A Pleasant Surprise

Rating: 9/10 (9 November 2012)

I've always liked the James Bond movies but I wouldn't say i was enthusiastic about seeing them. The trailers for Skyfall looked decent and despite the buzz I set my expectations about mid range.I have to tell you I was really blown away. It may be the best of The Bond films and one of the best of the year. Daniel Craig reprises his role as the title character but this time around he looks aged and battered. Gone are his slinky, seductive charm and anew is a more human relatable angle, gritty even. I don't really want to go into Skyfall's surprisingly unique and complex plot line but I'll just say it blew me away. And it all lies in the films superb execution Director Sam Mendes beautifully fuses heightened action sequences, character based drama and good old fashioned espionage suspense into a film that explores age, history and relationships between lovers, friends and mentors to surprising depth that illicits a surprisingly emotional punch. Gone are the the high tech fluidity and garishness of previous entries and it's back to the basics in a form that really works for this franchise. But the great thing about Skyfall besides the outstanding direction, strong performances from Daniel Craig and Javier Bardem is the fact that it feels new altogether. The film starts off with a nicely choreographed but less than stellar and little hammy in my opinion action sequence and morphs into a character drama with some truly unforgettable scenes. One of my favorites concerns Bond being Interrogated by Bardem and he starts to feel him up a little. It's played with a sly homoeroticism that takes the scene to all kinds of new levels as Bond replies "what makes you think this is my first time". Also I really loved the cinematography it has the most gorgeous visuals I've seen all year lush colors and settings used to full effect and an abundance of well placed lighting and shadow that echoes films of the past and brings them roaring into the present. Skyfall may be a Bond film but it's a new experience all together there's even a little Home Aloneish nod turned into the films finale which adds to the films overall unexpected effect.