By: Greg Payne
This is a direct continuation of my first rant about the teaser trailer for Skyfall, which was released on Monday. You can read Part 1, here.
For those of you who haven't seen it, here's the first official teaser trailer for Skyfall.
Before I go any further and continue adding commentary on the trailer, I need to disclose that I have completely ignored any and all spoilers that might have surfaced about the movie, purposely. I don't want this film ruined for me ahead of time. I want to go in as cold as possible. So, for any of you who might have been tempted and dug through the classified information, please forgive me if my lacking of said secrets makes the following theories and observations seem completely ludicrous. Let's just have some fun talking about the trailer and the film as a whole, shall we?
The trailer succeeds on a host of levels, by telling us both everything and absolutely nothing about the film. Really, if you haven't gone through any spoilers, what more do you know about the film after having viewed the trailer? You don't get a credible look at the main villain, Silva, played by Academy Award-Winner Javier Bardem, and you only get parting glances of the two most significant Bond girls: Severine (Berenice Marlohe) and Eve (Naomie Harris). Although, credit Eve for being a part of what appears to be, hands-down, the most sensual shaving scene in film history. Needless to say it'll be slightly more arousing than Steve Carell's chest waxing scene from The 40-Year Old Virgin.
Speaking of shaving, what's with Bond's stubble in this one? He boasted a grubby beard when he was in a North Korean prison in Die Another Day, and he might have even had some slight growth when he was in the hospital in Casino Royale after Le Chiffre bashed his balls in, but, to my knowledge, he hasn't, at least in recent years, willingly sported the scruff.
I mentioned the trailer not telling us a whole lot about the film, save for the fact that we appear to be in for a darker and grittier tale that has been beautifully photographed and shot (more on that later). But, at the same time, Bond reinforces what the movie is actually about with two lines: "Some men are coming to kill us. We're going to kill them first." Doesn't the synopsis claim that MI6 comes under attack and 007 must "track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost?" So, when you boil it down, isn't that what the film is? Bond's quest to destroy the threat? Obviously there are several different complexities and subplots that will be explored and explained, but in it's most basic sense, the film appears to be about Bond destroying the mentioned threat and saving a number of people in the process. Sign me up.
The trailer also gives us short glances at a host of action sequences, and even though they're mere glimpses, director Sam Mendes appears to have adhered to one of the most important unofficial rules of directing action scenes: Keep a safe distance and let the action be seen. When Bond's running through the fancy dining room of the mansion with bullets cascading in through the windows and walls, we can actually see him running. When he's marching through the room at the 43-second mark the shot is wide enough for us to see his advancement and the unloading of two bullets. Go through the final 15 seconds of the trailer. A wider shot is supplied for the brief fistfight we see in that really cool looking blue-tinted glass room (I believe in Shanghai). Similarly, when Bond's flying off a motorcycle in one of the last shots, the camera is a satisfactory distance away. Cinematographer Roger Deakins probably deserves just as much credit for all of this. I can't say how excited I am to have him on board for this film. His work is unparalleled.
For more on my feelings on Hollywood action sequences, read this.
Obviously my general excitement for the film makes me a tad bit biased, but I don't think it's a stretch to say that we appear to be in for a very memorable James Bond adventure with Skyfall. Do we realize how much Academy Award power is in this film? Sam Mendes has won for Best Director (American Beauty), Javier Bardem has won for Best Supporting Actor (No Country for Old Men), Judi Dench has won for Best Supporting Actress (Shakespeare in Love), Ralph Fiennes has been in a host of Best Picture winners (The English Patient, Schindler's List, and even a small turn in The Hurt Locker), Daniel Craig is unquestionably an Oscar-worthy actor, and has worked with Mendes before on Road to Perdition, and Deakins has served as the director of photography for multiple Best Picture winners (A Beautiful Mind, and No Country for Old Men, but we can also thank him for his work on stellar films like The Shawshank Redemption and Fargo).
The ingredients are clearly in place. Let's cross our fingers and hope they blend together in a truly magnificent way.
Skyfall hits theaters in the United States on November 9.
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