On Friday in the middle of the day my boyfriend invited me to a work outing. All techies at his new job were asked to come to the matinee showing of the newest James Bond movie, Skyfall. Significant others were welcome too – so, being a 007 fan, of course I joined the fun!
The images in Skyfall were magnificent… from the dusty markets of Istanbul to the tech-illuminated glass skyscrapers of Shanghai. A dazzling casino scene in Macau cuts to a typical Bond rendezvous at sea. Sailing a yacht that must have cost millions of dollars, 007 finds himself captive among the crumbling ruins of a deserted (but technologically advanced) island. Mix in several lovely shots of London and Scotland and the filmmakers satisfied nearly every wannabe traveler present (including myself).
My favorite part of the movie though was at Bond’s childhood home in Scotland. My boyfriend leaned over and whispered to me, “It’s just like ‘Home Alone’,” a comment at which I burst out laughing, unable to contain my joy at such a realization. Lacking a viable arsenal, Bond, M, and Bond’s old groundskeeper improvised. This led to a series of defense maneuvers eerily similar to those employed in the Home Alone movies, but with considerably more explosions, maiming, and murders.
Skyfall brought back several favorite characters from the past 50 years (Q and Moneypenny) and delighted me when Daniel Craig’s Bond selected the beautiful Aston Martin DB5 that Sean Connery’s 007 drove in Goldfinger five decades ago. Javier Bardem played a masterful, psychologically-deranged villain in what I think might be my new favorite Bond movie.
Happy 50th anniversary, Mr. Bond, James Bond.
Lady Cimone 