The need to be Bond.

The sleek suits, fancy cars, tiny yet destructive gadgets, and beautiful women - that's what James Bond is all about. This successful series has come along way, and so has product placement. But what makes James Bond a target (no pun intended) for branding, is the lifestyle that is incorporated with MI6. Usually I watch new movies on Netflix, but I went to a theater for this movie because I knew it was going to be big - it was going to be Bond. When I watched it, all I could think about was how awesome Bond was. He looked so crisp, clean and deadly. When I was assigned the March Break project for a movie treatment, Skyfall was ultimately the first choice.

Characters:

James Bond: A professional killing machine, James Bond is a cold hearted man with a passion for the finer things in life. This fictional Commander is the main character of the series. He is the agent M turns to for every large operation.

M: The head of the Secret Intelligence Service, referred to as MI6. In Skyfall, M lost an electronic drive consisting of the identities of the MI6 agents embedded in terrorist organization all across the globe. The antagonist exposed the agents on YouTube, which challenged M's ability. When told her time was soon to be up, indirect references to her age are made which extremely upsets her.

Q: Q, referring to Quarter Master is the head of the branch of Research and Development at MI6. He is basically provides Bond with the fancy electronic gadgets, knows a whole lot about the city's infrastructure, and about computers. One of the gadgets Bond receives from Q is a gun in which only recognizes his fingerprint.

Raoul Silva or Tiago Rodriguez: The antagonist, is a previous MI6 agent who is out to seek revenge against M. Back when Raoul was in the MI6, he was caught hacking the Chinese so M traded him in exchange for prisoners held by the Chinese government. Silva was tortured so badly, he made a fail attempt to take his life with a cyanide implant.  This left him mentally and physically damaged. The area most damaged is his mouth; therefore, he wears a prosthesis to hide it.

Moneypenny: Secretary to M.

For a 149 minute movie, it went by pretty fast. It was so thrilling, it was over the second time I blinked my eyes. That's what happens with such a good plot!

In Skyfall, M turns to 007 when the drive containing the identifications of MI6 agents is lost. In a failed attempt to retrieve the drive, the agency is forced to relocate. As a result of this event, M's position as head of MI6 is challenged by Gareth Mallory, the chairman of the Intelligence and Security committee. With her faith in Bond still intact, MI6 fights against the man behind the theft of the drive, Raoul Silva. Raoul Silva comes back for revenge against M because she traded him in for prisoners long ago.   

Many people watched the movie, many of my friends, coworkers, and family. From all of the negative feedback I received, I came to the conclusion that people are being too political about everything. Some of the many comments I heard were:

-  "I don't think Moneypenny should have been black. She was always white, she should stay white. Soon enough James Bond will be black too."

-  "Q looks too nerdy."

-  "Why is Raoul/Silva a gay guy? That whole caressing of Bond's knee was disturbing.

-  "James bond is too sentimental in this movie. What happened to sleeping with a girl and moving on."

-  "Why is Raoul/Silva blond?"

-  "Why did M die?"

Personally, I didn't mind any of the changes. After absorbing the movie, I realized the theme. Throughout the film, everybody is criticizing M and Bond for their poor performance. They fail in their first attempt to retrieve the drive, and Bond is shot. M is told she will soon be retiring, and she believes it is because of her inabilities. When Bond returns, he is sent back to intensive training, where he surprisingly struggles. Basically, both significant characters seem to be slipping.  When James gets back on his feet, and heads towards Skyfall, he looks for artillery within the home to use against Silva. However, the keeper of the house hands him a very old knife. James is curious to know how something so old could help him. The keeper explains that old things are the best things. Unexpectedly, Silva dies with the very same knife. The message is complete then and there. Regardless of whether James was slipping or not - he completed the mission. He had been in the game for a very long time, and because of that he began to slip. Realizing that fault, he bettered himself once again. He proved that old truly is gold.

I think this movies caters to a wide audience - ranging from teenagers to elderly people. This video isn't suitable for younger children as there is too much gun play along with a few sexual scenes. The older youth and elderly come into mind because they are the aspiring Bond's or Bond girls. The boys want the clean cut shaves, the tip top suits, women, and great cars. The girls wish to be the pretty, slim, eye catching bond girl who unfortunately always dies. However, that is not the point. After people leave the theater or turn that computer off, all they are left with is the memory of the movie. Raveled in those memories is the want to look like an MI6 member, whether it be Moneypenny, M, Q, Bond, or even Raoul Silva!