Skyfall

Skyfall is one of the most ambitious and risky Bond films ever made. It is also one of the best of the series, and one of the best films this year. Director Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Revolutionary Road) is an extremely unlikely candidate for a Bond film, having mostly done serious dramas rather than action. But what results is a more personal and vulnerable Bond, something audiences have never seen before from 007.

After being declared dead, Bond makes his return to England after an attack on MI6. The good guys have lost control of a list containing the identities of all MI6's undercover agents. M (Judi Dench) sends Bond, perhaps unwisely, to pursue the list and the man who obtained it.With a little help from Q (Ben Whishaw), Bond finds Silva (Javier Bardem), a jilted ex MI6 agent out to seek revenge against M. Now Bond has to protect his country and his boss against an extremely capable adversary.

After Bond's supposed death and return, James has lost a step. His aim is off, his body is no longer in top physical condition, and he is mired in alcohol abuse. Bond is no longer the invincible machine he's been. Previous films have somewhat explored Bond's vulnerability; whether it be for a woman, his quest for revenge, or serious physical injury. But we've never seen Bond so slowed by the natural process of age and worn down by his hard life. Bond being so cool and so invincible has been something that has made the character. One of the many reasons I love watching Bond was his ability to always outsmart, always outplay his enemies. Skyfall makes you believe that James has lost it a bit. It makes you genuinely feel like Bond can be beaten, a feat that no other Bond film has come close to. We also get a look into Bond's past, something that has rarely been tackled in a Bond movie. Much of Bond's character comes from his mystique, but Skyfall's exploration into Bond's background give the film more weight, rather than detract from who 007 has always been.

Another unique feature of Skyfall is its "Bond girl". Most Bond girls are either the love interest for 007, or a femme fatale that either helps or hurts James. But Skyfall's Bond girl does not fit into either of those categories, because essentially, M is the Bond girl. M is very much the central female character, and her relationship with Bond and role in the British government is very much at the center of the film. Hats off to Mendes for taking such a risk, especially with 22 other films proving that the previous formula works. Don't worry though, James still has time for a love interest or two.

With 2012 being the 50th anniversary of the premiere of Dr. No, the first Bond film, there was bound to be many ties to the series from the past. There are loads of references to older movies; GoldenEye, Goldfinger, and License to Kill are just a few of the films alluded to off the top of my head. Thomas Newman, who produced the score, uses the original Bond theme more than any other Daniel Craig Bond film, and it definitely works. Plus the final scene will make every Bond fan smile; I'm not sure they could have ended it in a better way. Skyfall plays out to set up many Bond films to come, something that makes me very happy.

The set pieces in Skyfall are dazzling, especially in Shanghai. A battle with a secret agent in a skyscraper is a visually impressive scene towards the beginning of the movie. Another staple of the Bond series, an artistic opening credit sequence, fully lives up to its predecessors. Choosing Adele to sing the theme song was a logical choice. Adele is a Brit, and her album "21" was a massive hit, critically and commercially. Her song resonates throughout the rest of the score, and Newman does a fine job in his first hack at Bond.

The villain in Skyfall is one of the best in the series. This is almost exclusively due to the fact that it is being played by one of the most talented actors out there, Javier Bardem. Bardem turned in one of the most chilling and haunting villain performances of all time as Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men. In No Country, Bardem was stoic and terrifying. As Silva, Bardem is just as terrifying, but in a different way. Silva is focused on revenge against MI6, but he's not just a simple bad guy. You can almost sympathize with his plight. Silva's monologue as he first takes the screen is one of the more memorable moments of the film, and you will know it when it happens.

I highly recommend Skyfall to any Bond fan (not that you needed a recommendation to go see it), and even for non-Bond fans, Skyfall is a great action-drama. Director Sam Mendes takes the movie in a different direction for the good, and it excites me that James Bond is back.

4.5/5