Aylmer to Zazzoo and Beyond: Skyfall

Friday, November 9, 2012

Skyfall - Review

Skyfall
(2012 - November 9)
Action | Adventure | Crime
143 min

Rated: PG-13

Language, intense violent sequences, smoking and some sexuality. Common Sense Media says Iffy for 13+. Read More

Grade: A-

Director: Sam Mendes
Writers: Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, John Logan (written by)
Ian Fleming (characters) uncredited
Stars: Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem and Naomie Harris | See full cast and crew

In Skyfall, Bond's loyalty to M is tested as her past comes back to haunt her. As MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost. -- (C) Official Site

Skyfall is going to be a big hit. It has already earned in excess of $321 million in overseas markets even before its USA opening. It will be the highest grossing film of the Daniel Craig Bond films. In my opinion it among the best of the Bond films and I think Daniel Craig is the best of the Bonds.

Daniel Craig does a great job as Agent 007. This film doesn't rely on the tired cliche of many previous Bond films. James Bond is feeling his age and mortality as is M (Judi Dench), Eve (Naomi Harris) is a nice addition to the cast. This film is more believable than the outlandish stunts and special effects that made previous Bond films ludicrous if not silly. Some of the action is a little incredible but nothing like the preposterous stunts like riding a motorcycle off a cliff and the safely skydiving into a moving airplane, at least there is an inkling of possibility in even the most outlandish scenes in Skyfall. Silva (Javier Bardem) is a credible nemesis matching Bond skill for skill and for good reasons but I will not give away the reason for that at this juncture.

There is very little sex of nudity in this film nothing graphic, nor is the film riddled with profanity. The violence is not excessively bloody or gratuitous, yet there is plenty of it. There are crashes, explosions, shootings and hand to hand combat and I think die hard Bond fans as well as those new to the genre (Is that even possible 50 years of Bond movies--I guess maybe some of the younger viewers may never have seen a Bond film.) should enjoy this film. Skyfall does the 50th anniversary for James Bond proud.

Spoiler Alert

Plot

(Via Wikipedia)

MI6 agents James Bond and Eve assist on a mission in Turkey to recover a computer hard drive stolen from a murdered MI6 agent that contains details of almost all undercover NATO agents in terrorist organisations. Bond and Eve chase the killer, mercenary Patrice, and attempt to recover the disk. During the chase, Bond is shot in the shoulder. While fighting Patrice, Bond is accidentally shot by Eve and is later considered "missing, presumed killed".

The head of MI6, M, comes under political pressure to retire during a meeting with the Intelligence and Security Committee Chairman, Gareth Mallory. On her return from the meeting, MI6 is hacked and an explosion occurs in the offices, killing eight MI6 employees. Bond, having used his supposed death to retire, learns of the attack and returns to London. Shrapnel taken from his earlier shoulder wound helps identify Patrice, and Bond tracks the mercenary to Shanghai.

Meanwhile, three NATO agents are killed after their identities areexposed, and further releases are threatened. After Patrice assassinates a target, he and Bond fight. Patrice falls to his death before Bond can learn of his employer. Searching Patrice's equipment, Bond finds a gambling chip which leads him to a casino in Macau.

Sévérine, whom Bond saw earlier during the assassination, warns him that he is about to be killed, but promises to help him if he will kill her employer. Bond beats his attackers and joins Sévérine on her boat. They travel to an island, where they are taken prisoner by the crew and delivered to Sévérine's employer, Raoul Silva. A former MI6 agent working under M, Silva holds her responsible for his torture and imprisonment by the Chinese. Silva kills Sévérine, but Bond overpowers his guards and captures Silva for extraction to the UK.

Back at MI6's underground headquarters Q attempts to decrypt Silva's laptop, but inadvertently enables it to hack the MI6 systems, allowing Silva to escape into the tunnel system under London, including part of the London Underground as part of his plan. Pursued by Bond, Silva disguises himself as a policeman and attacks M during a public inquiry into her handling of the stolen hard drive. Bond arrives to join Mallory and Eve in beating off Silva's attack, and M is hurried from the building by her aide, Bill Tanner. Bond drives M away from the scene and takes her to his empty and remote childhood home in Scotland: Skyfall Lodge. He instructs Q to leave an electronic trail for Silva to follow, a decision supported by Mallory.

At Skyfall, Bond and M are met by Kincade, the gamekeeper to the Bond family estate. The trio are only lightly armed, but they improvise a series of booby traps. When Silva's men arrive, Bond, M and Kincade fight off the first assault, although M is wounded. Silva arrives by helicopter with a second wave, and Bond sends M and Kincade off through a secret tunnel at the back of a priest hole to a chapel on the grounds. The second assault uses firepower from the helicopter, and Silva throws incendiary grenades into the building. Bond detonates two gas canisters with a stick of dynamite and retreats down the same tunnel as M and Kincade.

The resulting blast causes the helicopter to crash, killing a number of Silva's men. Silva sees Kincade's torch beam, follows and arrives at a frozen lake ahead of Bond. Bond fights Silva's sole remaining follower, and the two fall through the ice, where Bond kills him. Silva meanwhile makes his way to the chapel and forces his gun into M's hand where he begs her to kill them both. Bond arrives and kills Silva, but M collapses from her earlier wound and dies. Her position as head of MI6 is taken by Mallory, while Eve—introducing herself as Eve Moneypenny—decides not to return to the field as an agent, but to work as M's secretary.