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One parts homage, two parts topical fears; Shaken, not stirred
This weekend, Skyfall hit US theaters and it hit harder than a right hook from Daniel Craig. In Craig's third installment as the smooth Scottish spy, the movie broke a Bond box office record, earning $87.8 million during opening weekend. But hey, that's nothing compared to a good night's winnings in Montenegro, right? Ok, unlike my bad Bond references, Skyfall elegantly tips a hat to several of the franchise's previous films. From an Aston Martin DB5 equipped with the iconic eject button to a fight scene with large reptiles arousing memories of Live and Let Die. But worry not, younger readers. There's more to Skyfall than humorous recollections of Bond's past.
I, like the rest of the James Bond followers, have been diligently trying to block out Quantum of Solace from my memory. Although, in an attempt to make a point, bear with me for a moment. Recall Dominic Greene. Really, think about him. He was a wealthy, well-put-together, environmentalist (on the surface). And then think back to the environmental . . . well, environment of 2008. the world was high on sustainable energy, global warming, and the 10 year anniversary of a thing called fracking. So what did the Bond writers (or what was left of them during the writer's strike) do? They painted a picture of a rich friend to the environmental community who has gone absolutely insane. With better directing and writing, QoS had the potential to strike a cord with new fans - sadly, we know what actually happened.
Now consider Skyfall's Silva, a facetiously creepy, tech-savvy internet guru. Backed by a strong performance by Javier Bardem, this avant-guard Bond villan plays on our present fears of loose internet security. The concept of preying on current concerns is a key part of Ian Flemming's succes from the beginning. Do you think the original espionage films depicting the Cold War would gross this kind of money today?! I'm not talking to you, Gary Oldman.
Growing up watching Pierce Brosnan, my generation of James Bond fans appreciates Daniel Craig's fresh adaptation. Over the last 6 years, we have seen an evolution of Bond's gritty and reckless origins in Casino Royale to the suave and carefully premeditated spy we knew he would become in Skyfall. And so I thank you, Daniel. You reinvented a role in a way nobody predicted and at the same time, successfully brought fans from various generations together. After breaking the James Bond opening weekend record, you should break the 4th wall and tell the audience "This never happened to the other fellow."
I, like the rest of the James Bond followers, have been diligently trying to block out Quantum of Solace from my memory. Although, in an attempt to make a point, bear with me for a moment. Recall Dominic Greene. Really, think about him. He was a wealthy, well-put-together, environmentalist (on the surface). And then think back to the environmental . . . well, environment of 2008. the world was high on sustainable energy, global warming, and the 10 year anniversary of a thing called fracking. So what did the Bond writers (or what was left of them during the writer's strike) do? They painted a picture of a rich friend to the environmental community who has gone absolutely insane. With better directing and writing, QoS had the potential to strike a cord with new fans - sadly, we know what actually happened.
Now consider Skyfall's Silva, a facetiously creepy, tech-savvy internet guru. Backed by a strong performance by Javier Bardem, this avant-guard Bond villan plays on our present fears of loose internet security. The concept of preying on current concerns is a key part of Ian Flemming's succes from the beginning. Do you think the original espionage films depicting the Cold War would gross this kind of money today?! I'm not talking to you, Gary Oldman.
Growing up watching Pierce Brosnan, my generation of James Bond fans appreciates Daniel Craig's fresh adaptation. Over the last 6 years, we have seen an evolution of Bond's gritty and reckless origins in Casino Royale to the suave and carefully premeditated spy we knew he would become in Skyfall. And so I thank you, Daniel. You reinvented a role in a way nobody predicted and at the same time, successfully brought fans from various generations together. After breaking the James Bond opening weekend record, you should break the 4th wall and tell the audience "This never happened to the other fellow."
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