A cyber-terrorist, someone out of M's past, has targeted MI-6 itself, and it's unclear whether Bond-injured, disillusioned, full of drink and pills-is still a man to take on such challenges. But if that examination of 007's mortality was quasi-farce, Skyfall tilts toward tragedy. Has M grown too old? Has Bond? These themes were toyed with in the non-canonical Thunderball remake Never Say Never Again, which saw Connery return to action 12 years (and one broken "never" vow) after Diamonds Are Forever. Obsolescence and decay hang heavy over all that follows. Cue up Adele's moody, evocative theme song: This is the end. And for all its backward glances, the opening sequence will end in novel fashion: As a consequence of M's pitiless efficiency, Bond is shot, fallen, evidently drowning. M (Judi Dench) orders Bond to abandon a wounded agent, presumably to his death. Throw in that it all takes place in Istanbul, and we've nearly managed 50 years of Bond in miniature.Īlready, however, there are intimations that this will be no mere rehash. A pursuit by car evolves into one by motorcycle before concluding in fisticuffs on the roof of a train. Or perhaps it might better be described as a meta-chase, an early hint that the screenplay (by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, and John Logan) will cast a knowing eye over the historical expanse of the franchise. It begins, as these affairs typically do, with a chase. The film, directed by Sam Mendes, is among the most ambitious imaginings of Bond to date: dark, supple, and punctuated with moments of unanticipated visual brilliance. I'm delighted to report that Skyfall powerfully suggests the latter. Thus the question: Was Casino Royale an outlier in the decades-long stretch of Bondian disappointment? Or was Quantum of Solace the outlier in a new, improved Age of Craig? The Graded, Ranked, and Non-Negotiable Guide to Every 'Bond' Theme Song
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