Skyfall

Here's a bombshell to start with: Skyfall was my first James Bond film. How, you ask, have you managed to avoid this flagship of British cinema? Well, from what I'd heard of Bond before I saw this film, it's formulaic, sexist, plotless and heartless. Has my opinion changed? Well, maybe....

Bond has fallen over.

Firstly, lets talk about what's good about it. The acting on most counts is superb, although Daniel Craig is completely overshadowed by Judi Dench. As M she is perfect as a woman at the end of the line, trying to maintain solidarity while being forced to confront past mistakes ("regret is unprofessional"). Silva (Javier Bardem) is a credible villain, who I think benefits from his lack of ridiculous scheme to take over the world (his modest ambition is to kill M and annoy MI6). And, I must say, Ben Wishaw is wonderful. I admit that I am biased (ever since The Hour I have been conducting a long distance love affair with him, he just doesn't know about it), but the look on his face when he realises Silva's hacked MI6 is priceless.

Plus, Adele's theme song is simply divine. It's oozing with class and the sense of an ending. I'm not sure if the slightly surreal montage or graveyards, blood and women complement it or push it over the edge into absurdity.

A general theme of the film is that Bond's getting old. He can't shoot straight anymore, he's dependant on alcohol and apparently also on drugs (Viagra probably, considering how many women he somehow manages to seduce). Which is a little ironic, as the Bond franchise is also getting old. There are features of this film that are now looking distinctly archaic. For starters, why the gratuitous sex scenes? Do we have to have "Bond girls"? And some of the action feels tired, it's all very pretty but there's nothing truly outstanding. Plus, the attempt to humanise Bond (we get to meet his gamekeeper) isn't exactly convincing. Much of the dialogue feels unnatural, despite the splendid acting talent.

Personally, I believe the hype about Skyfall is unfounded. True, it has the weight of history behind it, but that serves to crush it rather than assist it. Not many things can last 50 years without becoming a parody of themselves and running out of original ideas. Sadly, Bond is no exception.

Rating: 4/10