History TearJerker / SkyFall

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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/skyfall_tearjerker.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[{{Foreshadowing}} She did leave when the job was done...]]]]

[[caption-width-right:350:[[spoiler:[[{{Foreshadowing}} She did leave when the job was done...]]]]]]
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeumyOzKqgI The entire opening song]] surprisingly fits this as well. It's a very somber, slow-moving piece that primarily features Bond surrounded by death, setting the tone of the film. Gets worse when you realise [[spoiler:the song is from M's perspective]].
* [[spoiler:Sévérine's execution. Gets even worse as Bond seems to either be taking TheStoic to its extremes or just not giving a shit (though his violent takedown of Silva and his men moments later indicates that it was the former). ]]
** Sévérine's situation in general, particularly her reaction to Bond telling her that he will do his best to kill Silva. Her laugh and the look on her face just show how ''desperate'' she is to be free of the guy.
** Doubly worse regarding [[spoiler:her execution, if one subscribes to the AlternateCharacterInterpretation that she might have been silently asking Bond for a MercyKill after whatever torture (definitely a beating and implied rape as well) that she underwent at the hands of Silva and/or his henchmen, and that Bond either couldn't or wouldn't go through with it]]. ''And then'' [[spoiler:the helicopters from [=MI6=] arrive mere ''moments'' too late for her life to be saved]].
*** This would explain why [[spoiler:Bond took so long to shoot and then missed so badly when he finally did shoot. It was one final attempt to stall for enough time for [=MI6=] reinforcements to arrive; an attempt which fell short by ''seconds'']].
* For car enthusiasts or old Bond fans, [[spoiler:the destruction of Bond's classic Aston Martin [=DB5=]]]. Gets worse when it cuts to his face when ''he'' realizes this. [[spoiler: James Bond, the man who's been mostly desensitized to death, shows genuine ''anger'' for his ''car.'']]
* [[spoiler: For someone who has either seen the film before, or knows that M is going to die in the end]], the third act can be overwhelmingly emotional, as Bond prepares for battle [[spoiler: in the place of his birth]], using only the bare essentials. [[spoiler: It is a very ominous scene, knowing that the storm will strike, and that it will do horrible damage when it does.]]
* [[spoiler:As it turned out, Silva still loved M enough as mother to want to "make peace" with her (according to his twisted logic) by sharing a painless-death together. When he realized she was painfully and mortally wounded by a stray bullet from his thugs, all pretenses of arrogance and wit crumbled into a tearful little boy, lovingly embracing his mother and begging for her forgiveness. It was actually quite a pathetic yet oddly endearing moment of humanity for a villain who had been nothing but monstrous up to this point.]]
* [[spoiler:James Bond, the man who even remained [[IronWoobie stone-faced as the woman he fell in love with betrayed him, broke his heart, and then died]], begins ''breaking down'' as M, the closest thing he has to a parental figure, dies in front of him. It also winds up hitting you a bit hard when you realize that Creator/JudiDench, who's been with the series for over a decade and a half , isn't going to be involved with it anymore. It's really sad for viewers who grew up watching this interpretation with M.]]
-->'''[[spoiler:M]]:''' [[spoiler:I did get one thing right...]]
** Even worse, [[spoiler:M is dying in the small chapel connected to Bond's childhood home, the same place he most likely had to cope with the deaths of his parents]].
** [[spoiler: Look at Bond's face just after M dies. He looks like he honestly has no idea what to do. He just looks...lost.]]
** [[spoiler: After M goes limp, the camera pans over to Kincade, who silently removes his hat. He barely knew her, but she was important to James, and that's all that matters to him.]]
** [[spoiler:This woman, via Creator/JudiDench's performance, was the epitome of the IronLady. But alas, she too is human, and very much dies.]]
** [[spoiler: Speaking of being the woman who personified the IronLady, watching her lose her composure and become truly afraid when the murderous maniac in front of her begins pointing a gun right at her face can be quite disheartening for some. She's not afraid of death, but Silva and his insane fixation with killing her is enough to practically ''terrify'' the poor woman.]]
** [[spoiler: "When I told him his parents had died, he hid in here for two days. And when he came out, he wasn't a boy anymore."]]

-->'''[[spoiler:M]]:''' [[spoiler:[[FamousLastWords I did get one thing right...]]]]

** [[spoiler: Speaking of being the woman who personified the IronLady, watching her lose her composure and become truly afraid when the murderous maniac in front of her begins pointing a gun right at her face can be quite disheartening for some. She's not afraid of death, but Silva and his homicidal fixation with killing her is enough to practically ''terrify her.'']]

** Speaking of being the woman who personified the IronLady, watching her lose her composure and become truly afraid when the murderous maniac in front of her begins pointing a gun right at her face can be quite disheartening for some. She's not afraid of death, but Silva and his homicidal fixation with killing her is enough to practically ''terrify her.''

*** This would explain why [[spoiler:Bond took so long to shoot and then missed so badly when he finally did shoot. It was one final attempt to stall for enough time for MI6 reinforcements to arrive; an attempt which fell short by ''seconds'']].

* Silva's backstory. One of the few moments when you genuine feel bad for a Bond villain in contrast to the predecessors who were simply evil and irredeemable.
* It gets even worse you realize that he was sold out to the Chinese not for being a traitor , not for selling state secrets. But for being a maverick determined to win the spygame. Dashing, handsome, skilled and charming...not unlike Bond. Five months of hell, added with the incredible agony and suffering from his failed suicide turned Silvia into a dark mirror of what Bond could have become in the right circumstances...

* [[spoiler:As it turned out, Silva still loved M enough as mother to want to "make peace" with her (according to his twisted logic) by sharing a painless-death together. When realized she was painfully and mortally wounded by a stray bullet from his thugs, all pretenses of arrogance and wit crumbled into a tearful little boy, lovingly embracing his mother and begging for her forgiveness. It was actually quite a pathetic yet oddly endearing moment of humanity for a villain who had been nothing but monstrous up to this point.]]

[[caption-width-right:350:[[spoiler:She did leave when the job was done...]]]]

** [[spoiler: After M goes limp, the camera pans over to Kincaid, who silently removes his hat. He barely knew her, but she was important to James, and that's all that matters to him.]]

* The opening scene. M orders Bond to leave his compatriot agent to bleed to death. The look at the agent's face is utterly heartbreaking.

* [[spoiler:James Bond, the man who even remained [[IronWoobie stone-faced as the woman he fell in love with betrayed him, broke his heart, and then died]], begins ''breaking down'' as M, the closest thing he has to a parental figure, dies in front of him. It also winds up hitting you a bit hard when you realize that Judi Dench, who's been with the series for over a decade and a half , isn't going to be involved with it anymore. It's really sad for viewers who grew up watching Judi Dench's interpretation with M.]]

** [[spoiler:This woman, via Judi Dench's performance, was the epitome of the IronLady. But alas, she too is human, and very much dies.]]

* The entire opening song surprisingly fits this as well. It's a very somber, slow-moving piece that primarily features Bond surrounded by death, setting the tone of the film. Gets worse when you realise [[spoiler:the song is from M's perspective]].

*** Even [[IronLady M]] looks horrified, saddened and almost regretful.

** Even [[IronLady M]] looks horrified, saddened and almost regretful.

* [[spoiler:James Bond, the man who even remained [[IronWoobie stone-faced as the woman he fell in love with betrayed him, broke his heart, and then died]], begins ''breaking down'' as M, the closest thing he has to a parental figure, dies in front of him. It also winds up hitting you a bit hard when you realize that Judi Dench, who's been with the series for over a decade and a half (many viewers having grown up with her), isn't going to be involved with it anymore.]]

* [[spoiler:James Bond, the man who even remained [[IronWoobie stone-faced as the woman he fell in love with betrayed him, broke his heart, and then died]], begins ''breaking down'' as M, the closest thing he has to a parental figure, dies in front of him. It also winds up hitting you a bit hard when you realize that Judi Dench, who's been with the series for over a decade and a half, isn't going to be involved with it anymore.]]

* For this troper, the scenes of Bond struggling to reacquire his atrophied skills was strangely tearjerking. Perhaps it was watching a man who was the pinnacle of stoic snark and suave cool, now reduced to fumbling about, futilely trying to use skills that have clearly eroded. It was a pointed example of the film's overall theme of decay.

* [[spoiler: For someone who has either seen the film before, or knows that M is going to die in the end]], the third act can be overwhlemingly emotional, as Bond prepares for battle [[spoiler: in the place of his birth]], using only the bare essentials. [[spoiler: It is a very ominous scene, knowing that the storm will strike, and that it will do horrible damage when it does.]]
* [[spoiler:As it turned out, Silva still loved M enough as mother to want to "make peace" with her (according to his twisted logic) by sharing a painless-death together. When realized she was painfully and mortally wounded by a stray bullet from his thugs, all pretences of arrogance and wit crumbled into a tearful little boy, lovingly embracing his mother and begging for her forgiveness. It was actually quite a pathetic yet oddly endearing moment of humanity for a villain who had been nothing but monstrous up to this point.]]

* Silva's backstory. One of the few moments when you genuine feel bad for a Bond villain in contrast to the precedessors who were simply evil and irredeemable.
* It gets even worse you reliaze that he was sold out to the Chinese not for being a traitor , not for selling state secrets. But for being a maverick determined to win the spygame. Dashing, handsome, skilled and charming...not unlike Bond. Five months of hell, added with the incrediable agony and suffering from his failed suicide turned Silvia into a dark mirror of what Bond could have become in the right circumstances...