Starring: Daniel Craig, Ralph Fiennes, Judi Dench, Javier Bardem

Directed by: Sam Mendes

Today, I’ve just seen the newest installment to the 007 franchise, “Skyfall”, and here is my review:

Plot/synopsis: Bond needs to investigate a terrorist attack, in which a large explosion occurred, at SIS Headquarters, where MI6’s (Judi Dench), offices are. Bond discovers that Raoul Silva (Javier Bardem) who was a former MI6 operative was responsible for the attack. Top secret information about NATO agents was stolen from M16’s hard drive, and Silva has a connection to that information.

For the past 10 years or so, the 007 franchise has been making terrible James Bond flicks. The 007 flicks, continuously gets mixed reviews by fans and critics, but did I think this one was good??? I think the 007 franchise finally redeemed themselves, this time. The pacing may have been pretty slow, but keep in mind, not all movies have to focus on the action alone. Everyone expects the James Bond movies to be fun, and action packed, but really, the James Bond movies are about the story. They are about Bond’s life, and survival. Revenge, kind of stuff and hunting down people responsible for doing terrible things. Yes, the action and violence has always been an important part of the Bond franchise, but that has always been secondary. Story, goes first. They just add in the sexy Bond girls, for the entertainment.

Some say the story was weak, but I thought it was pretty intelligent and masterful. It kept me guessing toward the end. The plot had some twists and turns. The pacing may have been kind of slow at first, but it was meant to be. There was a reason that the first half of the movie was nothing but acting and dialogue, and the second half was mostly violent action scenes. When it did come to the violent action scenes, it was a blast to watch, and the violence were pretty gritty too. I thought the visuals of the movie were pretty impressive. It was different than any other Bond film from the past for sure.

As far as Javier Bardem’s, Silva character goes, he was the most menacing Bond villain as well. While there was some humor in this guy, you also want to hate him at the same time. He can be a pretty likeable villain at first but as the film goes along, you’ll realize how evil this guy can be, and you would be scared to meet him. Javier Bardem played a lot of villains in movies over the years, and he does a good job as usual. I think he has Oscar nomination potential for this role. “Skyfall” isn’t an Oscar worthy film, just Javier’s performance alone, deserves a nod.

There were surprising return characters of Q, and Eve Moneypenny (A famous Bond girl, who appeared in many Bond films, played by different actresses).

Some complained that there were less gadgets in this film, than the previous Bond films. Did they see the same film, I did? There were plenty of gadgets in “Skyfall”. Maybe not futuristic looking electronic gadgets, but old fashioned gadgets when Bond and M hid in that old home toward the end of the movie (not trying to give spoilers).

I thought the movie was very intense. It was the perfect 50th Anniversary, Bond film. This is definitely not the best Bond film ever made, but is the best Bond movie made since the past 10 years or a little more. I would say this is the best Bond film since, “The Living Daylights”. This is also one of the best films of 2012. Whether you’re a Bond fan or not, you should check this one out. It’s a perfect introduction to the character, if you’ve never seen the earlier films. You don’t need to watch the first two Daniel Craig, Bond films, ’cause “Skyfall” is a standalone movie. Not a sequel to “Quantum of Solace”.

Score for “Skyfall” = **** (4 stars as in “Excellent”)

Kev