I’m not what you would call a “huge James Bond” fan, but I am a fan of the excitement that these films provide. Casino Royale rejuvenated James Bond for modern audiences so going into Skyfall, I knew I was in for one hell of a ride and I’m happy to say that Skyfall more than delivers the goods. I myself didn’t like Quantum of Solace because…it just felt lacking in some ways (Difficult to follow plot, No memorable villain etc.) Despite this, Skyfall seems to have dodged the mistakes of QOS giving us the Bond movie we so rightfully deserved and actually should have gotten from the very beginning. Now that I got that my thoughts out of the way, let’s talk about SKYFALL.
SKYFALL opens to an incredible action sequence that takes a turn for the worst leading up to a visually breathtaking credit opener with the help of ADELE. In short, Bond is shot “friendly fire” during a mission making it seem like he was killed (but really wasn‘t) and initially uses this as the perfect retirement exit until MI6 is attacked. He returns to track down the threat and basically must destroy it no matter how personal the cost. Now, The character James Bond is not just some killing machine, as a human, He does have his faults which are clearly seen after coming back to MI6. In order to be fit for duty he has to pass all these tests which he has difficultly completing due to the injury on his shoulder. He can’t even manage to shoot a standing target which frustrates Bond as his own body refuses to follow his will. I really loved this because it showed us this vulnerable side to Bond that really showcases the consequence of the lifestyle he’s chosen.
Like a lot of us, I love Daniel Craig as James Bond and is by far the best actor to step into the shoes of this beloved character. Daniel Craig not only brings so much badassery to his Bond but makes it believable at the same time like if he could actually beat the living crap out of bad guys in real life while still keeping that lady killer edge he’s best known for. His chemistry with Eve (later introduced as Eve Moneypenny) and the rest of the characters like M, Q, Silvia etc. were very well executed and the script did an excellent job with the conversations which helped carry the movie. In addition, some snide remarks where sprinkled across every now and then and clever word play which was not only for a good laugh (comedic relief), but made the conversations so much more interesting and fun to listen to. Acting and Script was really good.
The villain of this movie is played so wonderfully by Mr. Javier Bardem. His relationship with Bond is more of a wronged sibling than a villain since they both have some similarities (worked for MI6 under M). The way he is introduced in that one shot take (Spectacular by the way) and how he toys with Bond back and forth planting seeds in his head. Good stuff! It’s great how Silva never falls under the “destroy the world” villain cliché, instead has a very straight forward goal. In a way, He kind of reminds me of the Joker in the sense that he seems like he doesn't have a plan when in reality…that’s the plan…to make you think he doesn't have a plan. Like if everything where to be blowing up in his face, he would just go with it because that’s the plan. Also the creepy smiling and facial movements was what sold his performance to me even more to the point where making eye contact was intimating let alone being in the same room with him. Especially the scene where he pulls out his teeth revealing his “real face” made me feel like M was somewhat responsible and Silva the victim. Eye for an eye.
Onto the directing, The film is directed exactly where it needs to go. It rarely feels like it drags out too long or if a scene needs to hurry up. Almost never feels boring because it give you something to care about and that’s something that made the film so much more enjoyable. The story moves along quite nicely and I liked the little sound effects, theme music which added the same classiness that the old Bond films had. One thing I always look for in a film is: Style. When a film has style, it makes the audience feel like there apart of the time period or envoirmental surrounding that the film is trying to project. It was important that this Bond film carried the same classy style of it’s predecessors in order to separate itself from you’re typical action movie. Which thank god it does! Not only that, but the cinematography is also a real treat! It brought emotions where emotions needed to be brought. Everything was felt exactly where it need to be felt.

I find it hard to spot any huge flaws with this film considering that the action is top-notch, edge of you’re seat type thrills, exciting visual pieces etc. In a nutshell Skyfall is everything I wanted going in (and more). This film does draw some inspiration from The Dark Knight (as stated by director Sam Mendes) which works wonders and breathes a new kind of life into Skyfall. The film’s score is magnificent and is just another layer to this already glorious masterpiece. Skyfall shows off brilliant performances by every cast member even thought it saddens me that Judi Dench met her demise in this film as M and won’t be returning for future installments but hopefully Ralph Fiennes will fill that void.
10/10
Perfect Score
THIS IS THE BEST BOND FILM TO DATE AND I’M REALLY EXCITED TO SEE WHERE THIS GOES FROM HERE. MUST SEE FOR ALL BOND FANS!