So Skyfall, directed by Sam Mendes, is a film I've been waiting for for a long time, well after Quantum of Solace, and that's not to say I knew what the film was going to be, but Agent 007 means so much to me in film terms that I need to get a fix every so often. So a couple of years ago it was revealed that production had stopped on the latest Bond movie due to lack of funding, and I must admit I couldn't have been more gutted.
Then when I heard about the fact it would be out in 2012 I was so happy and then the cast list came out, and I really couldn't wait. So let's get on with the actual film.
There may be spoilers, but I'll attempt to keep them to a minimum.
Firstly, I have to say the theme tune, Skyfall by Adele, is a fantastic song, I'm not a massive fan of Adele and must admit I try to avoid her music at all costs, but Skyfall is just brilliant, it captures a lot of Bond's soul into it while also sounding like a classic Bond Theme. The reason I bring the song up first is because of it's use during the opening credits in which the song is played to dark colours of Bond drowning and running through underground systems and a mysterious Gothic mansion. It's my favourite Bond opening ever, because of it's pure arty-ness and dark feel, it really sets the mood for the film.
Moving onto the action, the film head straight into it, featuring a car and bike chase, and a fight on top of a train that really gets the blood pumping for the film. This is the same for most of the action, it keeps the blood flowing with the right balance of action and drama throughout. I don't want to go to far into most of the action sequences because I really can't do it justice and they're something worth seeing from yourself rather than me describing them.
But something worth raving about is the cast, who, to put it simply, couldn't be better. Obviously Daniel Craig and Dame Judi Dench still manage to portray the fantastic characters that are James Bond and M, and the banter the two share between each other adds brilliant comedy to the spy series.
However, they aren't the only brilliant actors in the film, certainly the man who steals the show is Javier Bardem, portraying the films main villain, Raoul Silva, a man who is intent on ruining the reputation of MI6. And Bardem goes all-out to make his character more than a Bond-villain, which he does spectacularly, and he's one of these villains where you like him as much as the hero and don't want anything bad to happen to him, as a pose to some of the previous Bond villains where you can't wait for them to be killed off. Silva also shares some great banter with Bond himself which had everyone in the cinema laughing as if they were watching a comedy film. I believe that the best thing about Bardem's performance is how he can change the moods of his character so incredibly quick, as in one scene with a conversation between Bond and M he goes from poking fun at MI6 to deadly serious and it's just a fantastic piece of acting, and don't curse me for this, but I believe that Silva is the best Bond villain ever, purely because he provides the right amount of physical damage to Bond as he does psychological.
The Bond-girls are also great for the film, with Berenice Lim Marlohe keeping the element of sexiness included into the film that makes a 007 movie. She does however have quite a short amount of screen time, and a friend expressed his dissapointment in the fact there wasn't a bed scene with her in that he had really hoped for, however Mendes replaced this with a shower scene which is bound to give most men a happy night and good memories.
After speaking to others about the film they seem to believe that the film lacks explosions and actions that most assume a Bond film will be riddled with, and what I can't seem to understand is why, as it has many explosions, and to be honest the car chases are quite short, but all the elements are there and are put together in great fashion.
Directing wise Sam Mendes does a brilliant job on Skyfall, with amazing set-pieces, including Silva's deserted island and high-rise building scenes. A lot of the film also takes place in London and shows off some of the things that makes it so great, such as MI6 and the iconic underground train stations.
The whole crew also take pleasure in including many shocks into the film, none of which I will actually tell because to spoil it would just be stupid, however all I will say is that you won't expect them and they will take you by surprise.
In conclusion I must say that Skyfall, in my opinion, is the best Bond film, and I feel that the lack of funding half way through production was a good thing, as it meant that the crew had to step back and strip the movie down to add more drama, rather than a festival of unnecessary explosions. Which is not to say that there aren't any fantastic stunts, because there really are a lot, there's helicopters, cars, bikes, all things that make Bond, Bond.
Even if you've never been a big fan of James Bond I would still recommend Skyfall because it's just too good, and never boring. When there's a lack of action, the audience are drawn into the drama or the comedy, there's never a dull moment to the film, it's 2 hours and 23 minutes of fantastic entertainment.
10/10 - Best film of 2012, sharing the crown with The Dark Knight Rises.
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