Skyfall Movie Review

Skyfall (2012)

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Written by: Neal Purvis & Robert Wade and John Logan (written by), Ian Fleming (characters)
Directed by: Sam Mendes
Starring: Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, Bérénice Marlohe, Albert Finney, Judi Dench
Rated: PG-13
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Plot
James Bond's loyalty to M is tested when her past comes back to haunt her. When MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost.

Verdict
This includes a few great action set pieces, and I like the portrayal of a more vulnerable Bond. The story is simple enough, it's revenge, and the villain has parallels with Bond that add a nice amount of depth. The problem is that this is too long, and it seems like the movie wanted to add just a few more action scenes when it should have focused on quality instead of quantity. As much as I liked this, my interest began to wane towards the end.
It depends.

Review
This is Craig's third Bond movie of the five he would eventually do.

James Bond (Daniel Craig) and Moneypenny (Naomie Harris) chase a mercenary with a stolen hard drive containing sensitive information. From cars to motorcycles, they eventually end up on top of a train where Bond is apparently shot and falls into a river. Bond enjoys his 'death,' using the assumption to retire. When MI6 is attacked, he returns though he's not quite in mission shape, mentally or physically.

Daniel Craig plays Agent 007 James Bond

I appreciate how the Craig movies portray Bond's limitations and injuries. Craig is a more physical portrayal of the character, and you'd never seen Brosnan's version jumping up a wall to hang on to an ascending elevator.

Bond tracks a mercenary to Shanghai and then to Macau before he's introduced to this movie's villain, Raoul Silva (Javier Bardem). Silva is a different take on a villain. He's a bit flirty with Bond, and he's also a former MI6 agent. Silva is the kind of over the top villain these movies need. Part of that is due to Bardem's portrayal. Silva knows Bond failed all of his tests and shouldn't have been reinstated. He forces Bond to shoot a shot glass resting on a woman's head. We know Bond isn't up to the task, and that makes for an intense sequence. 

Javier Bardem plays Raoul Silva

Silva is out for revenge against M, who he claims betrayed him. Silva was captured, tortured, and M did nothing. Bond can certainly relate. The two are mirrors. Silva is outraged that M valued the mission over his life. In the first sequence, M risked Bond's life for the job, calling for a shot that resulted in Bond's apparent death. It's more depth to this movie than we typically see.

Silva is captured, having orchestrated his imprisonment. To draw Silva out, Bond plans to use M. He also drives the classic, silver 1965 Aston Martin DB5 in the process. Bond sets the trap, knowing Silva will go to any length to get M. I assume Silva knows it's a trap, but he's bent on revenge no matter the cost. It's not about the result but the principal.

It's not a bad movie, and I like the parallels it draws between the protagonist and villain. Unfortunately this continues well after it should have ended. My interest began to fade as this stuffs the run time with action scenes at the detriment of the story.