Skyfall - Review

Skyfall was the movie that turned James Bond from a series of movies that I thought were pretty cool and interesting, to one of my favourite series ever. This was the first James Bond film I would ever see in theatres and it delivered everything I wanted. Sam Mendes, you directed one hell of a movie. This feels like the perfect balance between the Sean Connery era of the 1960's James Bond, and the more gritty tone of the Casino Royale era of Bond films. Making callbacks to many of the older James Bond films and still having the plot feel very 21st century. Out of all the James Bond films, I feel like this one not only had the best action sequences, but it also had the best acting too. The chase through Istanbul was thrilling and exciting and you could actually see the action happening unlike the choppy editing of Quantum of Solace. The fight in the Shanghai tower is one of the most visually stunning scenes in a James Bond film. Hell, one of the most visually stunning scenes in any action movie. The chase through the London Tube and the final confrontation at the Skyfall manor are all spectacular. However, action scenes don't really mean much if you don't care about the story or characters. Luckily, Skyfall delivers us a story that is fairly easy to follow and probably the best Bond villain ever. Yes, I said ever. Javier Bardem as Mr. Silva is so menacing and yet charming at the same time. His motivation is justified and the performance is top notch. Well done Mr. Bardem. And just like Casino Royale, this film made things personal for James Bond. This wasn't just a mission given to 007 to complete, this mission involved James Bond's past like no other film before it. Sure, we don't get a flashback of little James playing with his parents in the yard of his Scottish home, but his past is subtly implied. If Casino Royale dived into what does being a double O agent do to the soul of James Bond, then this film dives into where James Bond came from. This makes the final fight all the more intense and electrifying. For the 50th anniversary of James Bond, we were treated to one of the best James Bond films of all time. I love this movie so much.