Skyfall Review

[Westside Steve]

Skyfall

Columbia/Sony

PG 13 162 min

 

Emblazoned across the screen are the words 50 years of Bond!

Actually the world famous spot I was born in 1953 with the release of Ian Flemings Casino Royale. Prior to his death in 1964 Fleming wrote no less than twelve Bond novels. Six decades later six authors and twenty + films have kept the legend alive and well.

Bond has been played by at least ten actors, but for most of us of the baby boomer generation no one can match Sean Connery.

SKYFALL Is the third outing for actor Daniel Craig and in my opinion he's the closest to what I consider to be the real Bond sense Connery. The character had become a parody of himself over the last many years as gadgets chase scenes and explosions tended to overshadow the fact that Bond is a human being, although a very tough and smart one. Like Batman.

And, ironically, much like Batman the James Bond legend has changed with the times.

In the thirty's the bad guy was usually a bank robber or maybe even, shudder, a murderer! In the sixty's the onus shifted to the mad businessman or scientist who had an evil scheme to rule and or destroy the world!

Well these days bank robbers art all that frightening. And maniacs who wants to rule the world now run for office.

So BATMAN re booted the Joker and he became a psychopath bent on causing widespread death and misery much like the latest entry, Bane.

In SKYFALL, Silva, (Javier Bardem) Is a freak with an axe to grind.

Also, much like BATMAN, a predominant theme of the film is that the hero is getting older. The grueling years of punishment and changing times have taken their toll and it looks like it may be the end of the line. Yet in spite of the odds and in spite of the objections of others in the service both he and M rise to the occasion one more time. More Bob Seger than Black Eyed Peas if you get the ref. <G>

Bardem is adequate as the agent gone bad though not nearly as frightening as he was in NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN. (Yet another story about twilight years)

An R rating keeps out many young ticket buyers so the evil seems a little tame in todays jaded sensibility.

Still it’s as thrilling as it can be under the circumstances.

And I imagine Judi Dench had some fun shooting bad guys.

B

WSS

 

[The Gipper]

In my view there was a great deal to like about this Bond entry. I liked the bits of nostalgia they brought into it: first with the use of the Aston Martin. In the theater I was in a huge whoop was let out when they opened up that garage door. Also, at the end, instead of the fancy penthouse office or the Churchill bunker Bond walked into the same basic office with Moneypenny sitting there to the left and the hat rack in the corner that was used during the Connery years.

I also like the "low key" Scottish setting or the final showdown.

I also liked the "low tech" approach that Q gave to Bond. A gun and a radio..."don't lose the equipment" (of course, Bond did lose it)

 

The negatives: I personally do not like Javier Bardem. He makes my skin crawl (though I do recognize how good he was in his role). Killing him with a knife to the back seemed appropriate and a bit allegorical.

The other thing that I thought was a bit laughable was the fact that the baddie could just snap his fingers and "Henchmen R US" would continue to show up after so many of them were wasted.

Of course certain plot twists were exagerrated for the script. Example...after Bardem killed the girl, and then Bond killed all of Bardem's henchmen on that island (I can't even remember Bardem's character's name), Bond truly woulda/shoulda put a bullet in Bardem's head right then and there. There was no reason to keep him alive any longer...except to extenuate the plot.

[calfoxwc]

We don't go to the movies that much, too busy workin the farm and having fun otherwise...

 

but we watched Skyfall with friends, and they hate movies, but still, they enjoyed it and watched it to the very end.

 

"Bond truly woulda/shoulda put a bullet in Bardem's head right then and there"

when he didn't shoot him right there, all four of us knew and said it was dumb that he didn't.

It's a very good movie, but any of us would have changed that part. Made no sense.

As soon as I get time, I'll watch it again. That is, after I finish "Call of Duty MW3" in the middle of the night....