007 Skyfall

Probably everyone in the world knows about the most famous, fictional, British spy himself, James Bond. Ian Flemming's character has shown to be a strong immortal icon, and after about fifty years of this fame on the silver screen, every generation has their own version of Bond. From Sean Connery, to Roger Moore, to Pierce Brosnan, to the one who holds the current place, Daniel Craig. Because there are about twenty three Bond films as of now, we're only going to focus on talking about the Daniel Craig movies, just to keep things short.

The start of the "Craig Bond Trilogy," is with "Casino Royale," which was actually a remake of another movie based on Ian Flemming's character, but was actually a critical failure. This film started off Craig's work of Bond, just after Pierce Brosnan had finally bowed out and passed the torch on. It told of Bond retrieving his Double 0 status, and is assigned to go after a billionaire terrorist named Le Chiffre, by first bringing his bank account down and bring him to justice. Martin Campbell, who had directed "Goldeneye," a film that was the start of Brosnan's Bond, had delivered a very solid movie. It wasn't the typical Bond with all the gadgets and so-forth, but a fresh new Bond, one that actually had much more to it in a way. While it wasn't my favorite at the time, it was still a damn good movie and well worth the price of admission.

The second film, "Quantum of Solace" however, wasn't quite given the same recognition as "Casino" got. The one thing people complained about was that it was a sequel to "Casino" and that there were just so many things that didn't make it like a Bond film. Personally, I had no problem with that. I enjoyed the path that this film took, being different than most other Bond films, AND being a sequel to it, continuing its story. Sure, I'll admit it's the weakest of the trilogy, but that doesn't make it terrible. For Bond fans, yeah I can see the hatred, but for casual viewers who enjoyed the last film, it's well worth it.

Now we get to the new film, "Skyfall," just in time for the 50th anniversary of the first Bond film, "Dr. No," with Sean Connery. So, how was it exactly? I found it to be my new favorite Bond film.

"Skyfall" tells of 007 on another mission, but fails after being shot by his colleague in the process. After a while, MI6 starts being hacked, and the item Bond was supposed to retrieve was a list of the Double-0 agents identities. When Bond returns after a period of time, he tries to get himself back on top and finds the culprit behind the attacks before all agents are killed. Now that's only a little bit of the plot, because if any more gets revealed, then it's in spoiler territory, but it still showcases a strong story.

Now, I've heard this film from many people to be the "Dark Knight Rises" of the "Craig's Bond Trilogy," even to be called "James Bond Rises," and I can see that resemblance very well. Bond's been broken down, and now he has to face an enemy he's not quite ready for, due to his absence softening him. However, unlike "The Dark Knight Rises," we actually see how Bond gets injured and just how he's gotten down to this low. I was really fascinated by this, and I only can guess it was just a coincidence  since both films were released the same year. That and two other things did spark it. #1: "The Dark Knight" did receive criticism for feeling more like a Bond film than it did a Batman film, so I can see how it works. #2: Chris Nolan DID say, he had interest into directing a James Bond film, so I highly look forward to see that day come. Plus, unlike "DKR," this film actually has an important character die, which is something I felt would have made "Dark Knight Rises" a much stronger film.

Judi Dench does reprise her role as M, and she does a fantastic job once more, playing the bossy and cautious character that she is, which would be the reason she's called "Mom" by other agents. Javier Bardem as Silva was a very interesting villain for me, but I will admit, his first appearance did seem a bit...how to put this...awkward. If you see the movie, you'll know what I mean. But none the less, he was still a very calculative mastermind, especially being a former MI6 agent at a higher level, meaning he knows more about M than Bond thinks. RaIph Fiennes and Naomie Harris were both equally great in the film, as Mallory and Eve. Just they way they had their performances executed and how you couldn't keep your eyes off either of them shows how good their work can be. Ben Whishaw was also great as the new Q of MI6, and deliveres a very strong performance. It may be nothing new of the character, but it still works with how strongly it was done.

The most fun about the film was seeing the little nods and tributes to previous James Bond films. A prime example of it was Berenice Lim Marlohe as Severine, and how her performance had the presence and inspiration of Famke Janssen's character from "Goldeneye," Xenia Onatopp. That was what stood out for me, especially since Brosnan in "Goldeneye" was the Bond film and Bond I grew up with...that, and it had a really damn good N64 game, but I watched the movie too. There are others like that, but I feel like it would be fun for you to catch them for yourselves.

Overall, "Skyfall" stands as not only my new favorite Bond film, but also one of my favorite movies of the year. If you want to see a strong, fresh, and great Bond film, check it out before it goes out of theaters. Trust me, it's worth it for the big screen.

Rating: 10/10