Skyfall

The new James Bond film is breathtaking to look at, very well acted and book-ended by two of the more stupendous action set-pieces ever put on film.   It's also predictable beyond belief, thematically diffuse and frankly quite boring for its middle hour.  I don't know how much my history with the  franchise informed my tepid opinion of this latest entry, but I'll state for the record I'm relatively indifferent toward all incarnations of the iconic character.  I grew up on the campy Roger Moore films and even then, it was Richard Kiel's Jaws that had the most lasting impact on me.  He always struck me as my father's action hero, all the more fitting considering the affinity he continues to have for the films, especially with Daniel Craig in the role.  I was primarily excited to see this because it was another occasion to get out to the true IMAX theater with my parents and son, but also to see the fruits of a Deakins/Mendes collaboration. 

The tantalizing notion of two such gifted visual storytellers combining forces did not disappoint in the slightest.  Whatever my misgivings toward the films narrative, it cannot be argued that Skyfall is surely one of the top 2 or 3 most gorgeous films of the year.  Mendes has always been marvelous at conveying copious amounts of emotional information with his carefully composed framing.  When coupled with Deakins superlative cinematography you have a motion picture that is absolutely stunning to behold.  It would be just as easy to comprehend the film with the sound off as on thanks to how potent the mise-en-scene is.  But I watched the film with the sound on, and running at nearly 2 and a half hours, there simply wasn't enough going on to hold my interest outside the magnificent visual splendor on display.

The plot is basically a rehash of The Dark Knight with stray elements of Nolan's entire bat trilogy peppered in for good measure.  I understand this is a popular nit-pick thanks to Sam Mendes much circulated quote in which he admits mining inspiration from the 2008 blockbuster.  But after sitting through a commuter train crash, a highly visible terrorist bombing and witnessing a disfigured sociopath orchestrate his own capture to facilitate an elaborate escape plan in which he dresses as a policeman and attempts to assassinate the films leading symbol of law enforcement, it became very clear the film had no ideas of its own.  I understand Nolan himself is heavily influenced by the Bond films, so we have something of a cinematic snake eating its own tail here.  Also, I fully admit unoriginality can sometimes be a non-factor for me as it pertains to film enjoyment, but something about Skyfall was working overtime to keep me at a distance, and I think I've figured out what it is.

I like Daniel Craig alright I suppose.  He's got great physicality, fair charisma and of course those stunning peepers.  But whatever he and the film makers are doing with him as James Bond is just not working for me.  I've always thought of Bond as a dashing, charming rake who utilizes intelligence more than brawn.  It's the style of our reboot times to make everything darker, but then why bother having it be a Bond film if he's going to behave like a shell-shocked, dim-witted attack dog?  I find very little charming about a blunt force instrument who's always three steps behind the machinations of both his nemesis and colleagues.  In these most recent iterations, Craig comes across more like the physically intimidating henchman James Bond would have to overcome before vanquishing the primary villain.  That is to say, tough and sort of cool, but not someone I want to live vicariously through or be compelled to root for.

The finale is a masterpiece of lighting, sound design and action choreography, yet there's no emotional resonance, at least not for Bond.  Sure, we're meant to somehow gather the significance of his decaying ancestral home under assault, but there's no real time or effort spent setting that up.   We're left to intuit the apparently wrenching particulars of his complicated past through a couple tombstones and an exhausted Albert Finney.   Clearly Connery wasn't interested or didn't need the payday.  At least there's a massive, violently impressive explosion to punctuate the languorous proceedings. 

I don't mean to be so hard on the film, there was a great deal I liked.  The aforementioned cinematography is as good as it gets and some of the action is quite thrilling.  Bardem is a lot of fun as the ridiculous villain doggedly pursuing his incomprehensible, constantly fluctuating agenda.  The technical specifics are top notch and should be enjoyed in IMAX, it's certainly worth the up charge if such material appeals to you.  Maybe my expectations were too high or perhaps whatever surprise the film could have held for me had been ruined by the incessant marketing onslaught that preceded it.  Whatever the case, Skyfall did not connect for me.  It's still accomplished film making I imagine would appeal to most.