I saw the new James Bond film, Skyfall, and although I thought it was good it did not live up to the much hyped ‘best Bond film ever’. In fact I wouldn’t put it in my top three list. The opening scene, a chase along the roof tops of Istanbul and hand to hand combat on top of a train, was quite exciting but there was nothing original about it. The film fasts forwards to Bond re-joining MI6 after suffering serious injuries and him feeling very aggrieved towards ‘M’. This was the best part of the movie showing the vulnerabilities of Bond and ‘M’; he from his injuries and she from the threat of enforced retirement.
After an attack on MI6 headquarters the scene moves to a Shanghai skyscraper at night where Bond tries to apprehend a sniper. This scene had very little excitement and could have been anywhere, Dubai, Manhattan or Canary Wharf. Many reviewers really liked the villain; I thought he was too much like the Joker. Christopher Walken played a similar, but better villain in View to a Kill. There followed some chase scenes in the London Underground which were OK but not exceptional. A decision was made to cut down on gadgets which I think was a mistake. The final showdown in Scotland was far too long. Of course it wasn’t credible, which you don’t expect from a Bond movie, but it wasn’t that exciting either. Overall 3 stars.
Michael Drysdale 