Skyfall (2012)
Even after the overall disappointment which was Quantum of Solace, there was obviously faith in the Daniel Craig era in the James Bond franchise and having Academy Award-winning director Sam Mendes attached to the next project certainly didn't hurt. Skyfall ended up impressing many and where it isn't quite as good as Casino Royale, it certainly remains one of the strongest editions in the Bond franchise overall.
The biggest thing that makes Skyfall stand out even when compared to the dozens of other Bond films to come out before is the story. This is one of the very few Bond films to feature a compelling narrative arc beyond that of just Bond Vs. a villain. Over the previous 6 Bond films, Judi Dench has become one of the best actors from the entire franchise with her role as M and immediately it was clear her and Daniel Craig had a tremendous amount of on-screen chemistry. Seeing this relationship pushed and tested as M especially has to deal with numerous issues from all sides created a surprising amount of engagement and even emotion at times. Beyond just that relationship, Skyfall also asks questions regarding the concept of the 007 program and the often unspoken consequences that it leaves in its path. These come together to create a legitimately intriguing and complex moral narrative to the film that feels nearly out of place for a Bond film considering being so well handled.
This is not to say that the film doesn't have a great classic villain as it certainly does. Raoul Silva (Javier Bardem) not only has a great backstory that fits naturally in with the narrative but also a really fantastic performance behind him by Javier Bardem. Where the concept of a supergenius is nothing new for the franchise, the game of cat and mouse Silva plays with MI6 leads to one of the most well-built conclusions in franchise history being a bit reminiscent of The Man with the Golden Gun but with way less camp and much more emotion. The only real issue that plagues all this incredible story is simply the length of the film. Where there is a lot this movie has to get through, especially in the first half it can feel like it is moving a bit slow and could be quite a bit cleaner. At nearly 150 minutes, the movie is still watchable and engaging but could have been a bit tighter leading to an even greater narrative when it comes to tension and emotional impact.
This is not to say that the film doesn't have a great classic villain as it certainly does. Raoul Silva (Javier Bardem) not only has a great backstory that fits naturally in with the narrative but also a really fantastic performance behind him by Javier Bardem. Where the concept of a supergenius is nothing new for the franchise, the game of cat and mouse Silva plays with MI6 leads to one of the most well-built conclusions in franchise history being a bit reminiscent of The Man with the Golden Gun but with way less camp and much more emotion. The only real issue that plagues all this incredible story is simply the length of the film. Where there is a lot this movie has to get through, especially in the first half it can feel like it is moving a bit slow and could be quite a bit cleaner. At nearly 150 minutes, the movie is still watchable and engaging but could have been a bit tighter leading to an even greater narrative when it comes to tension and emotional impact.
Beyond that of just the story, Skyfall is easily one of the most impressive technical outings for the franchise. In typical Roger Deakins fashion, every frame feels like a painting with so much thought being put into how to use the natural landscape to create stunning images that truly do a lot to elevate the film overall. Thomas Newman also delivers a really wonderful score, the weird part of scoring films part of a larger franchise like James Bond or even Star Wars, for example, is the tightrope the composer is forced to walk. It is expected that the score will largely play into classic elements of the score used throughout nearly the entire franchise but also has to work in the main theme song and feel original. This all comes together to create a near-impossible task but Newman creates a noticeably impressive score that really helps drive some of the major emotions home.
Wether you look at it as a James Bond film or just another film, Skyfall really is an impressive film in the Bond franchise with some of those pacing issues knocking it just below that of 2006's Casino Royale. After so many Bond films feeling like cheap films just going through the motions with little care for being a legitimately great movie the idea that we got two movies that hold up so well even outside the context of being in the James Bond franchise is wildly impressive and easily solidifies Daniel Craig as having the best overall tenure as the classic character to date.
Wether you look at it as a James Bond film or just another film, Skyfall really is an impressive film in the Bond franchise with some of those pacing issues knocking it just below that of 2006's Casino Royale. After so many Bond films feeling like cheap films just going through the motions with little care for being a legitimately great movie the idea that we got two movies that hold up so well even outside the context of being in the James Bond franchise is wildly impressive and easily solidifies Daniel Craig as having the best overall tenure as the classic character to date.