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The third of Daniel Craig ’s fiveJames Bondmovies , Skyfall , is just a couple of calendar month away from its 10th anniversary . A decade later , Skyfallis still the highest - grossing bail movie and the only incoming in the serial to run down in more than $ 1 billion at the worldwide box office .
Not every attachment film from the Craig era has stand up the test of time . Quantum of SolaceandSpectrerank among the weakest installation in the dealership . ButSkyfallstill reserve up today as one of the most salient , fun - filled , military action - packed 007 risky venture ever to hit screen .
The Mind-Blowing Cold Open
Almost every shackle movie opens with a thrilling pre - title solidification - piece , butSkyfall ’s opening conniption is particularly action - packed . Most 007 stale opens are one sort of action fit , butSkyfall ’s is a few vagabond into one . adherence chases a perp across the rooftops of Istanbul on a motorcycle , crashes through a crowded bazar , rips open a railroad baby buggy with a shovel , and then wage in a brutal fighting on top of the speeding gear .
The whole sequence culminates in 007 being shot off the cap of the train and dip into the river below . Not only is this one of the most exciting Bond movie openings ; it ’s one of the most subversive . Most of the enfranchisement ’s cold-blooded opens are a victory for Bond , but this one is a close - life - end unsuccessful person .
Daniel Craig’s Nuanced Turn As 007
Three movies into his tenure , Daniel Craig hone his portrayal of BondinSkyfall . The worker encapsulated the familiar valet de chambre spy as always . He ’s effortlessly suave , ice - cool , and nails all the one - liners .
But this time around , he also made Bond more vulnerable . 007 spendsSkyfalldealing with a quite a little of emotional distress , with PTSD stemming from his cheeseparing - death experience in the opening successiveness .
Sam Mendes’ Carefully Crafted Tone
Director Sam Mendes strikes the ideal tone for a modernistic bountiful - budget Bond caper inSkyfall . The film ’s note is pitched halfway between the gritty realism ofCasino Royaleand the far - fetched fun ofRoger Moore ’s classic 007 adventures .
Mendes ’ first Bond picture maintains the visceral , plot - changing vogue that Martin Campbell land to the table , but also nostalgically harken back to the serial ’ sillier roots .
The Moral Ambiguity Of Judi Dench’s M
ThroughoutSkyfall , M reveals that she considers her agent to be expendable . This is established in the possible action scene as she tell apart Bond to abandon a dying agent . When Moneypenny is n’t trusted she can get a clear-cut nip of the perp without hitting Bond , M rate her to “ take the bloody shot . ” The villain ’s motive is to demand retaliation against M for hanging him out to dry out in a like situation .
Skyfallchallenged the audience ’s perception of M. M is unremarkably a purely expository office , but Dench ’s take on the character was given much more depth – and moral equivocalness – in her net show .
Adele’s Melancholic Title Theme
Adele ’s “ Skyfall ” is one of the greatest Bond themes of all time . It was the enfranchisement ’s first title theme in over three decades to be name for the Oscar for Best Original Song ( after Sheena Easton ’s 1981 nominating speech for “ For Your Eyes Only ” ) , and the first to actually come through the awarding .
After the uncharacteristically rock-‘n’-roll - dash themes of Craig ’s first two Bond films , Adele’sSkyfalltheme evoked the moody lyrics and melancholic melodies of the Shirley Bassey classic that defined the Bond base traditions .
Javier Bardem’s Chilling Performance As Raoul Silva
Javier Bardem open a trulychilling bit asSkyfall ’s villain , Raoul Silva , formerly acknowledge as Tiago Rodriguez , an ex-husband - MI6 agent - turn - cyberterrorist . Bardem was the first of a string of Oscar winners to bet Bond villains .
There are a few holes in Silva ’s needlessly complicated vicious programme , but Bardem makes up for it with one of the most memorable Bond scoundrel performances of all time . Silva is delightfully camp , but he turn totally unnerving at the drop of a dime . Bardem steals every scene he ’s in and manduction on every soliloquy .
Dench’s Maternal Dynamic With Craig
007 traditionally only hang out with M in a professional capacity , but her relationship with Craig ’s Bond was different . Dench ’s M became a sort of maternal figure to Craig ’s Bond , and that mother - Logos moral force come to a head word inSkyfall .
In the final deed ofSkyfall , Bond position his life on the line to protect her , as any good surrogate boy would . Tragically , he fails to save his office mammy – but he does everything he can right up to the end .
The Return Of Q’s Goofy Gadgets
WhenCasino Royalerebooted the Bond franchise with a healthy superman of realism , many franchise traditions were thrown out the window , including the ludicrous gadgets cater to 007 by the Q Branch . Mendes mercifully brought back Q and his goofy gadgets inSkyfall .
Ben Whishaw had a great new take on the quality as a soft - mannered geek andSkyfallintroduced an awing Modern contrivance into Bond ’s arsenal : a pistol that wo n’t fire unless Bond ’s fingerprint is on the induction .
Roger Deakins’ Striking Cinematography
Roger Deakins ’ striking cinematography fromSkyfallwas name for an Academy Award , a rarity in the military action genre . Deakins capture some of the most dazzling visuals in the whole enfranchisement forSkyfall ’s gorgeously shot military action sequences .
A conflict between Bond and a sniper is silhouette against a jumbo Ne - lit billboard . The whole final battle is set against the sales talk - Negroid of the night , illuminated by a blaze away fire .
M’s Heartbreaking Death Scene
At the sexual climax ofSkyfall , M dies in Bond ’s arms after he arrive seconds too later to save her . In the hands of a legendary gift like Dench , this is much more moving than the average action mechanism motion picture death scene .
On rewatches , the inevitable disaster of M ’s passage makes the volatile climactic set - piece experience semisweet . Plus , on repetition viewing , Julian Bond devotee can spot the foreshadowing of M ’s expiry in the opening credit when her silhouette is seen at a cemetery .
NEXT:10 007 basic The Next James Bond Reboot Should Keep
