Lucas
Versantvoort / June 17, 2013
“Were you expecting an exploding pen? We don't really go in for that
anymore.”
—Q
Probably
the most anticipated Bond-film ever, Skyfall opened to break all kinds
of box office records, including passing both Titanic and Avatar
at the U.K. box office (which can only be a good thing). It was also the first
one to be directed by a Hollywood big shot: Sam Mendes, best known for American
Beauty, which was highly unusual given the fact that the Bond films were always
shot by lesser-known directors. Combine this with the inclusions of DP Roger
Deakins and composer Thomas Newman, the shift in tone in the more recent Bond
films and the long production time and you can see how this film got everyone
psyched. For me…it was definitely a great movie-going experience, though I’m
hesitant to call it a Bond experience…
Bond (Daniel Craig) is shot during
the mission in the opening scenes and, though MI6 thinks he’s dead, recovers on
some tropical island in typical Bond fashion: drinks and women. Meanwhile, MI6
is attacked. A bomb goes off in MI6 headquarters, seemingly to harm M (Judi
Dench). Bond finds out and returns to MI6, but before he can head back into the
field, he needs to recover his previous strength and skill at gunplay.
I like how typical Bond-elements are
ridiculed. Many Bond-films from the past were so predictable and sometimes
downright silly in their adherence to what a ‘Bond movie’ is ‘supposed to be’
that they degraded the entire franchise. Skyfall, however, firmly
establishes itself as a modern Bond-film. See, for instance, the above quote
from Q who responds to Bond’s disappointment about the lack of ‘toys’ MI6 has
provided him with.
There are some things that annoy me,
however. The way the Big Bad, Silva (Javier Bardem), has planned everything
(and I mean everything) in advance sometimes requires too much suspension of
disbelief. This was most notable for me when Silva receives a package in the
London Underground from two henchmen disguised as officers. I thought to
myself: am I supposed to believe that he planned for those henchmen to be there
at that exact time?
Another thing is Silva’s
homosexuality. I could have said ‘implied’, but there’s nothing subtle about it
here. Everything about Silva is so…sensual: his accent, the way he walks, his
mannerisms, etc. Now, I don’t mind
homosexuality whatsoever, but I didn’t really see a reason for Silva to be gay.
What does it matter? Sure, it definitely makes Silva more fun to watch, but I
just didn’t see the point… It just takes me back to past films where the bad
guys always tended to be gay (Silence of the Lambs, etc.).
Something else that bothered me –
and this is a critical point – is the adherence to typical Bond-film
characteristics, such as the Bond-girl. I’ve read a lot of comments that Skyfall
isn’t really a Bond-film, because it lacks certain of these elements. I hark
back to what I said at the beginning, how I was hesitant to call it a
Bond-experience. I didn’t feel like I was watching a typical Bond-film, but a
good (psychological) thriller with some social commentary on modern society.
Bond’s past was moderately explored, M has more to do than boss Bond around and
there’s an important theme dealing with the role of technology in modern life.
Silva is able to do anything with the push of a button and the way Bond and M
eventually defeat him is in a place where Silva is unable to utilize
technology. In a film like this, the token Bond-elements, such as
‘Bond-getting-girl’ felt even more out of place and, for me, this was the main
thing holding this film back from becoming the drama it seems to aspire to.
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