By TIERNAN O’NEILL – Guest Writer
The James Bond series has taken a hit in recent years. The passing of the torch from Pierce Brosnan to Daniel Craig was not a smooth transition. In Craig’s debut in Casino Royale, a new type of Bond was brought forth, a less brazen and a more sensitive depiction than that of Brosnan’s. With Bond fans excited with the new look, it made the failure of Quantum Solace even more disappointing.
Viewers had low expectations as they entered the theatre to see Craig’s third attempt as the iconic Bond character in Skyfall, directed by Sam Mendes, however, over the course of two hours, faith in the Bond series was quickly regained. Mendes updates the tired Bond series to current era by swapping the classic Cold War style spy for the more relevant cyber hacker. It seems Mendes is pushing the series into the 21st century.
In arguably the best Bond movie to date, viewers are introduced to the psychopathic super-hacker, Raoul Silva (Javier Bardem), a man who single-handedly hacks into MI6 headquarters and steals a list of every singe NATO agent in the world. Bardem plays the role of a lifetime as Silva by delivering a creepily realistic villain who feeds off of his hatred for M (Judi Dench), his former boss whom he believes wronged him. Although Bardem had the best performance in film, that does not discredit Craig who sticks to his previous performances as a solid 007.
Skyfall addresses new issues that face society today by emphasizing the fact that the greatest threat to a nation’s security is not another nation or organization, but an individual who works with no allegiance to any particular nation. Rather than fighting for patriotism, they fight for profit. Mendes has not only updated the Bond series, but has quite possibly saved it. For now, the future looks bright for 007.
Watch the official trailer below:
