Skyfall, an actual review...

Right, after my gushing post the other night here is a more sensible review. I stand by my gushing but let me go into a bit more detail as to why.

Firstly, there's the casting. All the actors are absolutely wonderful (sorry for sounding like a luvvie but it's true). Daniel Craig is spectacular as Bond; his portrayal really does ooze the "back to Flemming" approach he talked about. It's difficult to put into words but without doubt he nailed it with just the right combination of physicality, self-loathing and humour which makes up the character. The only trouble is the poor man seems to have developed an allergy to shirts: at any rate he took them off at every possible opportunity!

Dame Judi Dench was absolutely mesmerising as M. Unlike most of the previous films, her character was integral to the plot (and there was a plot this time thank god). She and Craig sparked off each other wonderfully creating a kind of chemistry which has never been present between M and Bond in the films before (it has been alluded to in the books with M asking Bond to complete a number of assignments that are not strictly official). She was also a vehicle for a detail which I rather liked and I hope was intentional. Without going into detail, the plot explores the an increasingly bureaucratic parliamentary management on MI6 who see the way things are done now as outmoded and useless. The message is largely, beware change for the sake of change and ignore the old ways at your peril. So that's the general idea backed up (I think) by M covering herself in a travelling rug on the journey up to Scotland. No big deal in itself but the tartan of the travelling rug was that of the Black Watch, a Scottish army regiment which was dismantled in a round of government "streamlining"(/cuts) despite it's history and it's proven record of efficiency and effectiveness. Maybe I'm over-thinking things but, to me, it was one of a number of real-world events explored in a fair bit of detail showing the franchise is not all about mindless escapism.

The villain, played by Javier Bardem, was superb. A portrait of unhinged evil. Unusually his motive wasn't world domination but in some ways that made him even better.

"New Q" also deserves a mention. I was dubious if anybody could fill the lab-coat of the late Desmond Llewelyn. John Cleese, much as I like the rest of his work, did nothing to dispel this. Ben Wishaw doesn't do so either but he certainly stands along-side. Previous gadgets issued by Q branch were name-checked (the exploding pen being one, the signature recognition PPK being two for the price of one) and new ones added but never in direct competition. In a way, it's a good example of the mood of the film in general; it acknowledges the past associated with the Bond films while taking ownership of the present and moving it forward. A risky strategy but one that was spot on here.

Before I look at other aspects of the film I can't progress without mentioning the undisputed star of the show. A silver Aston Martin DB5 registration BMT 216 A. When it appeared on screen, a cheer when up from the audience and quite right too. And it wasn't just there as window dressing. It featured heavily in the plot towards the end. Yes, we know that in real life there is as much chance of a spy driving an Aston Martin as there is of me winning Miss World but what's Bond without the suspension of disbelief and a good dollop of fantasy.

Since I have mentioned a brand already, now seems like a good time to mention product placement. Bond has always had a history with product placement. In the books Flemming mentioned items as a reference to luxury and only got rewarded afterwards. In the early films as well, certain things were used because they were commonly accepted as the best but the brands were still name checked. Latterly, as advertising kicked off, brands paid more and more to have their products featured in the films. All of this lead to a huge hubbub late last year when it was announced Heineken were going to contribute to the funding of the film. There was outcry about the idea of Bond drinking beer (despite the fact that he does so frequently in the books and films thus far) and worry that the label was going to take over the film. In the event, yes beers were drunk but they were never ostentatiously consumed and always in situations where the consumption was appropriate. This was the same of all the other brands featured (and who had undoubtedly paid to have done so) as I was in no doubt would be the case given both producers have been involved in the franchise for most of their lives. They know it's not going to be a one hit wonder and therefore have to keep an eye on the future and ensure Bond isn't just one long advert. The one exception to this, disapointingly in my view, was the watches. Everyone knows Omega has been linked to Bond since 1996 and everyone knows Bond wears high-end wristwear. The watch was going to become famous and feature heavily in the film however I thought, at times, it was a bit "in your face", almost as if the watch was wearing Daniel Craig rather than the other way round. It wasn't quite worn on top of the shirt cuff but at times it wasn't far off. I thought that was a bit of a shame really since Omega have established a link with the franchise that is up there with the most secure.

One final thing I will comment on before I bring this ramble to a close was the return of humour. The last couple of Bonds have been rather lacking in this department (probably as a response to the increasingly cartoonish nature of the Brosnan years). In Skyfall it is back and not before time too. Rather than go down the one-liner route, it usually takes the form of pithy verbal interaction between the characters. It stops short of all-out banter but at the same time is sharp and witty. There are some points which are laugh-out-loud funny but at no point do you get the feeling that the actors are playing for laughs. Like I say, spot on!

There are one or two other features of the film I can't discuss because it would give away some fairly major plot twists and i don't want to spoil it for anyone who has yet to go and see it. Suffice to say, Skyfall is set to become one of the all-time great Bonds. May there be many more like it.

Go and see it if you have not already done so. I can't urge you strongly enough.

JR