Javier Bardem is my favorite Bond Girl
YES
Release date: December 1, 2012
Director: Sam Mendes
Language: English
Who should watch this movie: Fans of the Bond franchise. Fans of the theater. Aspiring screenwriters.
When should you watch this movie: When you want to see Javier Bardem at his peak. During times of imperial decline.
The sell: Skyfall is not only a good James Bond movie but also a good movie in general. It manages to straddle this line by peering inward at the mechanics of the classic Bond genre, and asking important questions about both Bond and the institution he belongs to. For the first time in this franchise, Skyfall shows the audiences cracks in Bond’s armor. However, where we might expect to find weakness, we discover a more believable human strength in an otherwise superhuman character. Playing foil to Daniel Craig’s Bond is Javier Bardem’s Silva, easily the best and most interesting Bond villain to date. Both character and performance are utterly breathtaking, and keep you locked into the story for the duration of the film. Additionally, the writing in this movie is exceptional. It is theatrical in all the right ways, adding new dynamism to scenes of dialogue; scenes that are typically glossed over in favor of action. Skyfall shows that old franchises are able to innovate without sacrificing the core elements that make it great. The only thing that failed to impress is the treatment of the “bond girl,” played by Bérénice Marlohe. She is poorly developed, poorly treated, and disposed of without fanfare. It feels unfair that this movie is able to produce such exciting new dimension to every aspect of the Bond formula with the one exception of its treatment of women. Do better y’all, I know you can.
