Now that the dust has finally settled on Skyfall, it’s worth
going back to examine what exactly was wrong with it and why these factors were
overlooked. Overall, it was a perfectly acceptable – if not remarkable - movie
that somehow managed to dupe the multitude of brainwashed critics. The common reaction was ‘Best
Bond Ever’ or ‘Best Bond in years’. Really? Am I missing something here? The
fact is Skyfall was basically given a free pass. There were a few reasons why this happened, which subsequently made everyone overlook the myriad problems
with it. Not convinced? Then check out the pointers below.
1. VERY LITTLE ACTION
The movie opens with a breathtaking and spectacular (if a
bit derivative) sequence of Bond chasing a bad guy first of all on motorcycle before
concluding with a rooftop fight aboard a moving train. It sets the benchmark very
high, indeed; you’re expecting one of the best action movies in recent memory… and then… there’s very little action for the
remaining (very long) running time. Like any Bond, there’s bits and pieces scattered sporadically,
but nothing that stands out. Compared to Tom Cruise’s ‘Mission Impossible:
Ghost Protocol’ – arguably one of the best action movies of recent years - this
Bond vehicle is a bit of lame duck of a action movie.
2. PLOT HOLES GALORE
Another area of this movie that was vastly overlooked was the plot holes and inconsistencies in the narrative: (deep breath) considering
Bond is wearing an earpiece, why didn’t he duck to avoid being hit/or signal to
Eve to hold off from taking the shot that almost kills him? And why is Eve - beautiful as she is - accompanying
Britain’s best agent when she can’t shoot for shit? Why is Bond allowed to
meet Silva carrying a homing device in his pocket? How does MI6 suddenly locate
- and then send via a text to Bond! -
the suspect that ‘cannot be traced’ and ‘has no know place of residence’? Why
does M and Bond’s caretaker flee from Silva and his men carrying a lit flashlight
– which the bad guys quickly see - during the house assault, hence giving away their
presence? Why is Silva’s sex slave/girlfriend Sévérine in the room with the guy who Bond witnesses being assassinated
and who is he?
3. M IS VERY UNLIKABLE
How would you feel watching a romantic movie where one of
the leads is a complete bastard/bitch? Would it work? No? Well, that’s what you
have here: because Skyfall is – of sorts – a romantic movie because it tells
the story of the strange love between Bond and M; yet M is so cutting, cruel,
ruthless and unlikeable, you really have to wonder why he would even bother to stick his neck out for her.
Remember, this is the woman who called Bond a “sexist, misogynist dinosaur” and
told him she had no problem “sending him to his death”. Furthermore, when he
does ‘resurrect’ after the debacle of being shot by Eve in Istanbul, what are
her words to him: not ‘thank heavens you’re alive!’ but “WHERE THE HELL HAVE
YOU BEEN?” Yet, we’re supposed to rally behind her when her life is in danger
and completely accept the fact that Bond is putting his life on the line for
this bitter, strangely narcissistic old woman. Would Connery’s or Dalton’s Bond
do it? Can’t imagine so. The fact is if they want us as audience to stand
behind this woman, then they need make her LIKEABLE first.
4. DULL CLIMAX
If the lack of action throughout Skyfall was a shock, then
the biggest insult comes at the end: a kind of retread of Home Alone/Straw Dogs
where Bond essentially booby-traps a country mansion and awaits Silva and his croonies. This sequence is so familiar
and dull in execution, it marks the climax as something of a letdown. If you were riveted by
the opening sequence, but still held hope for a strong ending – despite the
lack of action throughout - then you were in for a severe disappointment. It’s
just so… dull. Combine the mundane and dead surroundings with a standard house
assault sequence that could have come from any movie, and you have a conclusion
that’s only as good as you’re willing to lower your expectations for. One expected
at least a strong ending after the great opening, but for them to settle for an
average gun battle rather a spectacular climax is hugley disappointing.
5. IT’S VERY DERIVATIVE
The Bond movies have always stole from other movies throughout
their long history. From Russia With Love was kind of a Hitchcockian take on Bond,
which even went so far to emulate a sequence from his own North By Northwest. When
Blaxploitation was in vogue in the early 1970s, the makers injected it into ‘Live
And Let die’; when Jaws was a huge hit in 1975, they named their villain Jaws;
when Star Wars was a huge hit in 1977, the makers delayed the previously
announced ‘For Your Eyes Only’ and made Moonraker instead – eschewing most of
the novel and sending Bond to space!? Heck, they even ripped off another big
hit in the same movie – using the five musical notes heard in 'Close Encounters of
the Third Kind' to open a laboratory door. Then in the 21st century when
Jason Bourne movies were huge, they aped their style in Quantum of Solace. So
it’s not exactly a secret to that for Skyfall they’ve copied/drew inspiration from
another big hit franchise: The Dark Knight. It's an open secret that Silva is basically the Joker from
that series. Heck, Bond and Silva even have
an interrogation scene together just like Batman and the Joker, and Silva’s plans to cause chaos in London are very much
like the Joker’s.
Okay so if that's what was wrong with it, why the free pass? Read on...
6. SAM MENDES DIRECTED IT/ROGER DEAKINS PHOTOGRAPHED IT
Ah, yes – when it was announced that this darling of stage and serious/dramatic cinema was directing a Bond movie, and one of the best cinematographers working today was photographing it, the overall reaction was very favorable and positive. What was not there to like? With the combined respect of filmmakers like Mendes and Deakins coming on board, it can only serve to give any Bond movie huge credibility. While a step up from Quantum of Solace though still not as good as Casino Royale, once Sam and Rog was on board, you can bet critics will sit up and take notice.
7. THE DIAMOND JUBILEE FACTOR
It just so happens that the release of Bond #23 coincided rather neatly with Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee celebration. This is an important point. Skyfall was released in the UK before the USA, so there was pervasive feeling of national pride having taken over the country. The Britishness of Skyfall was inevitably trumpeted in this Diamond Jubilee year, hence giving a free pass to a movie that had issues that were conveniently overlooked.
8. THE OLYMPICS FACTOR
Okay, so in addition to the Diamond Jubilee in June 2012, what happened next? Exactly – London hosted the 2012 Olympics. So if there wasn’t a ‘Can Do Anything’ attitude there already, it was certainly there by then. In addition, Danny Boyle (Trainspotting/Slumdog Millionaire) directed the ambitious Olympic opening, which – coincidentally – featured not only James Bond himself, but also Her Majesty the Queen! Coincidence? Not really when considering all the above points.
9. THE 50-YEAR FACTOR
Not only had you all the above celebrations to consider, there was also another not exactly small occasion: 2012 marked the fiftieth birthday of none other than James Bond himself! That’s right, folks – it was exactly 50 years since Jimmy first lit up that cigarette while introducing himself to the attractive woman seated across from him at the casino table. Fifty years of bond – half a century. Considering the abysmal ‘Die Another Day’ – a separate factor in itself - was the movie that marked the fortieth in 2002, it is indeed a huge step up that Skyfall is celebrating the fiftieth. Maybe if Pierce Brosnan starrer had been a celebrated masterpiece, then Skyfall wouldn’t have fared quite so lightly.
10. THE NOSTALGIC FACTOR
It’s got the old Aston Martin in it. ‘Nuff said. So there you have it. There were problems with the movie but there is no question the year in which it was released played a huge part in garnering favorable reviews. For everything Skyfall got right, it
got a lot wrong.
Yes, it may have been ‘pared back to the basics’, but the
story suffered for it. Whereas the previous Bonds had a good balance between
story and setpiece, all you get here are a few small bits in between. Let’s
hope that the next one gets the formula RIGHT.
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