The new James Bond movie “Skyfall” lacks the action that Bond fans have come to expect, but the film does not fail to impress when it comes to cinematography and acting.
“Skyfall,” the 23rd movie in the 007 franchise, begins with agent Bond (Daniel Craig) and his field assistant Eve (Naomie Harris) attempting to recover a stolen hard drive containing a list of undercover NATO agents. Bond is accidentally shot by Eve during a struggle on a moving train between Bond and Patrice, the man behind stealing the hard drive, after M (Judi Dench) orders Eve to take the shot. Bond falls off the train and is later presumed dead.
With Bond gone, M and the MI6 department find themselves under attack from the terrorist group that stole the hard drive. The terrorist group begins exposing the undercover NATO agents, which results in three NATO officers being killed. Bond, after using his presumed death as a way to escape the field, returns in the midst of the attacks to help MI6 regain control while Bond struggles with trust issues with M.
The movie is filmed beautifully with the use of creative camera angles to give a unique perspective during certain scenes. Action sequences are filmed so that no punch or shot is missed, and there is special attention given to the scenery.
The opening credit sequence is artistic and intriguing with an Adele song to accompany and follows the action packed opening scene, but the action and excitement fail to make enough memorable appearances after. The opening scene and credit sequence give a false hope that the film will live up to previous Bond film standards.
Craig does not disappoint in his third role as Bond. He plays a suave and seductive Bond, just as Bond should be portrayed. Dench plays the stone cold, powerful role of M effortlessly and represents the head of MI6 with a solid performance.
Javier Bardem plays Silva, the villain behind the terrorist attacks, and his performance is virtually flawless. His performance steals the spotlight in any scene he is involved in.
There is a lack of action in “Skyfall” that is incredibly disappointing when looking back at previous Bond films. There are too many moments of downtime, and action sequences often fail to impress and are over too quickly. This lack of action, or good action at least, tarnishes the reputation of Bond films, but only a little bit.
“Skyfall” is worth the watch if only for the performances and cinematography, but a true Bond fan may be disappointed when the action sequences fall short of expectations.
