Skyfall

Here we have the latest installment of the James Bond franchise.  Not really too many surprises, M gives Bond an impossible mission and without a second thought, he’s off to save England from yet another insane evil genius.  Daniel Craig returns as Bond and Judi Dench is again M, this film also features Ralf Feinnes, Javier Bardem and Albert Finney.  The addition of Ben Winshaw as Q was a pleasant surprise, taking the character into the boy-genius character instead of snarky-labcoat-guy. 

The Good

            I really liked the way this film took a lot of the favorite retro element of the series and highlighted them while at the same time updating and modernizing the logistical elements.  This way there are plenty of things for the diehard Bond fan as well as a first time Bond watcher.  The Action is next to non-stop and even though I am not one for chase scenes, there are some very innovative chases in this movie.  The thing I liked the most is that this film takes James Bond as a character and really looks at who he is, and where he came from and where he might be going.  What happens when 007 starts to get old?  What makes him so different from the other agents in MI6?  I like that the film makers tried exploring some of these ideas and I think that kind of writing is what is going to keep the franchise alive in the future.

The Bad

            I am not going to sugar coat it.  The Bond girl was awful.  Bérénice Lim Marlohe as the femme fatale looked the part for sure but she overacted it terribly and I found it distracting because everyone else was wonderful.  She was in 4 scenes and only served as a devise to get from A to B in the story.  She seemed like an afterthought to the writing as if they suddenly thought, “Oh yeah! There is supposed to be a hot lady!” and shoe-horned her into the plot.

The Oscar-Worthy

OK, we need to talk a little about Javier Bardem.  Bardem fist chilled the spines of American audiences when he played the sociopathic villain in 2007s No Country for Old Men.  If possible, his portrayal of this Bond villain is more disturbing and eeks close to Heath Ledger’s Joker.  I am sucker for a good villain and this does not disappoint.  The character is well written and Bardem steals every scene he is in.

I would definitely recommend this for all you action lovers and Bond fans out there.  Seeing it on the big screen was worth it, but not necessary, so if you want to wait for Red Box, go ahead!

Thanks for reading

Enjoy!