Skyfall (2012)

 

Thank goodness this one more than makes up for the absolute mess that was 'Quantum of Solace'. Sure, the many, many callbacks to the entire franchise are a bit much and you need a lot of suspension of disbelief in order to accept the plan which the villain has set in motion, but this is one heck of a fun ride. 

It is also one of those Bondfilms that is a lot more violent and (dare I say it?) American in tone and execution than was want. But that isn't really an issue, unless you don't go in for the over-the-top action. 

Things do not start well for our favourite spy. During a mission intent on recovering a list of undercover operatives, he gets shot and falls off a train into a river, whereupon everyone assumes Bond to be dead. He isn't, of course, but he is a little miffed. But when MI6 gets bombed and M herself becomes the centre of attention of an as yet unknown assailant, he returns to merry England to look out for his surrogate mother. But he is in no shape to be active again. 

Even so, he is cleared for duty and through some very serendipitous contacts, he discovers that our villain is a former MI6 agent with a deeply personal grudge against M. It's so much in fact, that our man Silva will stake anything to destroy all that M stands for. Bond manages to rescue her and takes her along to his ancestral home in Scotland (the eponymous Skyfall) and thus a showdown of epic proportions must ensue.

Or must it?

It's a good thing that this time, the story makes sense and is very clear from the start. It puts Bond as a massive outsider, even outside his own organisation, yet when he feels M is in trouble, he comes running as she is the one person who actually gives a toss about him and vice versa. It's a nice touch and let's be clear: it's the interplay between Daniel Craig and Judi Dench that is the heart and soul of this entry. Their relationship is believable and they just play well off each other. 

The villain is a bit weird, though. Javier Bardem does a good job, but it often feels as though Silva is purposefully bizarre (the bleached blonde wig doesn't help either) and his motivation is very straightforward, yet the way he means to get to his goal is so utterly convoluted, it might make people lose interest.

And callbacks, well... There's a new Q, there's a Moneypenny, the most famous of all cars, the Aston Martin from 'Goldfinger' returns, ejector-seat button included... It's at times a bit much, even if a fan like yours truly gleefully cheered whenever one of these things was on full display. And the finale is surprisingly low key, yet all the more gripping for it and it does mark some significant changes for the series. 

All in all, 'Skyfall' is a very good entry and one where Craig and Dench use the full extent of their rapport to suck us into the story. It might be a little heavy on the action at times, but if you're okay with a plethora of explosions, then this definitely is one for you.