Skyfall

                   

         There is an old saying that things get better with age. Now that may not always be true, especially with older franchises, but in some instances it is exactly the truth. This past year the Bond franchise turned fifty, and although it has had its downs and even more downs over the years, it’s still going strong. The big question that is on a lot of people’s minds is has Bond gotten better with age? I think “Skyfall” answers that question.

        Six years ago, the Bond franchise had a sort of reboot. They went back to the first novel by Ian Fleming, to take Bond back to his roots. Gone were the gadgets and the glitz, and enter the gritty and emotionless Bond. It seems Bond (Daniel Craig) is getting back the Bond of old.  The latest film “Skyfall” starts off like a classic Bond movie, with a traffic action sequence, and a great chase scene on the roof tops of Istanbul. Things don’t work out for Bond and he is thought to be dead. We all know Bond would never be killed, so when he turns up after M I 6 is attacked it is not much a surprise. It seems someone with a bone to pick with M (Judi Dench) is releasing every name of every uncover agent M I 6 has. Also breathing down M’s neck is Gareth Mallory (Ralph Fiennes) who needs answers for what is going on at M I 6. Things always work out when you have James Bond at your disposal. Bond sets to track down the man behind the attack, with the help of two beautiful ladies. First being Eve (Naomie Harris), and then Severine (Berenice Malohe), who gets Bond to the man he is looking for. This is where we meet Silva (Javier Barden), who plays bad so good. Bond must stop Silva and save M and the rest of M I 6, a job he is more the up for.

     “Casino Royale” and “Quantum of Solace” were not bad films; they were just not the Bond we all knew and love. The Bond we knew went through women like he went through martinis, and always had the coolest toys. Well that Bond is almost back, and I have enjoyed the road they took to get us back there. We get to meet characters that we already knew form the Bond films of the past, like Q. The other thing is Daniel Craig has made Bond his own and has put his stamp on a character that is so popular. Even as good as Craig has become, the real reason to see this movie is how good Barden is with a bad haircut and just being bad like in “No Country for Old Men”. With the outstanding direction of Sam Mendes (Road to Perdition), who seems to bring a mood of his own to this entire movie, there is not many things that go wrong. It is good to have this Bond back, even the great musical sequence that just makes these movies feel complete.  I look forward to the direction Bond is going, but for now it is fun to just sit back and enjoy the present, because Bond is back and in a very good way.

 Brian Taylor