Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Skyfall’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Over the course of twenty-three films, we've ventured on some incredible journeys with James Bond. We've been to every corner of the world in fact, faced off with insane mad men and watched as James has managed to save the world and get the girl time and time again. But throughout all these adventures, there are still a couple of places we have not yet explored.

For one, we still know nothing of 007 himself. His life and what made him into the stone-cold killing machine he is today has always remained a mystery. At the same time, we've never really had a in depth understanding of the person he works for, M, as well since she is always barking commands at him and much to my delight that all changed when Skyfall arrived. 

This is a Bond film that remains one of my favorites for so many reasons, but primarily for the two concepts that I listed above. This is where we finally meet James Bond the man, not the spy and we finally saw M for who she really is and what she truly stands for, and the story even also took the time to explore the consequences that come with their line of work, and all of that, makes for one the best Bond pictures out there. ​

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​The fact that we finally get 100% confirmation on the fact that Bond is an orphan, (something that was alluded to in Casino Royale by Vesper but really who could believe her with all the lies she told) is spectacular, and it gives us the complete picture of a man who has no attachment to the world and never will. He sees himself as lost and only finds purpose in the life he has now chosen for himself and this is handled in such masterful fashion that we don't need the film to fill in the blanks, we just know that James has always been an outcast and doing good deeds for the world and remaining anonymous in the process somehow gives his life meaning.

Plus, we see M as vulnerable for the first time in the series as her past decisions come back to haunt her. We finally understand that her job is ten times more difficult than Bond's and she carries with her burdens that we will never know. This is in part thanks to the fine work of Judi Dench in her final appearance as the character and her exit is one that is dignified, thankfully. Plus, we cannot talk about this film without discussing the madman that is Silva, played brilliantly by Javier Bardem. He is the dark side of the spy trade and war that is rarely discussed, the people left behind, and while this particular character is a little less on the super villain side, he is disturbing and terrifying none the less.

There is one last thing however we must discuss before we move on to the next-to-last review in this series, the fact that this particular Bond film is a feast for the eyes. Yes, the exotic locales are still there and as lovely as ever, but Director Sam Mendes injected some pure beauty into the film as well with his visuals, almost making the places we travel with Bond come to life and become characters of their own. In particular the visual that always comes to mind is the skyscraper battle, with the neon behind James and his opponent putting both of them into silhouette, allowing for the colors help convey the action. In the end, this is hands down a perfect Bond film, one for the ages and hopefully No Time to Die will be every bit as good as this one. 

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