Over the Thanksgiving weekend, I had an opportunity to see the latest James Bond movie, Skyfall. My review? Simply, this is the best Bond film in a decade. Why? Because it gets back to basics.
Over the past 50 years there have been 23 James Bond films produced by Eon Productions. Add to that the horrible 1967 comedy, Casino Royale and the Kevin McClory independent remake of the movie Thunderball, entitled, Never Say Never Again and you have 25 films over 50 years. Over that period, author Ian Fleming’s character of James Bond has changed greatly from the agent that Fleming wrote about in 14 books 60 years ago. Skyfall returns Bond back to his roots, back to the spy that Fleming created in 1953.
One of the joys of this movies is that Daniel Craig finally acts like he embraces the role of James Bond. Craig gives a performance, in my opinion, that is only second to Sean Connery’s in From Russia With Love. Craig’s Bond is tired and in pain (mental and physical), but loyal to Queen and country and his boss, M (played by Dame Judi Dench). Craig’s Bond now operates in a world that believes technology is the answer for everything. In the exchange (pictured below) he has with his new (and very young) Quartermaster (Q), played by Ben Whishaw, Bond and Q deliver the crux and plot point of the film:
Q: 007. I’m your new Quartermaster.
Bond: You must be joking.
Q: Why, because I’m not wearing a lab coat?
Bond: Because you still have spots.
Q: My complexion is hardly relevant.
Bond: Your competence is.
Q: Age is no guarantee of efficiency.
Bond: And youth is no guarantee of innovation.
Q: Well, I’ll hazard I can do more damage on my laptop sitting in my pajamas before my first cup of Earl Grey than you can do in a year in the field.
Bond: Oh, so why do you need me?
Q: Every now and then a trigger has to be pulled.
Bond: Or not pulled. It’s hard to know which in your pajamas. Q.
By the end of the film, you realize that director Sam Mendes has taken you on a journey that reboots the James Bond film franchise the same way Chris Nolan’s Batman Returns rebooted Batman. You’ll see that Ian Fleming’s James Bond doesn’t need new gadgets or remote controlled cars to be relevant to today’s world. All Bond needs is a purpose. Skyfall gives him that purpose.