Review: 'Skyfall' starring Daniel Craig and Judi Dench

It's not an understatement to say that Skyfall just might have been the most important James Bond film in decades. After exploding out of the gate with a sizzling relaunch a few years ago in Casino Royale, the franchise faltered so badly with the vacant Quantum of Solace that another failure would be crippling. Certainly it would spell doom for Daniel Craig, but more importantly it would indicate that perhaps James Bond has been surpassed by other mature action-espionage films such as The Bourne trilogy or Mission: Impossible.

If Skyfall tells us anything, it's that Bond is still as relevant as ever, and after fifty years is capable of going in new and shocking directions. The idea of "relevance" plays a heavy role in the film, as James Bond and MI-6 find themselves under the scrutiny of a government that thinks them obsolete. The old ways of secret agents lurking around dark alleys is over, replaced by technology that handle the intelligence burden without the risk of human life. When a mission to secure the MacGuffin du jour goes horrible wrong, resulting not only in the item falling into enemy hands but with Bond hurt in a way he never has been before, new head of intelligence and security Gareth Mallory(Ralph Fiennes) puts M(Judi Dench) on notice that her time is up.

But also Bond himself is seen as a relic of a bygone age, and he more than looks the part. He looks like the weight of the world is on his shoulders. He's older, slower, and the youngsters are starting to move in on his turf, including his new Quartermaster(Ben Whishaw) and a hotshot young agent named Eve(Naomie Harris).  It's up to Bond to get himself back into fighting shape and find whoever stole the item, a list of double-agents across the globe, and stop him before he can put it to devastating use.

Turns out the culprit is Silva, a true Bond villain in every sense of the word. Played by Javier Bardem, he's nearly the polar opposite of Bardem's Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men. Silva is flashy, petty, and jealous, only wanting to embarrass M and ruin MI-6 before he kills her over some long-held grievances from the past. But it's not Silva's humor or the horrific terrorist attacks he undertakes that make him memorable, it's the role he plays in trying to manipulate Bond at a time when he may be susceptible. Silva and Bond are both agents their government has discarded to some extent.

Stylishly directed by Sam Mendes, not the most logical choice for a job such as this, Skyfall features one of the best opening action sequences for a Bond film yet, as the super agent races across the rooftops of Istanbul before coolly smashing through a train car. Yeah, only Bond can "coolly smash" through anything. While this is probably the most pulse-pounding scene of the film, there's never a moment where the momentum dips dramatically. When the action picks back up, Mendes and his cinematographer Roger Deakins craft images that will be go down as some of the most iconic in Bond history, starting with a silhouetted battle under the night sky of neon-lit Shanghai. As vibrant as those images are, the finale is gritty, up close and personal as Bond takes M to an old haunt from his childhood as a final line of defense against Silva's onslaught. It's a nice touch, a look at what built Bond into the man we know, without being overly heavy-handed and turning this into an origin story of delving into flashback.

It's that personal touch that is what makes Skyfall so incredible, though. One of the biggest problems over the years is that we've rarely seen Bond attacked in a way that truly effects him. He's always been the cool, collected agent who does what he does out of loyalty and no small amount of ego. Quantum of Solace attempted to change that by presenting an angrier Bond seeking revenge for the death of a lover, but we don't identify him with any of his many conquests. The most consistent emotional connection in Bond's life has been M, and making her the target of Silva's attack makes this a film with greater stakes than any of the world-threatening plots we've seen before. This being the 50th anniversary, nods to the past are frequent but never overdone, but the eyes remain positioned towards the future. It's a fine balance, as much of the story is delightfully old school and emphasizes the classics over what's new and glossy. Even Q gets in on the fun, "You were expecting an exploding pen"?

Daniel Craig is again excellent, but this is by far the best performance he's given as Bond yet, allowing his older features shine through while still showing the physicality that made him the perfect choice to begin with. He gets a lot of help, though, and it's safe to say that this is more of an ensemble than we've ever seen. Dench, Harris, Fiennes, and Bardem all get their moments in the sun, and I wouldn't be surprised to see this trend continue in future films as the Bond universe expands.

For the first time in a long time, James Bond is thrilling again and I can't wait to see what happens next. Skyfall isn't just the best Bond film ever, it's one of the best movies you'll see this year.