Now, this is a Bond film, which means it's plot is very important, a dumb Bond film is a bad one. Fortunately this film is actually pretty smart. Right from the pre title sequence you know you're in for a sweet movie, as Bond wrestles with a guy on the roof of a moving train, what else is immediately clear is how well the film is put together, the cinematography in this film is brilliant, no annoying shaky cam or other action film tropes, this film is shot gorgeously. In addition to being shot gorgeously there's the probably more important question of characters, so how are they. James Bond is absolutely awesome, he's tough, he's badass, like I said, fighting on top of a train, but that's literally just the start of it, Bond is a complete badass several times in this film, and it is completely awesome. What may be surprising though is how emotional this Bond is, sure he's still a badass, he's still all skill, he's still a total womaniser, but he has some really great and pretty emotional scenes in this film with M, particularly near the end. He also has some great banter with M, and Q, and pretty much everyone in this film. He also has a kind of cute mother son relationship with M, who has also become a much more emotional character, not least because of the film's villain, but we'll get to that. Q and Eve are also pretty cool characters, as are Mallory and Kincade, Q is an interesting character in how different he is to Bond, and is arguable representative of the spying business becoming more modern, where as Bond and Eve have some great sexual tension and some funny back and forth, she is also quite the badass in the field, even if her aim is a bit iffy. Don't worry if you also want your Bond girl, because this film has that too, and she's pretty sexy, so no worries there. But now we get to the meat, the villain, who, in addition to having some funky hair, is the most fascinating character in this film by a mile. Silva is the kind of guy you really don't want to be in the same room as, with every word out of his mouth you know the guy is completely out of his mind, and that unsettling sickness radiates from him like you wouldn't believe, he's just an un nerving presence on screen. But he's not just crazy, like Bond, Silva has a sentimental attachment to M, and this film explores their relationship in a way that's just as interesting as her relationship with Bond, but far, far more nightmare inducing. he's a very unpredictable character, but that's part of the fun, with the rest of course being his nasty backstory and his obsession with M. Skyfall also has fun, like with Q, with how the spying business is changing, and more importantly how the enemy is now no longer a flag or a nation, and how shadowy and dangerous the modern world is with all our technology, but rather than being done in a really blunt and annoying way, it's done in a way that makes sense, and in a way that really makes this an interesting spy film as well as an exciting action film.
Did I say action, oh yeah, this film is an action film too, and I must say, this film has some pretty cool action. right from the first action scene you know this film will have cool action, and this film has a few really great ones, including the Turkey mission at the beginning, a few smatterings of action here and there, culminating in an absolutely awesome final showdown with Silva, all of which being filmed brilliantly and often looking gorgeous, particularly a brief fight in Shanghai and the final showdown. really if I had any complaint it would be that sometimes the action is a bit OTT, but then I remember the car stunt in MI5, and how grounded and realistic action films I like are, like Pacific Rim, all things considered the action in this film is very grounded when you really think about it, though I'm not sure if lightbulb + shotgun shell really does = nail bomb, as cool as that actually is. but really, you don't just remember the action in this film, you remember the slower character moments too, in fact maybe more so, just because of how well written and interesting they are, this film may have slower moments but I'd never say it slows down, and the funny dialogue and heavy emotional stuff is really cool. It's a Bond film, so you'd expect a bit of globe trotting, and disappointed you will not be, Bond goes all over the world in this film, from the neon technical marvel of Shanghai, to the long dead remains of what probably isn't supposed to be Hashima, but who are they kidding, to the rolling hills and mountains of Scotland. and like I said earlier, there's never a dull moment, the film is constantly moving and all the locations Bond visits are great. And, I'll just say it, there is probably more emotional things going on in this film than you'd first expect, what with Bond's relationship with M, Silva's relationship with M, and a pretty rough finale, in addition to being exciting, as ever, no spoilers, but it's heavy, and it's awesome.
Skyfall is amazing, it has amazingly interesting and funny dialogue, some really cool emotional stuff, and some badass action with a badass hero, a badass and bat shit crazy villain, and some beautiful places and cinematography, I really have no issues with this film, which leaves me no choice but to call it a masterpiece, Skyfall is an absolute must watch.
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