La critique de James Berardinelli (fin)
The film's structure is odd, with no big, overproduced climax and a narrative that has more in common with the '60s films than with anything post-Connery. Skyfall raises the emotional stakes to a level not seen since On Her Majesty's Secret Service; even Casino Royale didn't push this many buttons. We learn tantalizing bits about Bond's past - not enough to destroy the character's essential "in the moment" mystery, but enough to dispel the theory that "James Bond" is just a code name. The character played by Albert Finney is intriguing, and it's not hard to surmise this role was written with Sean Connery in mind. (Connery, if ever offered the part, stuck to his "never again" guns and elected to stay retired, but it takes little imagination to envision him saying the lines.)
Mendes brings with him frequent collaborators Roger Deakins and Thomas Newman. Deakins' cinematography may be the best ever in a Bond movie, and certainly the best in recent years. This is old-school camerawork in that the picture is stable and the fight scenes are easy to follow. Newman's score makes ample use of the Monty Norman/John Barry "James Bond Theme" - the first time it has been part of an incidental score since Craig took over. Adele's opening number, "Skyfall," hearkens back to the John Barry/Shirley Bassey collaborations.
Recent Bond movie openings have not been events. This is an exception. It doesn't feel like a retread. The emphasis on the M/007 relationship introduces a new, previously unexplored dynamic between the agent and his boss. Compare how the two mesh in Skyfall with their stately, formal interaction in Dr. No. Over the course of her previous six outings, Dench has been inching her authoritarian personality closer to the point where she could be considered a full-fledged character. Under Mendes, she achieves the goal. And the strength of her performance is matched by that of Javier Bardem, who comes across not as a sadistic lunatic but someone deeply wronged and tragically damaged. Sure, there's a cartoon element to Silva - it's not possible to be a Bond villain without going a little over-the-top - but he's not interchangeable with the many less intriguing antagonists to face off against 007 in the past.
Because of MGM's bankruptcy issues, we have waited four long years to get Skyfall. Convinced there was a story worth telling, Mendes stuck with the production and the result justifies the wait. I'd rather get a new Bond of this quality every four years than something along the lines of Quantum of Solace with half the time in between. Skyfall is everything Bond should be, encapsulating the best of all the eras - even the brief tenures of Dalton and Lazenby - into a package that celebrates Bond 50 by reassuring us that Bond is back.
