Skyfall: 007 Successful Transformations of Bond Lore

'Skyfall' introduces a Bond reborn. Its predecessors showed us a proto-Bond, with flashes of brilliance and stupidity, classic Bond tropes, and a slick minimalism in both 'Casino Royale' and the much-maligned 'Quantum of Solace' €” all played well (or at least as well as the scripts would allow) by Daniel Craig.

But it wasn't the Bond I grew up watching. It was a smirking, steel-eyed, musclebound Craig doing his best Connery impression. For me, 'Skyfall' changed that. On its surface 'Skyfall' serves to transition the Bond franchise from proto to meta. But by the end of the film you see not only the transition of Bond, but, on a filmic level, a changing of the guard from the 90's/00's high-octane shoot 'em up format to a subtle, more traditionally bond role. All the tropes are there, as you'd expect them to be, but it feels complete. It feels like they've earned it. And while it does transfer back to the Bond of old €” complete with ejector seats, Walther short-round PPK's, and a even martini or two €” it tweaks the conventions, sheds the (dare I say) "grit" of the previous films, and allowed Craig to assert his own take on the character while remaining true to the previous mythos. So, for your perusal, here are 007 successful nods to previous Bond tropes in 007's latest adventure 'Skyfall.'