I know I risk accusations of sacrilege for saying this but there comes a time for every cinema-going female when the thought of another rom-com almost makes you want to stop procrastinating reading that textbook… ok, perhaps you wouldn’t go that far but the sense of uninterest is palpable. The latest from the institution that is James Bond is a prime example of why ladies should and indeed are filling cinema seats to listen to the sound of ricocheting gunfire rather than the reflections of high-pitched giggly singletons.
Bond isn’t all about chases, fights and complex weaponry, not this one anyway. There’s definitely been a conscious effort by the production team (including the ‘old school’ Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli) to make this film very ‘now’. We see the introduction of a female agent in the shape of Eve (played by Naomie Harris from Pirates of the Caribbean), we see an added emotional depth to the character of Bond including the shadows of his past and we get a clear sense of the context in which MI5 operate as expressed in true dramatic splendour by Judi Dench in M’s ‘How safe do you feel? Speech’. This is by no means a boy’s film, this is a film which is not only entertaining but it is a snapshot of ‘now’, of the changing nature of intelligence work complete with allusions to the culture of fear following 9/11. The days of Honey Ryder and villain’s lairs are long gone.
This film sees Bond rush to the rescue after the loss of data containing information about various agents leaves M in a rather sticky situation. Enter Javier Bardem as crazed ex-goldenboy agent ‘Silva’ who is out to make the Head of Intelligence ‘think on her sins’. This movie is definitely a more modern take on Bond and the quality of production absent in Quantum of Solace is restored to its former standard. Sam Mendes should be commended for his contribution in his first outing at the helm of the Bond machine; a second film would likely be in the offing, not to mention Naomie Harris’ seamless assimilation into the circle of secondary characters.
However, aside from my effusions of praise I must highlight there are some shortfalls. Due to the focus on the relationship between M and Bond this aspect of the films is heightened to the detriment of other classic Bond themes such as the often dramatic and unusual death of the main villain and the pursuit of a female interest. Obviously, times have moved on but the writers should take care to stay true to the writing and the spirit of the franchise. Whilst Berenice Marlohe does a good job of keeping the side up for the female actors as Severine, the writers limited use of her attenuates the potential for a sexy edge to the movie and makes it more ‘Hello, cocoa’ than ‘Hello James’. The centralisation of the plot around M makes the film feel more like a homage to a great actress in an iconic role than an intense couple of hours with an enigmatic MI5 agent. Another point would be that there is a danger, especially now that spy films are more prevalent, of doing things that have been done. For example the rooftop chase scene early on in Skyfall is very similar to that not only in Bourne but also in Total Recall and Taken 2 which have already been out this year. As the original innovators the onus is on the producers to lead the way under the prestige of the Bond title rather than emulate mediocrity.
But with anything that manages to reach its twenty-third outing and fiftieth year of existence there is bound to be high expectations, arguably expectations that are impossible to satisfy let alone exceed. This must be borne in mind and as a stand – alone film aside from the hype and expectation it does make for great viewing for everyone. So ladies do not be put off by the prospect of chases, fire-fights and exploding Aston Martins because there is far more to 007 than a licence to kill.
4 STARS
