Half-centurion

I had been a planning a personal tribute of my own, ahead of the 50^th anniversary of James Bond and the release of Skyfall, by watching all previous Bond films with Altaa in consecutive order of release (strictly the canonical ones), but a mixture of my course, her course and baby, meant that we only reached the end of Roger Moore’s reign of 007 by the time Craig’s latest offering was first released and, after that, most of the conceivable rationale fell away for assiduously watching all the Bonds in as short an order as possible.  Maybe I’ll try again for the official 25^th Bond film.

We’ve had to wait four years for this film to come around after the disastrous Quantum of Solace (though I can never truly find a 007 film dreadful, this has to be the worst of the MGM/UA lot) and financial problems of the studio, eerily reminiscent of the fallout after Die Another Day that in capping Brosnan’s tenure almost cauterised the series (though I don’t think it’s as bad as all that), which also produced a hiatus of four years.  As in keeping with the in-jokes throughout Skyfall, Bond is told “you’re not getting any younger,” but it could equally apply to Craig, who is now in Brosnan territory, when the Irishman deliberately played the secret agent as middle-aged.  There was some fear among Bond aficionados that the 50^th anniversary would be missed, as was the golden marketing opportunity of releasing a Bond in 2007 (only have to wait another thousand years now), but thankfully, finally, they got it right, to go alongside the 15^th, 25^th and 40^th anniversaries.  It does mean though that Craig’s back catalogue now only just exceeds the Timothy Dalton era; given that Bond’s story is brought back to the start for the reboot, Craig has done three films in six years whereas Sean Connery did five in five years.

Altaa and I decided to watch Skyfall on its opening night in our area.  I was most keen as I had been assiduously avoiding spoilers in the run-up (though this account will be full of them), even closing my eyes during any trailers.  I wanted to come to this special anniversary as free from contaminating influences to the narrative as possible.  I’d heard Javier Bardem and Ralph Fiennes had been lined up as villains, that Moneypenny was going to make a comeback after the coy wordplay between Craig and Eva Green in Casino Royale and that M’s flat was once owned by famous Bond composer John Barry.  In some ways, what I did know worked a treat as it was a red herring.  Suspecting Fiennes as a double agent throughout, to see him replace Judi Dench as ‘M’ was a bit of a shock (though entirely appropriate in hindsight).

The soundtrack to the film in general was amazing, recalling Barry at his best.  There were lovely tributes throughout such as the 50-year old whiskey and of course the Aston Martin DB5 makes a return.  This movie was made with love, that is clear to see.  There are funny touches too, as when Craig asks Dench, “Are you going to complain all the way?” and flips the top of the gearstick with the inherent threat, Dench gives straight back “Go on, eject me, see if I care.”  Incidentally, the one time a gadget failed Bond was in Goldfinger when the machine guns behind his headlights could not help against an industrial cul-de-sac.  This is remedied in the final confrontation.

This being the 50^th anniversary, there had to be a unique hook as well – it couldn’t be a standard ‘job complete’.  Ultimately, Bond’s overall mission is to protect ‘M’ and though he kills Rodriguez and prevents the release of identities of any more deep-cover NATO agents, he fails to save ‘M’s life.  I didn’t see that coming.

Sam Mendes makes an assured start(?) in the director’s chair and he might be back for the next instalment (please, no more than two years).  There are smart ideas as when Bond fights the assassin in Shanghai in silhouette and this might be frustrating to try and tell who’s fighting who (notorious in underwater scenes), but the occasional shot being fired in the tussle, illuminates a face with the gun barrel flash.  Genius.

My biggest gripe on a first viewing was that it was the least Bondish of the entire series.  Whereas Quantum of Solace aped the Bourne films (and failed), this was more like the TV series 24, in which many innocent people die, while news cameras are rolling.  Previously, Bond films had been like a close back box, where what happened in them was essentially off-limits to those not in on it.  No matter how ludicrous, whether penetrating a volcano, a space station or a Soviet-run Afghan airbase, it was possible that these things could have happened without us, the ordinary people, knowing about them and so these events could have happened in our world.  That was why I always found it offensive when distant countries were made up in the films, especially when there was rarely need to do so.  However, with plenty of innocent people dying from the off, this Bond could only be located in an alternate universe, as JJ Abrams Star Treks, which kind of dilutes the effectiveness of all that is happening.  Just because the dead are nameless or faceless, they all have families – Austin Powers mocked the mass killing of villainous henchmen who have people waiting for them back home, but Skyfall breaks the fourth window and it is worrying if Austin Powers is more realistic, given the hard-bitten nature of the Craig years.  Again, like 24’s first series, many, many unassuming people die just to save a few VIPs (a criticism that forced 24’s makers to up the threat level in subsequent seasons) and in Bond’s case, he even fails in that.  Bond often gets brickbats for its mass escapism but a clear philosophy did use to run through it that very few, if any, innocent die and the escapades can never be known to us directly.

 A second minor gripe is that the ‘gunbarrel’ sequence is at the end of the film (again) when it’s a critical scene-setter.  I know they allude to this with Craig’s shadowy appearance in a badly lit corridor at the start and that would have been enough.  It’s gratuitous to tag it on to the conclusion as well.

A second viewing with my friend Chris did not deliver the same pleasures either.  It showed that much of Skyfall’s excellence was based on the surprise factor in many instances.  Knowing these in advance, the film had to rely on tried-and-tested methods and didn’t entirely succeed.  I still liked the two waves of commandos attacking the Bond family home, with the Janissary-style shock troops first and then the big guns second. And the chase through Istanbul was thrilling again. But most set-pieces were good though not great.  Casino Royale (Craig’s version), in comparison, bears multiple viewing without any falling away.  Overall, I'd say a 7/10.