It has been nearly two weeks since I first saw Skyfall in the cinema. In that time, I have read a lot more on others’ positive (or negative) reaction to it. After all is said and done, one thing remains abundantly clear for me about this film: it is an exhilarating, action packed film that in my estimation is one of the finest 007 outings that has been produced.
From the onset, we know we are in for an exhilarating (literal) ride, with our intrepid agent chasing down someone who has information that if placed in the wrong hands (as presumably his are) spell disaster for M (Judi Dench) and her band of spies. As the story unfolds, it is apparent that this time, the end game is much more personal, closer to home – even as we enjoy the bits of globe trotting thrown in between. However it is the United Kingdom, and London in particular, that featured prominently. I think this made Skyfall more grounded in terms of time and space.
When I first heard Sam Mendes was coming on board to direct the next James Bond film, I was slightly bemused; surely I did not doubt his ability to direct, but my concern came from his ‘action-y’ bona fides. Any skepticism on this matter was shattered by my satisfaction with the big action sequences that blended so well with the dramatic action taking place around it.
In terms of the performances, it’s official – Daniel Craig has supplanted the Bond that marked my coming of age, Roger More. I know he might not be everyone’s cuppa, but I quite like his grizzled, world-weary and weathered British agent. On the flip side, Javier Bardem’s Silva had a gravitas and purpose to his villainous ways that did not have to resort to the caricature “wanting to take over the world” baddie that we all but expect to see in these types of films. For their part, the ‘supporting’ players – including Judi Dench, Naomie Harris, Ralph Fiennes and Ben Whishaw – up-and-down the line made the film all the more enjoyable for me.
And now, the bad news 
, a couple of quibbles …
Of course the ever-present, shoehorned product placement is something that I can ignore, but when my guard is down, there are those moments when I am jolted by the crass commercialization so clearly exhibited on screen. We can get past that.
One thing that bothered me a bit more was the role Berenice Marlohe’s Severine served – her presence in the film only seemed to serve 007′s pleasure, and when her ‘work’ was done, she was no longer be required. Perhaps, the further away I get from the film it is something that I have thought about a little more, but in the moment, it sort of washed over me because I was so invested in reaching the end point of the film. Then again, maybe I am overthinking this whole thing – it is a Bond film, albeit a grand, well crafted one, after all …
So, one may ask, was this observation enough for me to NOT recommend the film? After some thought, I feel comfortable in saying that for 007 fans this is a must-see film. Even if you are not a devotee of the film franchise (incidentally celebrating its 50th year with release of this film), I think there is enough in here – with all the drama, explosive action and yes – even a couple of punchy one-liners thrown in for good measure –to make Skyfall an enjoyable night at the movies.
I first saw this film around the time that Craig was announced as the next 007. Having not heard of Craig prior to the announcement, I took it upon myself to do a little research and check out a couple of films in his filmography.
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2011) directed by David Fincher
On Christmas Eve, a friend and me decided to go to the movies and catch The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
Before I get into my reaction, let me state for the fact: my relationship with this film can be described as rather layered at best. First let’s mention the book – at present, I am only a partially through it. But I do have every intention to finish reading this and the other two books of the Millennium trilogy. I only started reading the book after so many people recommended it. Prior to that I had no intention of reading the series.
But I was well aware of the popularity of the novel and its Hollywood adaptation; in fact this is the second cinematic incarnation of Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy. I have previously seen the Swedish three-part film series – well most of it anyway. While I liked the first two installments, I gave up about 30 minutes into the third film.
So you can imagine my trepidation in watching this glossy, Hollywood-stylized version of such dark source material. In general I am not a fan of these Hollywood “re-imaginings” of already established foreign films. Ultimately, my fear was that this big-budget Tattoo would be sanitized and cleansed of some of the source material’s (and Swedish film version’s) ‘grittier’ aspects.
As I walked out of the theater, all those concerns had vanished. I never should have doubted Mr. Fincher. In the end, I personally feel like this version was superior to its Swedish counterpart.
The head of the once-powerful industrialist Vanger family (Christopher Plummer) recruits the recently disgraced co-publisher of Millennium magazine Mikael Blomqvist (Daniel Craig). Blomqvist’s assignment is to investigate a 40-year old mystery surrounding the disappearance of Vanger’s niece, Harriet. During the course of his investigation, Blomqvist enlists the services of asocial hacker/private investigator/wunderkid Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara), who he has a somewhat loose association with – she was the person who investigated (often through not-so-legal means) Blomqvist for his current assignment. Together, they begin to piece together just what happened all those years ago. Will they ‘solve’ the riddle before it is too late?
I think the narrative is good, in fact, I think that it is almost indestructible. The mystery and eventually piecing together of all the disparate elements are very thrilling and you are left on the edge of your seat, wondering what is behind it all. The Swedish version did a good job in telling the story, but I felt as if the quality steadily declined. In contrast, David Fincher (and screenwriter Steve Zaillian) exceeded my expectations in capturing the spirit of the text and at keeping the story moving. And in spite of the glossiness of the production, I was satisfied to see that some of the tougher elements as were described in the text were pretty much preserved in the film.
That said, as has been pointed out to me by many book readers (who completed the book), by the time we reach the end of the film, key plot elements were changed in the Swedish version; the Hollywood version stayed truer to the Larsson text, although with some minor alterations.
Another aspect of the film that I was pleasantly surprised by was my reaction to the soundtrack; an awesome opening sequence revealed that Trent Reznor of Nine in Nails composed the musical score. When I saw his name appear, I must admit that not being a fan of NIN, I was a little less than enthusiastic. But for the second time in this screening, I was proved wrong; the musical accompaniment matched the pace and the tone of the film very well. This seems to be part of a greater trend in Hollywood – the replacement of ‘traditional orchestral scores for modern, edgier music.
The casting was absolutely superb. Every character was just as I imagined them to be while reading the book. Along with the casting you have the acting, all of which also hit the mark. Along with the principle characters, I would like to note the performances of Robin Wright and Stellan Skarsgård.
Lastly, Jeff Cronenweth wonderfully photographs the desolate and sombre Swedish landscape.
Now, for the not-so-good news. One reservation I have with the film is – the dreaded clock-watching! At almost 3-hrs, it is a rather long film and I have to admit as I got towards the film’s final 45 minutes, I sat there thinking, “they could have tightened this up a bit.”
The second thing I wanted to point out is the matter of the film’s release date. Of course this has nothing to do with the film proper, but I think it was an odd choice to release such a downer of a film around ye merry ole holidays. Looking at the box office receipts for the opening weekend, confirms that movie audiences probably thought the exact same thing. I am certain, however, that over the course of Tattoo’s cinema run, the receipts will pick up.
These criticisms aside, I ended up liking this film a lot more than I had anticipated.
I look forward to finishing the books and catching the second and third parts of the film franchise.