Review: 'Skyfall' is a Terrific Bond

When James Bond scrapes a hole on a moving train, jumps on it and then fixes the crumples on his suit, I knew I am finally watching a real Bond film. No less is acceptable - after all, the production is in celebration of the entire series's fifty years in cinema, which sprung with Dr. No. Daniel Craig, who was first called Bond with '06's Casino Royale, is back in Skyfall, a stellar follow-up to the slightly futile Quantum of Solace. In this chapter Bond's loyalty to M (Judi Dench) and his thoroughness as 007 is tested to extremity as MI6 comes under attack. 

Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Revolutionary Road) goes behind-cam, meticulously staging enthralling action sequences and making stunning imagery possible (the incredible cinematography is Roger Deakins's work). To Mendes's understanding, the genre could use a break from action sequences that are either dizzying in nature, or entirely shot during a magnitude-eight earthquake. He's right. He has delivered the goods of a Bond film but also a few of a generic espionage thriller. Despite this, the film appears as one sumptuous spectacle, each frame screaming to be seen, never should be missed. Sequences set in Shanghai, China are most sterling and thrilling, Bond on a tense fight sequence with high-priority intel-disk thief. Craig, more than the physique that he has, his shallow eyes, somehow - and surprisingly - managing to bring him an okay performance.

He's on a long fight with villain Silva, taken form by the estimable Javier Bardem who makes a performance that is intriguingly unnerving. Silva is an ex-agent who obviously had a hideous nosejob and a poignant backstory with M. He, who is naturally worthy to extol, injects a weird blend of creep and pathos to an originally tacky role. Almost, Bardem personifies the character the way Hopkins did Lecter, and the way he did Chigurh himself in No Country for Old Men. Ben Whishaw plays Q, whose fun nature rebirths a favorite character and Naomi Harris is efficient in being a flirtatious lady-sidekick.

The smooth irony Sean Connery has popularized had disappeared and Skyfall sadly isn't the film where it resurfaces. But it pays homage to its superiors - Bond revs the engine, the car plate reads "Goldfinger" - with a respectable two hour transition movie to a hoped forthcoming of a better set of films for the iconic franchise. B+