The James Bond franchise is arguably the longest-running franchise in history, spanning all of 50 years. And the film that marks 50th year, Skyfall is one of the best I've ever seen and is, in my opinion, a fitting 50th year offering.
Skyfall opens with Bond back at work, after the whole affair that began in Casino Royale followed by
Quantum of Solace. However, if you are expecting the Quantum organization to make a reappearance, you'd be disappointed. While there is no mention of the previous two films, Skyfall definitely feels like it follows. It's rather intangible, though, more like an effect rather than concretely pointed to by any particular elements.
The film's plot revolves around one major character apart from Bond. This major development in the franchise is the next logical step, following the increased focus on Bond's character that began from Goldeneye (Although a major character development occurred earlier in On Her Majesty's Secret Service, which wasn't adequately followed through in the succeeding film Diamonds are Forever), brought into sharper focus by the reboot film Casino Royale. Ironically, the character of Bond was developed further by the film's focus on someone else. This person's crisis, of course, affected Bond and everyone else at MI-6, which made for a very tense movie.
Interestingly, though, the tension is more subdued, more because of the story than the fast-paced action. That is not to say that there is no fast-paced action. The opening gambit provides a very tense chase through Istanbul, with over-the-top action that has characterized many, if not all, James Bond films. There are other action-packed scenes, but I won't elaborate as it would spoil the experience for those who haven't seen it.
What stands out for me in this film is the very personal look into James Bond, even exploring his childhood and his family origins. There was a hint of Bond's family in The World Is Not Enough, which is the motto of a real-life Sir Thomas Bond, James Bond's supposed ancestor. In Skyfall, this may be, intentionally or unintentionally, alluded to, especially when the story moves to Scotland. We see here a very human James Bond, which actually highlights, instead of diminishes, the super-spy nature that is 007.
I've been a Bond fan almost all my life, ever since I saw Moonraker and For Your Eyes Only when I was a kid. And one of the hallmarks of Bond films ever since Goldfinger has been the high-tech gadgets like watches with lasers and cars that turn into submarines. So I can imagine the problem faced by the writers and producers: In a high-tech world where cellphones that can take pictures and videos, get you connected to the Internet, and position you in a digital map via GPS, how can you make James Bond interesting? In a stroke of genius, the creative teams of Skyfall made Bond swing the other way and have less of the tech wizardry to show that Bond is not dependent on gadgets, that he can make do with the most basic of tech like a radio transmitter and a knife. I love the line of the new Q: "What were you expecting, exploding pens? We don't do that sort of thing anymore." In fact, the high tech nature of the 21st century posed the question of 007's -- in fact MI-6's -- relevance in the world where one can gather a great deal of intelligence by simply logging into a social networking site. This question was opened in Goldeneye where Bond had to deal with a post-Cold War world and continues to be a question . . . until Skyfall.
I have to point out, however, that Skyfall is not purely a film of departures of what makes for a Bond film. Like in Die Another Day, there are tips of the hat to the old Bond films, including the reappearance of the venerable Aston Martin DB5 which first appeared in Goldfinger. In fact, the car played a fairly important role in the last part of the film. There's also Bond's use of the Walther PPK, and also the casino sequence where we see Bond in his signature tuxedo. But over and above all these, the end of the film is a big bow to the old films, with the re-establishment of a certain environment and of an old character that harks back to old Bond films -- back even to when James Bond was played by Sean Connery.
The ending reinforced in me the sense that Casino Royale was a true reboot of the franchise, and that a new James Bond mythology has been made for a new generation. But this new mythology mirrors the old classic, thereby making it still enjoyable who once thrilled to the adventures of the most popular of Her Majesty's secret agents.
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