A Fantastic Milestone That Takes The Bond Series To Brave New Frontiers and Is Definitely One of the Best of them All

Rating: 8/10 (4 December 2012)

I was hesitant about getting too excited about "Skyfall". I had gotten so hyped over "Quantum of Solace" before its release, and then been so disappointed, that I tried to ignore the buzz and wait to judge the film for myself. All I hoped was that "Skyfall" would either match or exceed "Casino Royale". I didn't see it opening night and all I heard was that critics loved the hell out of it and that it was being called "The Best Bond Ever". Does it deserve that graceful title though?
The film opens up with a chase scene. This opening really got mixed feelings from me. The chase was cool but at the same time I think it really lacked the punch that "Casino Royale" did. But this is where one of the main plot points stems from. Bond is accidentally shot by his fellow agent and is declared dead by MI6. He goes into exile for months and drinks his face off and slums into a pretty pathetic life. But when a bomb attack at MI6 reveals a conspiracy against M, Bond returns to London to protect his mentor and help find whoever is threatening her life. The initial premise of "Skyfall" is kind of boring, but it works perfectly because the film focuses on the themes that the story involves, and it seems like its natural and not just put in for character development.
And character development is one of the movie's strongest points. Daniel Craig returns in his third outing as Bond. For me, Daniel Craig defined the role as 007 in "Casino Royale", surpassing Sean Connery. He was cold, ruthless, and it took Vesper to show him love and that he could stop his job and live a normal life. When Vesper was killed though, he lost the reason to have that normal life and so went back to being cold and learnt to not trust anyone. I felt in "Quantum of Solace", nothing new was brought to Bond. However, in "Skyfall", Bond is taken to new levels that have never before been touched by the series. You can see when he's exiled that he doesn't enjoy it at all and he's living in his equivalent of hell. When you remember how he feels that he lost that chance at a normal life when Vesper died, it really makes sense why he's so unhappy with his existence and longs for his old life in the line of fire. When Bond comes back to MI6 though, he's lost his touch and can't even fire a gun properly. He feels old and out of date, not fitting in with the new world of technology. This is one of the main themes of "Skyfall". The whole film circles around Bond trying to reclaim his pride and prove himself again. This type of theme was touched upon in "Die Another Day", but here it's done with much more style and competence.
Javier Bardem plays Silva, the villain. His performance is mesmerizing; anytime he's on screen you can't your eyes off him. His entrance is probably done with the most class of any Bond villains in history. Silva is an ex-MI6 agent who was a favorite of M. However, Silva was captured on a mission in China and left to be tortured. Again, this is another type of theme that was touched on in "Die Another Day". After failing to kill himself with a cyanide tooth, Silva swore vengeance on M for leaving him to die. He's probably the best Bond villain in history, other than Ernst Stavro Blofeld. And while he longs to kill M, he still cares for her and is a great parallel to Bond.
Judi Dench returns as M. M had been a major character in the previous Craig films, but now she's finally given the spotlight she deserves. M feels responsible for the deaths of all the people who have gotten caught between her and Silva and turns to Bond to help her. Even when Bond fails his service test, she allows him to go and investigate because of the trust she has for him. There's a brilliant unspoken bond between James and M, and it's one of the best things the Craig films have had in them. However, their connection is explored much more in depth in "Skyfall" and brings them closer together than ever. Typically in Bond films, there's a girl that Bond needs to save and it usually goes that he ends up sleeping with her. The brilliant part in "Skyfall" is that M ends up being this film's Bond girl, but she breaks the mold so much because instead of being the typical damsel in distress, she's a strong, independent woman who can match Bond's cold heart and ruthless nature. It's less of a cliché "love" story and more a tale of friendship between mentor and student.
Ben Wishaw makes his debut as the new Q, taking over from John Cleese. He and Bond instantly form that close but whimsical relationship all us fans have grown to know and love. Q himself really adds to the theme of Bond feeling out of date. He's young and amazing with technology, clashing with the old-school intelligence and gunplay style Bond reflects. Ben Wishaw's performance is perfect. It's smooth and confident, and he doesn't seem pressured by the shoes he's filling at all. I'm highly looking forward to seeing him in future installments.
Overall, I thought "Skyfall" was amazing. I found the first half a little boring, but all together I thought the film was an amazing way to mark the 50 year mark for the franchise and it finally brought Bond to new levels that I had been waiting to see for years. I would definitely get this film for full price on Blu-Ray. It's worth every dollar and is a milestone for the franchise, and I can't wait to see where they take the series from here.