Skyfall is Daniel Craig’s third Bond film. And it’s my 23rd. I have two more to go before my Bond movie-watching journey ends.
When I started this journey I thought a new Bond actor would be chosen to replace Daniel Craig before I finished. I thought I’d know by now if my prediction (for the next James Bond actor) was correct or not. But it seems the Bond franchise is taking their time.
Here’s what stood out to me about James Bond in Skyfall. (Keep in mind I’m focusing on the character of Bond…it’s not a movie review.)
Daniel Craig As James Bond
My opinion about Daniel Craig as Bond hasn’t changed since the last movie, Quantum of Solace. He continues to come off more as an assassin than an MI6 agent.
I don’t know exactly what it is I don’t like about Craig as Bond. He has great fight and action skills, but almost anyone can be made to look like they have good fight skills in a movie with stuntmen and a trick of the camera. (I’m not saying Daniel Craig didn’t do any of his stunts, but I’m just saying stuntmen and tricks of the camera can turn anyone into Bond.) Daniel Craig is good, but he lacks personality, charm and magnetism. It’s like they took one of the Bourne Treadmill Assassins and turned him into James Bond.
I despised Sean Connery’s disrespect towards women, but he had good looks, charm and magnetism. Those characteristics help if you want to also appeal to a female audience. George Lazenby’s Bond lacked charm and magnetism too, but the only Bond film he did–On Her Majesty’s Secret Service–kept my attention mostly because I liked the storyline. That was the movie where Bond met his wife, Tracy, and they got married. But honestly, so far none of Craig’s Bond films are great. Then again, I’m not a Bond fan and don’t think most Bond films are great. There are three I’d possibly watch again…none in the Daniel Craig era.
James Bond and Women in Skyfall
There were so many cringy moments in previous Bond films when it came to the maltreatment of women. There’s none of that in the Daniel Craig films so far. Cringy moments in Craig’s films are different…like when he sucks Vesper’s fingers in Casino Royale. And in Quantum of Solace, he tosses his dead friend in the trash bin.
Moneypenny, the secretary, returns after being absent in Daniel Craig’s first two movies. Strangely, she shows up in Skyfall as an MI6 agent, not a secretary. They don’t explain how that happens.
I don’t think the Bond franchise knew what to do with Moneypenny since her character is primarily known for being the object of Bond’s heavy flirtation and sexual harassment. This film isn’t devoid of flirtation and sexual tension between them. Because Moneypenny is now Bond’s equal as an agent it comes across differently than sexual harassment. There’s a moment in his hotel room when she shaves his face with a straight-edge razor. They’re physically close. But whether or not anything happened between them is left for interpretation.
I don’t think anything happened between them. Moneypenny is smart enough to know an affair with Bond wouldn’t be a good idea. And it’s not like Bond is the only man in the world. At the end of the film, Moneypenny decides to return to her desk job.
Bond’s Transformation/Evolution
Is James Bond still disrespectful toward women? Has his character shown any emotional and psychological depth?
The disrespect towards women is gone, but he hasn’t grown much emotionally or psychologically. The franchise has attempted to bring depth into Bond’s character but it’s hugely lacking so far. He returns to his childhood home in this film. That’s an attempt to show the audience a bit of his past. The house looks like a dark and dreary place in the middle of nowhere, perhaps reflecting his detached and cold personality. He takes his boss M there to lure the villain who’s trying to kill her. In Bond and M’s conversation, she confirms Bond was an orphan as a child. (I don’t remember this, but in Goldeneye it was revealed Bond’s parents were killed in an accident.)
It’ll be interesting to see where they take Bond after Daniel Craig. To turn him into a deeper character yet remain the action hero that he is would require the right writers and directors. (A cross between Simon Baker as The Mentalist and Matt Damon as Jason Bourne would be perfect…or actually, someone like Idris Elba’s character in Luther would also work well.)
OTHER
This film was released in 2012, four years after Quantum of Solace. A few moments drew me into the film, but overall, it didn’t appeal to me.
Sadly, Judi Dench’s character as Bond’s boss dies in this movie. She was the perfect choice for Bond’s first female boss. I wish they kept her on a bit longer.