Skyfall

Having just returned from a late-night showing of the new James Bond film Skyfall, I felt the need to write a brief review and comment on the changing nature of the leading man.

Bond, James Bond---has always been a stalwart figure of male masculinity and the hero who refuses to die. Since the first movies starring Sean Connery in the title role to the new incarnation played by Daniel Craig, I have to wonder what has happened to Bond.

I understand that the times changes. Just look at the technology showcased throughout the Bond franchise. Each successive film pushes the limits of tech advances that when you view an older movie, you have a laugh at how antiquated the old tech now seems. A cassette recorder was state-of-the-art in the 1980's, then CDs took over the 1990's, now we have in Bond movies other microchip technology that makes the mind boggle. So as technology advances and changes for the better, does that mean that Bond must also change?

No. James Bond is one of those quintessential figures in modern-day mythology that is so rooted in the male psyche that changing the nature of Bond will cause a worldwide collapse in male self-esteem. Bond is an archetype. He is the smooth, suave hero who wins at all costs and gets the girl in the process. We admire him for his steadfast self-confidence, for his unwavering principles to crown and country, and for his sophisticated sense of style and manner. Men wish they could be him. Women wish they could have him. The hero out to protect us all even at his own peril. But a new picture of Bond is slowly emerging.

Daniel Craig has promised to breathe new life into the 007 character and reinvigorate the Bond franchise. He certainly accomplished that with his first outting as Bond in the film Casino Royale, but we see an even more different Bond in Skyfall. Perhaps it is the plot that makes this Bond seem tired and old. You almost got the sense that he needed to pause and pop a little blue pill before he bedded the latest lovely lady who crossed his path. Grumpy and aching seem to suit this Bond. What happened to all that superhuman stamina and drive, Mr. Bond? Craig made Bond look really old in Skyfall. It was sad to see this portrayal only because you sense that Bond has gone down a road from where he cannot return.

Make no mistake, there will be other Bond films. There will even be other actors--perhaps men far more capable than Daniel Craig--who will capture the essence behind the man known simply as 007. There will be better plots, I imagine, that will no longer focus on the U.S.S.R. or former KGB spies or anyone associated with Communism or rogue agents or megalomaniacal maniacs bent on world domination. The 1980's are long gone and the Red Scare is no more. We can thank President Ronald Reagan for that. But what of James Bond and Great Britain? It's entirely possible that Bond may himself become a comrade seeing as how politics in the U.S. and the U.K. have shifted decidedly towards Leftist ideology. Imagine a politically correct Bond who fights for the environment instead of country, who battles global warming instead of bad guys. Or imagine a Bond whose allegiance is to Mother Earth rather than to the Queen of England. So much for being a quintessential macho man! Please turn in your pistol and codpiece as your license to manhood has been revoked. By turning Leftist, Bond will become the same kind of male pussies who voted for Obama, an empty suit who fancies himself a sophisticated statesman.

Whatever the case, it is clear that real-world forces are changing Bond and for the worse. He seems almost like a cartoon version of himself. References throughout Skyfall to past James Bond greatness, such as the iconic Aston Martin four-wheeler, fell short. They just served to contrast the old Bonds who had class with the new Bond who seems devoid of real machismo, but Craig tries to convince us otherwise with very good acting. Whether 007 has to adapt to survive remains to be seen. The world has new villains now, Mr. Bond. Will you rise to the challenge? I'm sure you'll get a rise out of that sexy, shapely, red dress. You always had a weakness for the ladies. Thanks for the memories of former great men who portrayed James Bond. Sorry, Daniel Craig, but your latest characterization of our iconic 007 has left us shaken, not stirred.

Skyfall is a skyfail.

~Andrew K.