5 Bond Flicks:
Worst 5 Bond Flicks
Most Underrated: Tomorrow Never Dies
(Pryce's performance gets campy, but the rest of the flick is solid.)
Most Overrated: Goldfinger
(Auric's scheme makes no sense, economically-speaking.)
Best Song: You Know My Name by Chris Cornell
(I know I'm in the minority, but the lyrics are simply perfect for a Bond song.)
Worst Song: Die Another Day by Madonna
Best Pre-Credits Sequence: Casino Royale
("How did he die?" "Not well.")
Worst Pre-Credits Sequence: Diamonds Are Forever
(Why is Bond so ... old? Why, lawd, why?!)
Best Titles Sequence: Die Another Day
(Bond being tortured was a very new idea.)
Worst Titles Sequence: A View To A Kill
(Very unmemorable and uninspired.)
Best Car: Aston Martin from The Living Daylights
(Beautiful car and loaded with gadgets)
Worst Car: BMW Z3 from Goldeneye
Edited on November 25, 2012 at 9:33pm(Blatant product placement and no gadgets!)
Aug '10
Re: "Skyfall": A Review
Rob in N.CA
Misthiocracy
Do I reallyask for too much? · 1 hour ago
Not really, but it is disappointing to have an actor like Craig playing Bond and to not get good movie to go along with him. · 2 hours ago
Oh, now, please allow me to back-pedal a bit. Skyfall wasn't a bad Bond flick. It's definitely in the top 12 (out of 23).
I'm much more critical of the flicks that almost get it right than the ones that get it completely wrong.
The ones that are thoroughly awful can simply be dismissed and forgotten, but the ones that come oh so close to getting it right without quite nailing it really stick in one's head and cause insomnia as one obsesses over the unforced errors.
I place Skyfall in that category. It coulda been in the top five. It coulda been a contender.
Re: "Skyfall": A Review
Misthiocracy:
Best Song: You Know My Name by Chris Cornell
(I know I'm in the minority, but the lyrics are simply perfect for a Bond song.)
Well at least now I understand your dislike of Adele.
Aug '10
Re: "Skyfall": A Review
It was OK, engaging for about two-thirds of its length but rather boring for a sizeable portion. I also picked up on the Scottish/English point. But then, didn't the best James Bond have a Scottish accent?
Feb '12
Re: "Skyfall": A Review
Why did you reveal that? It just changed everything I believed about the movie (as I knew it) and JC.
May '11
Re: "Skyfall": A Review
I reluctantly became okay with the new Daniel Craig version of Bond after his first 2 films as the character, but this movie--with the flawed, brooding, angry, tormented, drunk and unshaven Bond--made me long for the slick Bond of old. Also, the criminal mastermind of the villain seems smaller now. Where are the futuristic underwater compounds, the henchmen with interesting names and personalities and the goals to rule the world?
Sep '10
Re: "Skyfall": A Review
These would best be described as the Choom gang years as he clings to the Audacity of Hope and brings eventual Hope and Change to MI6, though he's got a few holes in his embassy defense when confronting the sins of his father and the bad guy revisiting the sins of his mother.
Or something.
Mar '11
Re: "Skyfall": A Review
The best recent James Bond movie is "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol". The plot has stolen nuclear codes and international locations and great action scenes. And Brad Bird from Pixar (Incredibles, Ratatouille) directed wonderfully. Change the actors and character nationalities and it is a Bond film.
Aug '10
Re: "Skyfall": A Review
Yes, I suppose I must concede that Tina Turner is a pretty decent substitute for Shirley Bassey. Goldeneye, the movie, was another "they came SO close to getting it right" entries into the series. It could have been a top five, but Onatopp was too over-the-top, and they broke the laws of physics egregiously in a couple of spots. However, Sean Bean was a great villain, and I'm always a sucker for a Bond flick that includes the Russians. The tank chase through St Petersburg was great fun.
Aug '10
Re: "Skyfall": A Review
Mollie Hemingway, Ed.
Misthiocracy:
Best Song: You Know My Name by Chris Cornell
(I know I'm in the minority, but the lyrics are simply perfect for a Bond song.)
Well at least now I understand your dislike of Adele. · 15 hours ago
I also worship at the feet of Shirley Bassey. Adele is no Shirley Bassey.
Aug '10
Re: "Skyfall": A Review
I, I, ... I ... don't even know how to have a conversation with you!
;-)