10 years since ‘Skyfall’: Was the 50th anniversary of James Bond really that great?
Across five James Bond instalments, Daniel Craig changed what it means to carry the title 007, with the actor’s iteration of the British spy suggesting that the codename may be more of a burden than a burden trophy for the very first time in the franchise’s history. A fallible action hero, Craig’s Bond was a broken man, a three-dimensional protagonist who held dashing good looks, a license to kill and fragile insecurities.
The problem is that none of his five movies really do well in capturing this persona, with sparks of greatness existing across each one of the movies, telling the story of a slowly changing character who only occasionally is allowed to come into his own. Whilst Casino Royale and No Time to Die do the best of Craig’s movies in terms of character progression, his third flick, Skyfall, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary, truly did little for the character.
Coinciding with the filmmaking establishment’s 50th anniversary, Skyfall saw the directorial duties handed over to the seasoned filmmaker of American Beauty, Sam Mendes. Describing Bond as experiencing a “combination of lassitude, boredom, depression [and] difficulty with what he’s chosen to do for a living”, Skyfall would continue in the rugged presentation of the country’s finest spy, meeting significant critical and commercial success at the same time.
But time hasn’t been too kind to the 2012 movie, with the landmark movie that teasingly draws back the curtain behind the character’s origins, being more of a dull, wooden instalment in the series that sticks frustratingly close to convention whilst purporting to be revolutionary.
Featuring Bond’s iconic Walther PP, his trusty Aston Martin DB5 and several nods back to the history of the franchise, Skyfall features so many winks that it’s hard to work out whether director Sam Mendes is being cheeky or if he’s got a ceaseless twitch. Indeed, if the criticisms of Marvel’s nostalgia trip Spider-Man: No Way Home, then so too should Sam Mendes’ Skyfall be held to account for similar crimes, bringing few noteworthy creative decisions to the table.
Created in the midst of so much furore about the franchise’s 50th anniversary, Skyfall ended up feeling more like an empty advert for the series rather than a worthy 007 instalment, presenting an empty piece of filmmaking that tripped over its own needless complexity. The saving grace of the movie, who gives the stiff film a good shake-up, is Javier Bardem’s villain Raoul Silva, a dashing antagonist with slick blonde hair and a presence which intimidates and seduces. Still, Mendes can’t help but muddy his influence, tossing him into a puzzling plotline that sees him entangled with Judi Dench’s M.
Without the enthusiasm or electricity to pull off this Bond adventure, Craig looks fatigued after two outings as the character and the whole banality of the franchise flourishes as a result, with the film carrying few memorable moments that will entice you back for repeat viewing.
Lacking the gritty storyline of Casino Royale, and with Craig missing the personality of predecessors Sean Connery, Roger Moore, and even Pierce Brosnan, revisiting Skyfall is like returning to a favourite movie of old; it just isn’t as good as you remember.
