It's iterated often in Skyfall
that the old fashioned ways are sometimes the best. It's a persistent
theme that permeates both the literal narrative and the conceptual
approach to the 23rd entry in the storied James Bond
franchise. While the story debates the virtue of antiquity in a
modern world, the film adheres to Bond tradition as seen through a
filter of contemporary dramatic substance for present-day audiences
to appreciate. The Bond is old-school (rustically so at times), but
the treatment he gets is fresh.
With the theatrically-minded Sam Mendes
at the helm, Skyfall indulges
us in a sense of detail to character that is uncommon to Bond films.
None of the previous 22 have dared plumb the depths of 007's
traumatic past and haunted present that this one attempts to – with
some success, as well. Nor have any of them explored the practically
maternal relationship between Bond (Daniel Craig's third outing) and
his MI6 shot-caller M (reprised once again here by Judi Dench).
Skyfall puts their
connection front and centre as one of the main driving forces of the
plot.
