Skyfall (2012)

It has been a long ride for the Bond series, since the creation of the character there have been 15 novels by Ian Fleming, plenty of spin-off novels, comics, cartoons and video games and the film series is now 50 years old. There have been an extraordinary 23 official films, but few as extraordinary as Skyfall.

After a mission goes wrong in Istanbul, MI6 loses a hard drive containing a list of all NATO agents within terrorist cells, and James Bond (Daniel Craig) is presumed Killed in Action. M's (Judi Dench) competence is questioned and the Chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee, Gareth Mallory (Ralph Fiennes) plans to replace her. Making matters worse, a cyber-terrorist targets MI6 and M personally, getting a hold of the list and causing an explosion within MI6's headquarters. An older, more damaged Bond then returns to duty to serve Queen and Country, having to prove he is in shape before going on the search to find the terrorist.

Skyfall is a long-awaited film thanks to MGM's financial woes, but it delivers. Skyfall takes a darker approach as we've seen with the past couple films and it's very character driven, yet Sam Mendes and the screenwriters still provide a massive injection of fun. Like most Bond films, Skyfall starts with an incredible chase sequence in Istanbul and continues strongly from then on, including a very stylish silhouette fight in Shanghai. The action scenes sequences were pristinely shot and practical effects were at the forefront.

A challenge for the Bond series has always been real-world relevance. The series has faced down all challenges, from the end of the Cold War to the War on Terror. Skyfall tackles the changing nature of espionage. MI6 is no longer the shadowy organisation that the British government denied existed; it has to face the realities of the 24-hour media age we live in and the democratic accountability that incurs.

The nature of the threats have changed, Bond faces a cyber-terrorist and along with the new Q, both could cause more damage than Bond can. In the real world, we have seen what Anonymous is capable of and seen how the Stuxnet worm affected the Iranian nuclear program. But there is always a need for people in the field to investigate. As M says, she is scared of this new world because many of the West's enemies are now faceless and nationless, and this element can work in the series' favour. Versatility has always been a Bond hallmark, which is why it is so enduring.

Skyfall also goes full circle for Bond, as the filmmakers reintroduce popular characters, gadgets and humour. In Casino Royale, Bond is a young man who is bold, arrogant and reckless but can get the job done; in Skyfall, Craig is playing an older Bond who is both physically and emotionally vulnerable.

The idea of an older Bond was briefly touched on in the unofficial film Never Say Never Again, but that was more to accommodate a 52-year-old Sean Connery being in the role. In Skyfall there is actual thematic reasons behind it. Craig gives another excellent performance, cementing his reputation as both a great actor and a great Bond, and the script treats him more as a character than an archetype. Along with M's character arch, the film tackles a theme of facing the past so it can be cleansed.

The casting of Javier Bardem was a coup for the series and we as Bond fans are rewarded with a great villain. Bardem makes out Raoul Silva to be a man with seemingly camp mannerisms, but the master planner has a very sinister

Fmovies: Bond 23 and 007 has to literally come back from the dead when a stolen hard-drive makes M (Dench) look bad at a time when a face from her past comes homing into blood thirsty view.

There is one sure fire fact in cinema that nobody can dispute, that of there never ever being a James Bond film that all Bondphiles will agree on. From each corner of the spectrum will come arguments that said Bond film is not gritty enough, not fun enough, not enough sex, not enough action, not enough fantastical stunts and etc etc etc. Well that's fine of course, we all have our peccadilloes we prefer in our Bond movies, but we do live in different times now, the world has changed, and so has Bond. You may not get the ultimate Bond you want, but this is a 21st Century Bond and a new era of 007 is upon us, something which makes Skyfall even the more bolder and braver because it marks the 50th anniversary by blending the old with the new and mostly achieving brilliant results.

Skyfall allows us to bathe in nostalgia whilst also forcing us to re- evaluate just where we are at in terms of our beloved super secret agent. One of the great things about this Bond is that there is a bubbling under current of time's importance delicately perched on each side of James Bond's shoulders. Is he (and M etc) outdated? Or is the future still in need of such operatives/organisations? Director Mendes and his team don't take any of the easy options that were clearly available to them to answer the question, they instead build a film around Bond and M as characters, embrace the traditions of the series and hit us hard in head and heart.

The plot of Skyfall as written is simple, absolutely nailed on it is straight and true to Hollywood conventions, but what fills out the simple plot is a series of Bondian delights, thrills spills and emotionally splintered kills. The stunning pre-credits sequence sees Bond traverse the rooftops of Istanbul on a motorcycle and then fight on top of a speeding train. Only to then find himself expendable. Which leads to Daniel Kleinman's title credits sequence that is filled with ominous portents of death and blood, in turn backed by the wonderfully Bondian of old title song warbled by Adele. It's clear at this point that this Bond movie is nodding to traditional values whilst promising to deliver some emotional pain. And so it proves.

A washed up Bond enters the fray, and he convinces, he's dishevelled, unshaven and unfit, but he's still a tough bastard who can drink hard and stare a scorpion down. He'll be back soon, we know this, and he will be in wonderful physical shape, and loyal to his surrogate mother for sure. Ah, but there's the adversary on the scene now, a villain to finally give Craig's Bond something to fret about. It's Javier Bardem's (perfect) Silva, a cyber terrorist with a shock of blonde hair, a nasty dental trick and a devilish sexiness that unnerves during an interrogation scene; to which Bond cheekily opens up some wink wink possibilities. There is other sexual tension in the film as well, not just a steamy shower scene, but the ongoing banter with Naomie Harris' (excellent) Eve that positively fizzes with smirking innuendo.

But ultimately this comes down to the love between a man and a woman, the kind that is so different to the type that has so often underpinned a Bond movie. Bond will kill or be killed for M, and how marvellous to see a director really able to give Judi Dench the direction she so deserves, and Bond, in Crai

"He knows us. He's one of us. He comes from the same place as Bond, a place you say doesn't exist, the shadows." The world's greatest secret agent is back, but is the need for an agent outdated in today's modern world? After MI-6 is attacked and M (Dench) is brought under scrutiny by the government Bond (Craig) alone is left to find out who is behind the attack while M is trying to both help Bond and defend the need for an agency that has been compromised. I know that a review is really not needed here, being the 23rd Bond movie either you will watch it or not. I am a huge fan of the series and was really looking forward to this after hearing this is the best Bond movie yet. I have really loved the Craig movies but for some reason they never had the feel of a Bond movie to me, I wasn't sure what was missing but they didn't have the same feel. Knowing that they were re-booting the series I was lenient and with this one the re-boot is complete. This had much more of a feel of a classic Bond movie and by the end I was excited to see the next one. I got chills watching a few times and especially at the end. This had possibly the best opening and ending to a Bond movie ever. I could go on and on about this but I will just say if you love Bond you will love this, if you have never seen one then this one will make you a fan. Overall, From Russia With Love is my favorite Bond movie but this a very close second, and I think may be more re-watchable. I wanted to watch this one again as soon as the movie was over. I give this a very high A.

Skyfall fmovies. As a lifelong James Bond enthusiast who has been extremely disappointed with the franchise's latest efforts (with the exception of Casino Royale), I was extremely pleased with this film. It strayed away from the storyline of the previous two films and I couldn't have been happier after the mediocrity of Quantum of Solace. This film has all the constituents from the Bond films that have preceded it. Big explosions, ridiculous stunts that not a single person in the history of humanity can survive, and let's not forget to mention the beautiful women that would make both genders stop and stare. So what does Skyfall have that the other Bond films don't? For the first time, we get a glimpse into our mysterious hero's dark past. Where he came from and what made him the person he is today.

Although I've always been the one to say that Sean Connery is the greatest Bond ever, I can now confess that Daniel Craig now holds that honor. Sean plays the comedic, smooth, and witty Bond to perfection while Daniel plays the mysterious, dark, and lonesome secret agent flawlessly. I will always choose a darker portrayal over a comedic one because it takes a certain mindset to depict someone of that nature. One of my favorite scenes is where Bond is sitting in a bar drinking alone. I don't care who you are or what your background is, if you are drinking by yourself in a bar, then you have issues that are haunting you. Whether you can admit it or not, you are in a dark place and that is exactly where this Daniel Craig portrayed Bond is. And I love it.

Aside from Daniel Craig, you have a cast that includes some of the finest actors that have ever graced the big screen. Javier Bardem plays a blood thirsty ex-MI6 agent out for revenge. His performance is equally as creepy and twisted as his portrayal of Anton Chigurh in "No Country for Old Men" and it is an Oscar worthy performance in my opinion. Judi Dench reprises her role as M and Ralph Fiennes and Albert Finney give important and memorable roles which I won't go further into detail about. Also two prominent figures from James bond history find their way back into the story line. Sam Mendes shows why he was the right choice to direct a film of this magnitude and along with the contribution of Oscar Nominee John Logan, Neal Purvis and Robert Wade come up with a memorable narrative after the disappointment of their last collaborating effort, Quantum of Solace.

I look forward to what the future has in store for everyone's favorite spy. If Skyfall is a sign of things to come, then I will remain incredibly optimistic about the future.