Skyfall Review

Oh man. I don’t even know where to begin with this movie. It’s just so good, on so. Many. Levels. But I’m gonna waste time being vague and ranting about how good it is without explaining why. On to the review.

Daniel Craig is back as James Bond in the 23^rd installment of the franchise. And Bond has never been better. I’m not even going to try to hide the fact that this film is not a typical Bond film. It doesn’t try to be. And I for one am glad that we finally get something different. The darker, more vulnerable Bond is still the one we get here, and it still works.  Ultimately, this movie works on basically every level. The cinematography is simply phenomenal. The editing is flawless. Basically everything about this movie is flawless. Except for the score. It works fine in the movie, but on its own… Yeah, it’s pretty terrible. The story also has a few minor problems, but for the most part, it works extremely well. Once again, the best thing about these movies is Daniel Craig. There are no two ways about it. He is simply the best Bond ever. By leaps. And bounds. And stuff.

The first time I saw this movie, I didn’t really like it. It just felt a bit empty to me. But after watching it again, I can understand why it was so highly praised. Initially my problem was that the action, particularly in the finale, is just not what we’ve come to expect from a Bond movie. But that’s just the point really. Bond is desperate and he’s no longer in constant control of every situation he finds himself in. And that brings us to the villain. I could rant for hours about how good Silva is, but let it suffice to say that he is one of the best villains of all time. He is ruthless, cold, brilliant, and ultimately just a creepy guy. And in some ways, he’s even relatable. Javier Bardem honestly deserved an Oscar for his performance here. Finally, we get the feeling that maybe Bond is out of his depth. And without spoiling too much of the plot, Bond is not entirely successful in stopping Silva. Also, I feel that it would be wrong to not mention Judi Dench. As always, she is excellent in her role as M, and Ben Whishaw is wonderful as Q. Naomie Harris is also a welcome addition as Moneypenny. Ultimately, Skyfall just nails every aspect of good filmmaking, and brings Bond back in an explosive 23^rd installment. 4 ½ stars out of 5.