Ian Fleming, Albert Broccoli, and Harry Saltzman Would Be Proud......

Rating: 10/10 (24 February 2013)

And believe me, I do not say such words lightly. For fifty years, Bond has graced the screen, fighting his way through all sorts of situations involving a wide array of terrorists, assassins, criminals, explosions, weapons, exploding pens, hand to hand combat scenes, cars, and of course, beautiful women. After all this, can Bond still entertain us the same way? Hell yes he can and he proves it with "Skyfall", a brilliant film that manages to include all the action and suspense that we are used to from bond while at the same time, adding a little bit of heart to the mix between Bond (the ever amazing Daniel Craig) and M (the great Judi Dench).
The film wastes no time in getting started when Bond is forced into a high speed chase across Istanbul and is caught in the cross hairs and mistaken for dead after M is forced to make a split-second decision. But fortunately for her and for England, Bond doesn't stay dead for long because M's past is about to come back to haunt her in the form of Silva (Javier Bardem), an ex-spy and computer genius who can wreck a nation's economy (or worse) with just a the click of a mouse. Bardem plays the part with such evil zeal that I'm going to come out and say that Silva is probably one of the best Bond villains since Ernst Blofeld (aka Dr. Evil) himself. With his twisted laugh, smile, and feelings of anguish towards M , his character is one that you are likely to never forget. Its a race against time, across such diverse places like Shanghai, London, and Bond's homeland, Scotland, to save M and put a stop to Silva once and for all. The filmmakers are able to make good use of the shooting locations they are in, whether its the skyline and highways of Shanghai or the moors and hills of Scotland to really create an epic feeling for the movie, which is appropriate to mark the fifty years of Bond. Then, as with all Bond films, there are the women. On the one hand, we have the beautiful Naomie Harris who plays Eve, a fellow agent at MI6 who must decide if she wants to continue working in the field (an excellent surprise awaits us at the end) and then there is the stunning Berenice Marlohe, who plays the mysterious Severine, a woman forced to work for Silva. Both of these women do a stand up job in their performances and sex appeal. In addition, you have great supporting actors in the form of Ralph Fiennes and Albert Finney, both of whom add a certain charm which makes the movie all the more better.
I can't praise this movie enough; if you love James Bond as much as I do, you have to see this movie because not only does it move Bond ever further into the twenty-first century, it also gives us a little insight into Bond's origins, something that no other Bond movie has ever done. Further more, this film proves that Bond has still got it and no matter how much our world changes, he always will. Long Live Bond!!!!!