Bond continues to be the world's hero of entertainment

Rating: 9/10 (11 November 2012)

James Bond has always been my favorite action hero. I have read most of the books and seen all of the movies. While the '06 release of "Casino Royale" revived Bond and "Quantum of Solace" proved a mediocre sequel, "Skyfall" gives Agent 007 a new clean slate. It holds a story of its own, pays homage to other Bond flicks, and introduces characters that all of us Bond fans have come to love over the past years.
Daniel Craig is back as Bond and once again, he embodies the soul of the man. He kicks ass, does the impossible, and even steals the hearts of some hot babes. Pure Bond. Judi Dench is perfect as usual as M. Ralph Fiennes, Naomi Harris, and Albert Finney give decent performances in their respective roles. Finney is particularly amusing. But in any James Bond film, the antagonist is what helps make the movie really memorable. Javier Bardem proves a true genius as "Skyfall's" villain. He plays a good psychopath (without relying on any reference to No Country for Old Men), and adds strong levels of flamboyance, wicked humor, and even devastating emotion.
It may seem a bit odd that Sam Mendes, a master of dramatic films like "American Beauty" and "Road to Perdition" would direct a Bond. Even so, Mendes does a stand up job of combining both character drama and stunning action sequences. In addition, his technical team helps him craft such a success. Thomas Newman delivers a lush score and Roger Deakins beautifully photographs each scene with care and precision. The only downer about this Bond is the overabundance of CGI. While some effects were photo realistic, others were blatantly awful. Agent 007 has entertained us as the world's greatest secret agent. And he has done so for 50 years. No other franchise has achieved such an accomplishment. Of 23 movies, "Skyfall" is one of the best. Let us hope that he continues to be our hero with installments of Bond 24 and 25.