Ah, the Bond movie. You love ‘em or you hate ‘em, or you love to hate ‘em. I happen to love them, but everything I love about Bond movies strangely correlate with everything I hate about them.
The Bond girls to be specific. I have nothing against these women. I get it, and I fully expect a comment in defense of them and some kind of pro-feminism statement that they stand for. Regardless, I hate their cheesy little lines about charming little fingers and all of the swooning.
Not to say that James Bond, especially played by Mr. Daniel Craig is not worthy of such swoons, for his incredible acting of course.
However as a woman watching these movies it can be rather nauseating to see your sex portrayed as silver-tongued, sly, smart women who are still easily coerced by sex at the end of the day. It’s a contradiction and I don’t like it.
Many are saying that “Skyfall” has managed to break this Bond mold. And on that front I have to agree completely. There are still women, there is still sex, but there’s far less nausea.
There’s chasing, there’s gun-play, there’s espionage, there’s an incredibly fantastic car, and there are a whole lot of suits, but for the best part of this movie you have to stick around to the end (generally a good idea for the enjoyment of most films).
That’s when Bond and M (played by the fantastic Dame Judi Dench) head to Skyfall–Bond’s childhood home. Here, with some help from gamekeeper Kincade (Albert Finney), they regroup and prepare. It’s a beautifully quiet point in the movie, which ultimately ends in flames…of course…but the reprieve is noted and wonderful.
What’s perhaps most impressive about “Skyfall” is that it manages to fit into the broader Bond story beautifully and stand on its own simultaneously. This is the story of an old-school spy in a modern world, making the question–is there still a place for a spy like Bond in a world run with technology? I bet you know the answer.
This concept pits young vs. old, human vs. machine, and ultimately Bond vs. Silva.
Silva is, of course, our villain. This wonderfully creepy and cunning former MI6 agent, brilliantly portrayed by Javier Bardem, serves as the perfect foil to Bond. His technological schemes and personal vendetta against M are making headlines. He believes he and Bond are cut from the same cloth and aims to prove it, all while seeking his revenge on M.
So, is this the “greatest Bond film ever?” I couldn’t say, I haven’t seen all of them. Is it a fun, thrilling, well-done, well-acted action flick, most definitely, and even perhaps a little bit more than that.
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