Skyfall (2012) - Bond! James Bond!

Rating: 10/10 (20 November 2012)

"Skyfall" is the 23rd annual James Bond film, the third one to star Daniel Craig as Bond, and the film that marks the 50th anniversary of Bond. Raging fans of the Bond franchise have been anticipating the hell out of this movie, making it one of the most insanely-hyped films of 2012 since "The Dark Knight Rises". After an entire 50 years of different actors playing Bond, from Sean Connery to Roger Moore, from Timothy Dalton to Pierce Brosnan, Daniel Craig has created the most iconic and most memorable Bond, since the one and only Sean Connery's portrayal of the character, which was a little better. But, after the last two films portraying Bond, "Casino Royale", which is the Bond film that everyone loves the most, and "Quantum of Solace", which hardly anybody liked, Daniel Craig has given us, once again, a serious and fresher version of this beloved character in "Skyfall", which I'm happy to report, is probably the best Bond that we have had in such a long time. At a pace of 143 minutes, "Skyfall" is the longest and the best paced film of the entire franchise. While never having it's dull moments, "Skyfall" kept me on the edge of my seat from the opening shot to the ending credits. Director Sam Mendes perfectly directs "Skyfall" with so much precision, and with the help of Roger Deakins, the cinematographer of "Shawshank Redemption" fame, he and Deakins make the most gorgeous-looking Bond films I've ever seen. Deakins is a masterful cinematographer using the right amount of shadows, lighting, and framing, that perfectly sucks you into the world of Bond. The first 12 minutes of "Skyfall" is purely something to enjoy, while Bond is racing through the streets of Turkey, in this expertly filmed, perfectly choreographed, and amazingly entertaining scene that starts "Skyfall" with a bang! Which then leads to a beautifully jaw-dropping opening title sequence with Adele's hit song "Skyfall", hence the name of the movie, plays in the background, perfectly matching the feel and tone of the Bond style. The action is incredibly well-choreographed, the cinematography is glowing, the directing is superb, and not to mention, this cast knocks it right out of the park. It's a complete cliché for me to say that Daniel Craig is always terrific in the role of James Bond, perfectly delivering a serious style to the character that we haven't seen before, since Timothy Dalton's turn playing James Bond in "Licence to Kill". Judi Dench is always great to watch on screen as M, and Ben Whishaw is just terrific playing Bond's quartermaster, the return of a character considered so beloved in the Bond franchise. Although Ralph Fiennes felt unnecessary for the film until the final scene of the film, I still thought that he provided good work as well. Berenice Lim Marlohe and Naomie Harris, although both gorgeous and delivering decent performances, they're sadly given less screen time and/or character development, as if the movie just wanted to get rid of these characters to keep the movie going. But, the stand-out performance is Javier Bardem, playing one of the most enjoyable Bond villains ever put on film. He's the type of villain that you seem to understand why is he or she doing all these villainous acts in the first place. Although he is still one of the wackiest and villainous Bond "bad guys", I honestly felt that some of his actions in the film felt way too similar to the actions portrayed by Heath Ledger as the Joker in "The Dark Knight". But although Bardem is still terrific in the role, it felt like he was copying Ledger at times. Yeah, there are some moments of dis-belief that I couldn't get past, but in the end, this is a Bond movie, not a war drama. But, for it's few minor issues, "Skyfall" is a well-made, expertly directed, beautifully photographed and choreographed, and damn entertaining ride. "Skyfall" is one of the best Bond movies of our time, and it's one of the best movies of the year. "Skyfall", in my review, "classic Bond entertainment at it's finest".