007 returns with a thrilling anniversary film (SPOILERS)

Rating: 9/10 (21 March 2013)

When "GoldenEye" was released in theatres in 1995, it was praised as having supposedly rejuvenated the Bond franchise with its bold new style. In fact, the film plays very much as a big homage to the older films and really changes nothing of the tried and tested formula. Fast-forward seven years to 2002 when "Die Another Day" is unleashed upon fans of the series. Intended to be a celebration film that evokes the past films within a goofy science fiction-inspired plot, the film actually ends up being more of an insult to the series. It is within this context that "Skyfall" arrives on the fiftieth anniversary of the film series. "Skyfall" is not so much a celebration film but a tribute film and in that regard is far more successful than either "GoldenEye" or "Die Another Day" in commemorating the character and the series as a whole.
The film begins with a crackling pre-title sequence that features James Bond (Daniel Craig) and fellow agent Eve (Naomi Harris) on a mission in Turkey to retrieve a hard drive containing the names of every undercover British agent around the globe. Unfortunately, the mission goes awry and Bond is accidentally shot by Eve and presumed dead. Months later, MI6 comes under attack and Bond returns to Britain, vulnerable and in less than stellar form. His search for the still missing hard drive and the terrorist behind the attacks brings him on a collision course with a madman from M's (Judi Dench) past.
The film is very much about the past and present, not only of the series itself but of the characters (principally Bond and M) as well. There are references to past Bond films, but they are not overwhelming like in "Die Another Day". More importantly, they don't detract from the narrative, which is set in the modern day word of computers and technological wizardry. Bond is a lone warrior, using supposedly old-fashioned methods to fight terrorism and initially represents everything that the new Chief of the Committee of Intelligence Gareth Mallory (Ralph Fiennes) deems archaic.
There are countless contrasts between traditional and modern and the film attempts to reconcile the past with the present to inform the future of the series. The references to how long Bond has been operating are perhaps too self-conscious (not to mention puzzling considering the series recently went through a reboot; then again, continuity was never a strong point in the series), but go a long way establishing the overall message of the film. Beloved characters such as Q (Ben Wishaw) and Moneypenny finally return and their appearances more than anything demonstrates how new blood is needed in this new modernity. In the end, it works; the last scene especially is an absolute treat to long-term Bond fans, bridging old and new. After 50 years, the series has truly come full circle and is still relevant.
The film is obviously theme and symbolism heavy, but it works just as well as a Bond film. It is also a very British film that portrays the empire in a troubling and intriguing way. The first half is classy while the second half is absolutely brilliant. While it has an unconventional narrative structure compared to most films in the series, the elements are all assembled: there is a casino scene that is sure to go down as one of the best in the series; fight choreography suits Craig's more hard-edged Bond and is well done; the film's cinematography is stunningly beautiful and varied and Roger Deakins manages to make even the most mundane scenes engaging to look at; Adele supplies a surprisingly haunting and beautiful song that perfectly compliments Daniel Kleinman's gorgeous title sequence; Sam Mendes' direction hits all the right notes and the film never really drags; finally, Thomas Newman's score, while not reaching the level of John Barry's contribution to the series, is serviceable and makes great use of the James Bond Theme after it was slightly underused in Craig's previous two entries. The action cues are respectable even though I felt the absence of David Arnold's bombastic scores.
The cast itself is quite good. Fiennes, Harris, Wishaw, and Rory Kinnear as Bill Tanner are a joy to watch all fit quite nicely into the plot. Bardem as the villain is a cross between Christopher Walken's Max Zorin, Sean Bean's traitorous agent 006, and Heath Ledger's Joker. He has little screen time (perhaps too little) but creates a memorable and strangely sympathetic character. Judi Dench has an unusually integral connection to the plot and is once again good, even though she has gotten a bit too much screen time in the role of M. Last but not least, Daniel Craig has finally convinced me that he is James Bond. The film very much depends on how well Craig can portray Bond's emotional inner turmoil and he rises to the occasion with a top five (perhaps even top three) Bond performance. This Bond is dangerous, charming, enigmatic, confident, and yet also so very realistic and fallible. Whether he is toasting his would-be killers or adjusting cuff links after a dangerous stunt, Craig has endeared himself to me as a fantastic 007 after two films in which he grasped the essence of the character without necessarily always conveying it. The character is a symbol of conflicted righteousness and Craig plays the part flawlessly.
While the problems I have with the film are small, they are nevertheless still present. The story is incredibly ambitious for an overall small-scale plot and that causes there to be some minor unexplained plot holes that never completely pan out. Silva's plan also operates on a plot that in hindsight is too coincidental and creates inconsistencies. Finally, the lack of any real location shooting in some scenes (Macau, Shanghai) is slightly disconcerting considering the history of locations in the series. Overall though, Skyfall is a welcome addition to the series that is supremely entertaining and consistently exciting to watch. 8.5/10