Martin Deer with 007 things to look forward to in Skyfall…
In case you weren’t aware, this month sees the long awaited return of England’s pride and joy, James Bond. It’s been 4 years since we last saw Her Majesty’s Spy, as he found the corrupt ex-boyfriend of his former lover and, rather than killing him as he had so many others in his pursuit, chose to see the bigger picture and turn him over to MI6. Love it or hate it, there’s not really much of an argument against Quantum of Solace not quite feeling like a Bond film – complete lack of the trademark theme, anyone? – however we hope that will be corrected in three weeks time as 007 returns in Skyfall. And so, here are 007 things I’m looking forward to from Bond’s twenty-third screen adventure:
1. The Return of Q
A character beloved by fans of the franchise, Q was removed from this new incarnation of Bond which began in 2006 with Casino Royale. As Bond was taken down a much more serious, realistic route the character was excluded, but now he’s back, and is a young man as you’d expect in today’s tech-savvy world. We’ve seen very little of him but what we have has looked very promising as the chemistry Ben Whishaw (Layer Cake, The Hollow Crown) has with Daniel Craig (The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) looks spot on as he tells a condescending Bond: “I can do more damage on my laptop, sitting in my pyjamas, than you can do in a year in the field”. Burn!
2. Who is M?
Judi Dench’s ( M, whilst being introduced in Bond’s previous reincarnation back in 1995’s Goldeneye alongside Peirce Brosnan, has had a kind of a rebirth herself in the series since 2006. We’ve seen more of her, and have got to know a little more about her as she’s played somewhat of a larger role. Judi Dench has always been fantastic which is why it’s great to have learnt that M and per past will essentially serve as the backbone of Skyfall. M appears to have “misplaced” the identities of all Her Majesty’s agents around the world, which seems to be causing her and MI6 a few problems. It will be interesting to see how Mendes handles the character and fleshes her out, but it’s great to hear that this character is going to be explored like never before.
3. London Setting
From the first teaser trailer it’s been clear that rumours of plenty of location shoots in our nation’s capital were correct, as we first see Bond looking out over London’s skyline like a watchful guardian. We’ve also now had the pleasure of seeing plenty of London based sequences: Bond running through the streets of West London, an explosion at MI6 as viewed from Vauxhall Bridge, and what is sure to be an exhilarating action sequence involving London’s tube system. As a lover of London I’m looking forward to our great city taking centre stage among all those exotic locales we’re sure to see.
4. Javier Bardem, Villain Extraordinaire
We don’t know much about Bardem’s character, Silva, – as with most of the film – but what we can gather from the trailers and what Sam Mendes has said we know that Silva will be a formidable threat, and one with a history it seems with MI6 and specifically M herself. Mendes has spoke about how he believes Silva will be one of the great Bond villains, capturing that trademark flamboyancy whilst being a terrorising menace at the same time. And with such quality acting talent as Javier Bardem in the role, I’m eager to see what’s in store.
5. Sam Mendes’ Direction
Sam Mendes has a penchant for wonderfully crafted films that are deep character analysis (American Beauty, Road to Perdition), but has not had much soiree into the kind of action a Bond film requires. Even his war film, Jarhead, included very little action and was more a look at the physical and emotional effects war places on soldiers. However, anyone worried that Mendes couldn’t bring it to the table – which didn’t include myself I might add – must be more than satisfied given the incredible looking action sequences we have seen thus far in the snippets of footage from the trailers. Mendes has been quoted as saying that he kept going back to Fleming’s novels and the complex and conflicted character that Bond really is, which is really exciting and of course to be expected with someone of Mendes’ reputation. Since Bond’s re-boot in 2006 Daniel Craig’s Bond has been going through a dynamic character arc that has, certainly in my case, built a stronger connection to the character due to the continuity of the previous films and them being direct sequels, and it will be very interesting to see where Mendes takes the character.
6. Craig. Daniel Craig.
What can I say about Daniel Craig’s Bond that hasn’t already been said nor will sound cliche? Craig thus far has been outstanding in the role, his Bond is darker than previous incarnations but there is still that trademark wit and charm This trend looks to continue from what we’ve seen with Bond looking completely worn out and broken to his driven, witty self. If Skyfall is a great film and Craig puts in an equal or better performance than his previous two outings, then I have to honestly say that would cement his place as my favourite Bond.
7. Traditional Bond Elements
Quantum of Solace, whilst I have grown to appreciate it, was missing a fair few elements to which define it as a Bond movie. Casino Royale was an incredible film which took the basis of Her Majesty’s 007 and polished him in to a grittier, darker character to which Fleming had originally intended. Reckless, rough and conflicted, yet a suave, witty joker, CR was a perfect encapsulation of James Bond, and then QoS kind of undid all of that great work. We know though that Skyfall will see a return to some of the more traditional classic Bond elements – and the removal of one very specific element in favour of a new “sponsor” – as it looks to bring the series back in line with the characters and series history whilst keeping the raw elements that made Casino Royale such a global hit.
So, get your martini’s shaken (or Heinekens drafted) and get your opening weekend tickets booked as 007 is finally returning. As Bond himself might say, he’s making a habit out of resurrections.
And keep your eyes on Flickering Myth over the next 3 weeks as a number of Bond films get the review treatment…
Martin Deer
