I was wondering why so sudden all the critics fell so in love with Skyfall, the latest James Bond flick. After watching it, now I know: it has the usual assorted explosions, chases and t&a, but it went full intellectual. You know, sorta... shakespearean.
The first thing you notice is that this former-lean-and-mean Daniel Craig's Bond drinks a lot, very much in the venue of the original, literary Bond (you miss him smoking). The literary Bond might be in form even if he smokes 70 cigarettes a day and a liter of whisky, but as in real life, the movie has to concede that the world's favorite agent is getting old and he's not helping himself with his lifestyle. The funny thing is that M drinks a lot, too. Judy Dench's character looks very unescrutable this time.
The gravitas of the movie is brought by themes like "shadows", and "underground". The "gritty reboot" becomes "back to the roots", and lots of the action and plot occur "underground." The Churchill Bunker, The London Tube and a "Priest Hole" play a key part in the locations.
The somber theme of the movie gets boosted by the alluded decline, not of the British Empire, but of England itself: it looks like the Bond franchise became to self-conscious and wants to ask (but doesn't dare) if it is still ok to go chasing spies after 50 years in the big screen. The movie bets big on his main business by going full circle at the end. The futuristic office of the late M is replaced by a more traditional one, like the one at the beginning of the franchise.
The villiain, played very tongue-in-cheek by Javier Bardem precisely looks down on this spy business, but Bond gets the last word. He's still more than ready to kick some arse for the Queen and England.
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I hate these days. People are telling you to STFU. Just say it, no matter how stupid or offensive it is.