TOM TANGNEY

‘Skyfall’ one of best James Bond movies ever

Nov 8, 2012, 9:08 AM | Updated: 12:09 pm

It’s the 50th anniversary of the James Bond film series, and what a way to celebrate it. The new film, “Skyfall,” is one of the best Bond movies ever.

As in most Bond movies, Skyfall starts off with a bang – a spectacular stunt-filled chase that ends up with 007 and a baddie punching it out on top of a moving train going over a high bridge. The scene however takes an unexpected turn when Bond is shot off the train and plunges to his apparent death hundreds of feet below.

Moviegoers know he can’t really be dead – heck, the movie is not yet 20 minutes old – but everyone in the film thinks he is, including his boss, M, played once again by the great Judi Dench.

When a bruised and battered Bond suddenly shows up 6 months later.

“Where the hell have you been?” M asks.

“Enjoying death,” Bond responds.

“I only have one question: Why not stay dead? There’s no shame in saying you’ve lost a step,” says Ray Fiennes, who plays the head of foreign intelligence.

No shame in having lost a step? Oh yes there is – if you’re Bond, James Bond. And this Bond has something to prove. Daniel Craig’s Bond has lost a step, his physical skills have declined. He’s even psychologically suspect. Not only that, his very job description (as a secret agent) is in danger of becoming outmoded.

This is the overriding theme of “Skyfall” – James Bond having to justify his existence, having to not only proclaim the value of his declining abilities but also to defend his old-school ways in a quickly changing world. He has to prove his own ongoing relevance.

He’s taunted by his youngers about “the inevitability of time,” but in his final confrontation with the master villain, played by Javier Bardem, melancholy gives way to a very rooted determination.

“Skyfall” is a deeply satisfying Bond film, a perfect rejoinder to those of us who may have thought Bond was a relic of times past. Like I said, a great way to celebrate 50 years.

Tom Tangney

Belfast...

Tom Tangney

Kenneth Branagh’s ‘Belfast’ is a crowd-pleaser that doesn’t quite hit the mark

"Belfast" has plenty to recommend itself but it's not nearly the moving testament to fraught times that Kenneth Branagh thinks it is or wants it to be.

2 years ago

Eternals, Marvel...

Tom Tangney

‘Eternals’ has to do a lot of heavy lifting for a single film

Imagine the daunting task Marvel sets for itself in "Eternals." It has to introduce 10 new superheroes, not to mention an entirely new cosmology.

2 years ago

French Dispatch...

Tom Tangney

‘The French Dispatch’ is unmistakably Andersonian

Wes Anderson is an acquired taste. But luckily, after 10 full-length movies, most critics and many movie-goers have acquired it.

2 years ago

Dune...

Tom Tangney

All set-up and no payoff: ‘Dune’ is world’s longest and most expensive trailer

It's hard to find the right metaphor for the new "Dune" movie. Whatever comparison you choose, it must reflect a sense of incompletion.

2 years ago

Last Duel...

Tom Tangney

Poor Marguerite’s story saves ‘The Last Duel’

Tom Tangney says, ultimately, The Last Duel is a proto-feminist take on the Middle Ages with Marguerite's take that brings the film into focus.

2 years ago

James Bond...

Tom Tangney

Daniel Craig’s final James Bond movie comes full-circle

The 25th installment in the James Bond movie franchise may be titled "No Time to Die," but "Too Much Time to Die" may be more fitting.

3 years ago

‘Skyfall’ one of best James Bond movies ever