I was 11 years old when Skyfall was first released. However, with a dad who practically forced me to watch every single Bond film as a child, beginning with Dr. No (1962) all the way through to Quantum of Solace (2008) and even including a strange detour of Sean Connery’s ‘unofficial’ entry, Never Say Never Again (1983), I probably understood the significance of the franchise more than the majority of my age group. When I sat down to watch this in cinema, it blew me away.
Skyfall, like Daniel Craig’s other Bond films, distances itself from the majority of the cheesiness of the Roger Moore films especially, and tones down the ludicrousness of some of the earlier gadgets (particularly in the Piers Brosnan editions) with a playful dig from Q in this film where he states that they don’t do exploding pens anymore. However, it still manages to respectfully pay homage to it’s history with timeless additions such as the iconic Aston Martin DB5.
Javier Bardem as Raoul Silva. Columbia Pictures Via Daily Mail
An adrenaline-filled opening sequence accumulating in a shocking end which leads beautifully into the opening credits and Adele’s Oscar winning theme song, Skyfall has a strong claim to be hailed as the best Bond film ever. Javier Bardem’s unhinged yet somewhat sympathetic villain steals every scene he is in, and the supporting cast they had started to build around Bond with new additions in this film of Mallory, Ms Moneypenny and Q work perfectly. It’s also impossible to mention this film without discussing the genius of Roger Deakins, whose cinematography is masterful as always. These blockbuster films are expected to travel through many cool aesthetic places but sometimes it’s the simple ideas from Deakins that really steal the show, like the first shot of Bond stepping out of the shadows.
It’s interesting that Skyfall is actually the only Bond film without a distinguished love interest, or ‘Bond girl’, and in many ways it is Judy Dench’s M that takes up that role, as they go back and fourth with family-like bickering whilst they try to escape the mercy of Silva. This actually becomes more heartfelt than expected and the film ends in a solitary but sweet way.
Overall, Sam Mendes made a film almost universally liked by fans and critics which stands as the second best Bond film in my opinion, following only Martin Campbell’s Casino Royale (2006). Daniel Craig left us with some great memories and iconic moments in his films, with a satisfying conclusion to his entire arc in his final film No Time to Die (2021) as well. Whether or not he is your favourite, he will certainly be hard to replace.
