I need to get something off my chest: I'm not much of a James Bond fan.
There, I said it.
It's not that I don't like James Bond movies. What's not to like? They can be mindless fun and, at least some of them turn out to be pretty entertaining. I just don't usually find myself caring about when the next 007 movie is going to come out.
For example, there was a couple years time when it looked like Skyfall, the 24th Bond installment, might never get made, that the James Bond franchise was dead in the water. And, I remember feeling nothing but apathy about that possibility.
I had friends who were of a different mindset. The conversation went the same way every time.
"Casino Royale was awesome," they'd respond when I told them I didn't care if there was never another Bond film, "Daniel Craig is the best Bond ever...they have to make another one."
Of course, then I'd remind them about Quantum of Solace, the follow-up to Casino Royale. It starred Daniel Craig, and it blew. And, Craig didn't help it, in fact he was pretty gosh awful. Apparently, committed Bond fans -- at least those with whom I am currently friends -- conveniently wiped Quantum of Solace from their memories.
But, I didn't. No, after that mindless piece of cinematic garbage -- seriously, the super-villain's plot in that movie was to take control of some South American country's water supply and charge them a lot of money for it...seriously -- my feelings on the Bond franchise had soured from apathy into vague negativity.
But, then came Skyfall, a fantabulous piece of action filmmaking that manages not to just be a great Bond film, but a great film, period. It delves further into the 007 character than we've ever gone before, giving him a fully-fleshed back-story. And, it takes what started with Casino Royale -- instilling Bond with some amount of weakness and vulnerability -- and turns him into an actual character with layers hidden beneath the vodka martinis and promiscuity.
That's not to say they've turned Bond into a wuss. Craig isn't emo-Bond. He's still a badass. But, he's far more brooding, with hints of anger and loss that were never present in previous versions of the character. All I can say is that it works.
I won't go into the plot specifics, because, though this is an atypical Bond character, it's a pretty typical Bond story. There's some women, an over-the-top villain, some gadgets, an Aston Martin, and a bunch of crap gets blown up.
All I'll say is that, in the early going, Bond gets shot by one of his own (it's an accident) and uses it as a chance to fake his own death. He returns to MI6 after it is attacked by an unknown terrorist. Though he is injured and not physically up to the task, he accepts the assignment to find the man responsible.
The proverbial Bond villain is played with furious, scenery-chewing intensity by the always brilliant Javier Bardem. He's a former MI6 agent-turned-cyber terrorist who has a long-standing beef with Bond's boss, M (played by the also always brilliant Judi Dench). He is also, I believe, the first gay Bond villain. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
Though the acting is outstanding all around, the real stars of Skyfall are director Sam Mendes (Oscar winner for American Beauty) and cinematographer Rodger Deakins (not an Oscar winner, which is one of the greatest travesties in the history of the Oscars). The action sequences -- from the stunts to the car chases -- are fresh and imaginative. The imagery is glorious to behold. This is simply a beautiful film, possibly the best looking movie of the year.
As this review is coming over a month after the movie's release, you have probably either seen Skyfall or you have no intention to see it. If you fall in the latter category, you're a moron. Skyfall is one of the best movies of the year.
