It’s hard to believe that James Bond is now 50 years old. After Daniel Craig reinvigorated the role in the critically-acclaimed reboot “Casino Royale” (and the slightly underwhelming sequel “Quantum of Solace”), Craig is reprising the role once again in “Skyfall,” the 23rd entry is here to celebrate the iconic character’s 50th anniversary.
With director Sam Mendes at the helm and an impressive cast with great talents like Javier Bardem and Ralph Fiennes among others, “Skyfall” has had a lot of hype before release, but not only does it surpass the hype, it’s easily one of the best films in the franchise.
The story still stars James Bond in the lead role, but this time around M has a much more prominent role in the story. During a mission in Turkey to retrieve a stolen hard drive that contains the names of all undercover NATO agents in terrorist organizations, James Bond is accidentally shot and presumed killed, leaving the hard drive in the hands of the enemies. Three months later, M16 is now facing a cyber-terrorist attack from a former MI6 agent named Silva, who is out for revenge against M, and it’s up to James Bond – who miraculously survived the incident in Turkey – to return back to MI6 and stop this terrorist for good.
Under the direction of Sam Mendes, “Skyfall” is one of the deepest and most exciting entries in the franchise to date. Once again Daniel Craig is fantastic as James Bond, but the biggest surprise is Javier Bardem’s magnificent and terrifying performance as the antagonist of the movie. Childish, spoiled, intelligent, and utterly psychotic, Bardem infused his character with a level of charm, theatricality and menace that easily ranks up there with the best villains in the Bond series. Judi Dench also impresses in her significantly expanded role as M, who is given much more character development this time around and plays a bigger part in the story.
“Skyfall” carries over many of the series’ traditions – the romance, the fancy cars and gorgeous locations – but the tone is much more grounded this time around, even compared to “Casino Royale.” For the first time in the series, Bond is given insight into his past, M is a three-dimensional character, and the sense of danger is tangible. There is a real sense of tension when a character’s life is at stake, and through the amazing action sequences, the intensity of the story never lets up. The action scenes feature many impressive stunts, shootouts and fist fights that are all exciting and beautifully shot, which is a significant improvement from “Quantum of Solace.”
While “Skyfall” isn’t completely devoid of flaws – the two Bond girls are woefully underused and there is a slow period before the climax – everything else about the movie more than makes up for it. The action is exciting, the acting is excellent, and the story is compelling and deep. This is a top-tier action movie that ranks up there the best Bond films ever made. “Skyfall” represents the perfect way to celebrate the 50th anniversary of a classic franchise.
Rating: 9/10 (Excellent)