In 2006, Martin Campbell's CASINO ROYALE brought James Bond back with a vengeance. Daniel Craig, new to the role, put everyone's fears and apprehensions to bed and brought a much-needed dose of humanity and fallibility to the character. In 2008, Marc Forster followed it up QUANTUM OF SOLACE which was a decent film, but one that took itself way too seriously and didn't really provide the kind of action that fans of the films are used to. And now, in 2012, Sam Mendes (AMERICAN BEAUTY, ROAD TO PERDITION) brings Bond back to the big screen with SKYFALL.
And IT. IS. AMAZING. I usually try not to utterly gush when reviewing movies on here, but this one deserves it. As an immense James Bond fan, I can easily say that this is the best Bond film to be released in my lifetime. I would almost go so far as to say it might be the best Bond film to be released in anyone's lifetime. As a Bond film, it has every single thing you want and it has them in spades. The action scenes are some of the most beautifully shot (cinematography by the impeccable Roger Deakins) and pulse pounding sequences I've seen in a long while. The score by Thomas Newman is absolutely stellar (including another fantastic credit sequences set to Adele's really well done Shirley Bassey throwback) and acting is superb.
Daniel Craig finally feels completely at home as Bond and it really shines through with some great little ticks and impeccable timing, while still keeping that humanity he brought to the two films previous. It's clear now how much fun he has playing the role and it is a real privilege to see him do Bond the way he should be done. Albert Finney and Ralph Finnes also show up for brief roles (the latter in a more significant role) and bring their A-game as expected. Ben Whishaw's take on Q is also really spot on (though he does get a few clunker lines throughout) and Dame Judi, at her most Churchillian, is simply stunning. I mean, I know she's Judi Dench and she's amazing but wow does that lady have some major gravitas.
And then there's Javier Bardem as the platinum blonde, highly eccentric, highly effeminate, highly disturbing Raoul Silva. One of my major complaints with the past two Bond films is that they just didn't have a classic Bond villain to latch onto. Sure, Mads Mikkelsen as Le Chiffre in CASINO ROYALE was fine, but he just never did it for me like Goldfinger, Dr. No or the man himself Ernst Stavro Blofeld. That being said, with Raoul Silva, Javier Bardem has given me exactly what I wanted. He's a Bond villain for the 21st century. Silva is ruthless as hell, supremely intelligent (preferring to do his terrorism with hacks and viruses rather than guns and knives), and has no regard for the well being of himself or anyone around him. What Heath Ledger brought to the Joker, Javier Bardem brings to Bond villains. He is so incredibly unnerving and yet at other points absolutely heartbreaking. He is just amazing and there is no taking your eyes off him when he's on the screen (especially two sequences in particular that will be etched into my memory forever).
SKYFALL is amazing. Where CASINO ROYALE breathed new life into the franchise and took Bond to a place he'd never been, SKYFALL takes the classic films and translates them perfectly into the modern age. The locations are GORGEOUS and the action is fantastically riveting. The banter is back to full effect and is some of the best I've heard in a long time (thankfully PUN FREE). Bond has his necessary trysts with a few ladies, but the film handles it in a way that reduces the blatant misogyny to a minimum. And on that note, like all the best Bond films, SKYFALL realizes it's a James Bond movie (like it's predecessor sadly did not) and is actually able to laugh at itself and cause a few laughs while doing it. Sure, there are a few cringe-inducing lines of dialogue but the film knows they're cringey! It's got amazing actors and some subtle and not-so-subtle callbacks, none of which feel like simple pandering to fanboys. The plot is simple, but it's simple in all the best ways. With a Bond film (any action film, honestly) you don't need an intricate plot with lots of twists and turns. You just need some amazing action scenes, a great villain, some heart-racing music, and most of all you need James Bond at his most debonair. And SKYFALL simply has it all.
He may be 50 years old, but Bond's never looked better.
