Retro-Finish!. Review on Skyfall Movie

The opening sequence in Skyfall that shows Bond being shot and being pulled by a hand of destiny into the deep waters assures the viewer of a suspense-filled denouement and builds up the crescendo for yet another Bond movie.  And as the famed 007 agent surfaces yet again from the dead, you wonder if his old, stiffened self can survive the amped-up action and display some crackling kinetic moments yet again! Skyfall hearkens back to Bond’s earlier films with popular elements like Aston Martin DB5 (last seen in Goldfinger) replete with roaring machine guns and a passenger ejector seat (which on one occasion, Bond is tempted to use as he converses with M sitting next on his side).

It even traces its steps back to Bond’s childhood home in Scotland, Skyfall Lodge, and references the traditional double rifle. As Bond is constantly reminded that he is no longer the young, dynamic agent that he used to be, he replies with his old-style quips and literally sticks to his old-fashioned guns! The movie’s lenses zooms out on London’s location pins (reminding you of how it all began in the conspicuous-looking M16 headquarters). It briefly hurtles through the streets of Turkey (which has a brilliantly captured scene of motor-bikes speeding on a razor-thin roof-top) and galactic skycrapers of Shangai (where some splendid lightning effects blends with Bond’s hide-and-seek shenanigans). But the movie hovers mainly around the strife between Bond and Raoul Silva (Javier Bardem) who is former 007 agent-turned bad.  Raoul gives Bond a skip each time with his strong masculine and nimble-footed ways vis-à-vis a visibility frail Bond (who fails all his physical and psychological tests).

Their struggle comes to a head in a high-stakes game, held in Bond’s former house in the dead of a winter night. Director, Sam Pendes imbues Bond with human qualities displaying a weak and vulnerable side (who is not able to forget the horrors from his past).  Javier gets a fair share of some delectable dialogues and at one point; he really towers above Bond in the masculine minuet. Daniel Craig, on the other hand delights with his typical Bond mannerisms and proves that he can survive even with bare-minimum gadgets (that includes a gun that recognizes only him and a matchbox-size radio).

However, there is none of that sky-falling love or pre or post-coital references. It only has some brief interludes with Naomie Harris and Berenice Marlohe to add to the romantic quotient. The movie will also sadly see the death of M (Judi Dench) who will now be replaced by Gareth Mallory (Ralph Fiennes).   The film is worth a watch for all those Bond-lovers who want to scramble back and get a taste of the some of the basic elements hand-picked out of the 5-decade long franchise.  So revive your memories of Bond stories and savor this high-caliber entertainment on a cool winter day muching on the good ol' air popped corn.