SKYFALL REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

Skyfall is my favourite film in the James Bond franchise. This is because it's modern, fast-paced, dramatic and tense. Because of Skyfall, I decided to watch the Bond films and I can understand why they're popular. The majority of the films provide thrilling action, strong performances from the actor portraying the well-known spy and an evil villain. Since the release of Dr. No in 1963, Bond has become an icon. Whether you like the films or not, no one can deny the success they've gained over the years. Like with the Doctors in Doctor Who, everyone has their favourite Bond. Some say Sean Connery, who was the first actor to ever portray the spy, others say Pierce Brosnan, however, I would say that Daniel Craig is my favourite Bond. He surprised both critics and audiences in his debut, Casino Royale, in 2006. However, I would say that Casino Royale and Quantum Of Solace served as an introductory to Craig. Now, in Skyfall, he's settled and grown into the role. I remember when this was released four years ago and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I'd been studying Quantum Of Solace in my Film Studies class during my GCSEs and I thought about watching Skyfall which was released at the same time. Because this was the first Bond film I was seeing in cinema, I had high hopes. Fortunately, it didn't disappoint. If you're new to the Bond franchise and don't know where to start, I would suggest choosing Skyfall as your first Bond film. 

When Bond's (Craig) latest assignment goes gravely wrong and agents around the world are exposed, MI6 is attacked forcing M (Judi Dench) to relocate the agency. These events cause her authority and position to be challenged by Gareth Mallory (Ralph Fiennes), the new Chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee. With MI6 now compromised from both inside and out, M is left with one ally she can trust: Bond. 007 takes to the shadows - aided only by field agent, Eve (Naomie Harris) - following a trail to the mysterious Silva (Javier Bardem), whose lethal and hidden motives have yet to reveal themselves.

The opening to Skyfall is, in my opinion, is the best way to start a Bond film. We see him in the middle of a mission trying to find a hard-drive which contains a list of all the MI6 agents. Within the first ten minutes, we've already had plenty of exhilarating action. We see Bond chasing a man across the streets and roof of Istanbul before finally fighting with him on top of a moving train. Not only is it exhilarating but it is tense too as the outcome is unclear and may surprise a lot of people. After this action-packed opening sequence, it leads to the opening credits with Adele's titled theme song.

Speaking of which, one of the most important aspects of a Bond film are the songs that play during the opening credits. There have been many standout songs including Dame Shirley Bassey's 'Goldfinger' and 'Diamonds Are Forever', Sir Paul McCartney's 'Live And Let Die' just to name a few. Adele's 'Skyfall' is definitely up there with one of the best Bond theme songs. It is a soulful ballad that will even be enjoyed by people who aren't a fan of the Bond films. It also shows off Adele's powerful vocals. I'm not surprised it won an Academy Award for 'Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song'.

The performances are all strong. Like I mentioned earlier, Craig has really grown and settled into the role of the iconic spy and further proves why he is one of the best actors to have portrayed Bond. Another brilliant performance comes from Dench as M in her seventh and final Bond film. It's because of her that the climax is emotional. Another important element in the Bond films is the villain. So far, we've had some really good villains including Jaws (Richard Kiel) in 'The Spy Who Loved Me' and 'Moonraker', Auric Goldfinger (Gert Fröbe) and Oddjob (Harold Sakata) in 'Goldfinger' and, most recently, Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen) in Casino Royale. However, Javier Bardem's Raoul Silva is definitely up there as one of the best. However, he's not introduced until over an hour into the film. The wait is worth it, though, as the final hour is filled with pure adrenaline pumping action and thrilling chase sequences, including the one in the London Underground.  New additions include: Harris who is perfectly flirtatious as Bond's partner-in-crime, it's hard to believe this is the same actress who portrayed Tia Dalma in two of the Pirates Of The Carribean films and Ben Whisaw as Q, who supplies Bond with his gadgets.

This is the first film directed by Sam Mendes, who previously won an Oscar for his drama, American Beauty, and gives the Bond film a stylish look. Skyfall takes us to various countries including Turkey, Japan and China and these scenes feature beautiful cinematography which is directed by Roger Deakins.
The majority of Skyfall is filled with pure, thrilling action. However, that doesn't mean it's without its humorous moments, one of which is during the chase sequence in the London Underground and Bond is asking Q whether or not Silva is on the tube. This leads to him jumping onto the back of the train and one man commenting that he was 'keen to get on' and the train driver's face is priceless. These scenes prove that Skyfall isn't afraid to offer some comic relief in the midst of all the action.

Many Bond films are predictable as they all follow a similar storyline. Skyfall is different and has enough twists and turns to make this the most original Bond film. The final climax lasts about twenty minutes and is incredibly tense as we see Bond battling Silva in his childhood home in Scotland. Despite the exciting action that feature in this sequence, it ends on an emotional note that may leave some viewers in tears.

Overall, Mendes brings Bond surging back with a smart, sexy, riveting action thriller that qualifies as one of the best Bond films to date.

8/10