A quieter, more restrained Bond? Perhaps not entirely, but this installment does turn a new corner.
DEPTH 2ACTING 3
**NEW CATEGORY—VISUAL/AESTHETIC 5PLOT 4ORIGINALITY 3PRODUCTION 4ENTERTAINMENT 5DEMAND ON VIEWER EasyOVERALL Recommended for gorgeous design, sexy clothes, stunning visual locations: all the stuff of a good Bond film!Skyfall Trailers
After a summer hiatus, Deeper Film comes back with one from last year, the third installment in the new Bond franchise. Daniel Craig is back and better than ever as the flinty-eyed, cynical, hard-jawed version of Bond (an infinite improvement over the dandy Pierce Brosnan.)
The story is typical bond, replete with torchy women in casinos, motorcycle rides over tiled rooftops, and breathtaking views of urban Shanghai. What is unique in this one is a sequence in a remote area, where Bond must prepare quietly along with M and a caretaker. "Where are we going?" M asks. "Back in time," says Bond.
These images provoke a need for Deeper Film to add a category of evaluation: Visual/Aesthetic. For that this film deserves a solid 5, and it is worth seeing for that reason alone. It proves that the aesthetic quality of a film is a discrete category of its own, and can be really good even when other elements are not, such as plot or acting, or when modern production elements are not employed, such as with low budget films.
Javier Bardem deserves special mention; he does a good job creating a unique and memorable villain. But we have seen this villain before—his name is the Joker! In this way Skyfall lines up behind a host of other recently released films in the wake of Dark Knight. From the orchestral score to the set design, from the plot to the laughing, chaotic psychopath villain, this movie wants to be Dark Knight. A tribute to the ground that Christopher Nolan broke with that noir version of an action thriller.
I appreciate the thematic unity of this film. It focused on going back to the basics, of relying on few technical gadgets (a refreshing thing after too many Mission-Impossibles), and even going away from the city for the final scenes. M is put in the dock to defend her "old fashioned" department; Bond is given a radio by Q. A sort of Bond-during-recession theme.
Bond is clearly shaken up and weakened by events; but of course he comes back and is able to survive multiple near-drownings. The incredible opening sequence outlines a main thematic drive: sinking down into the water, into a black hole, then being resurrected. If only the story could have delved into these topics a little deeper...but then it wouldn't be Bond.
