For a movie that began with the (supposed) death of the protagonist, Skyfall would turn out to be one of the most exciting, most witty, James Bond films to date. Directed by Sam Mendes, the film featured the return of Daniel Craig as Bond and Judi Dench as M. Likewise, the movie also featured the return of both Ms. Moneypenny (known as Eve) and Q played by Naomie Harris and Ben Whishaw respectively. The cast was rounded out by Ralph Fiennes as the Chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee and Javier Bardem as the villain Raoul Silva, himself a former MI6 operative.
Like I said, the movie began with the apparent death of James Bond. This happened while chasing the mercenary known as Patrice when he was shot by his partner Eve on the order of M. Shortly thereafter, MI6 headquarters was blown up by an apparent cyber-terrorism attack. Bond came out of hiding as a result. It was shortly revealed that Patrice was working for a cyber-terrorist named Silva (in part of a revenge ploy against M). Silva was then arrested, only to escape and to go after M.
The first thing I noticed about this movie was the witty dialogue. Characterized by its frequent references to older bond movies, I feel the only way to fully appreciate this movie is to have already seen a lot of the older ones (particularly the ones involving Connery). That being said, this movie was no less enjoyable. It’s pacing was also fantastic. And the movie benefitted by the enlarged role of Judi Dench as M. It made you care about the character a lot more than in previous installments.
Likewise, the acting is also notable. The movie benefited from the additions of both Ralph Fiennes and Albert Finney to the cast (as well as that of Ben Whishaw). But the real star of the show was Javier Bardem as Silva. Daniel Craig may have been the main protagonist, but Bardem stole every scene he was in. In the end, his performance turned the character into one of the most memorable James Bond villains ever (at least in my opinion). The rest of the cast was also good, and there wasn’t a single weak link (though neither Rory Kinnear nor Ola Rapace had much to work with).
So I don’t know if I would call this the best James Bond film I’ve ever seen, but it’s pretty damn close. And even if you don’t agree, it’s worth watching for the countless comic references to older films in the franchise (even explaining why Bond likes his Martini’s shaken, not stirred). Also, the movie may not be perfect. But it’s about as close as this type of movie’s going to get. I give it four out of five stars.