Skyfall (2012)

“A storm's coming.” 

            James Bond is in an institution in my house. My brother Anthony has been obsessed with James Bond for as long as I can remember. He had some of the films on VHS. The first time I remember watching a Bond film was Goldeneye with Pierce Brosnan. To me Brosnan along with Sean Connery is the ultimate James Bond. If I were to imagine a smooth handsome British spy it would definitely be Brosnan. Sean Connery is the ultimate Bond he is the original and nothing can every top the original. Daniel Craig as James Bond is in a league of his own. His Bond films are prequels they are setting up the other Bonds that have come before him. We see James making mistakes and see his progress in his becoming the best double-o agent. Craig’s films are modern and sleek. Skyfall is Craig’s latest turn as James Bond.

            I am going to give you guys a quick and dirty plot- James was in pursuit of a suspect when he was shot by another agent completely by accident. He falls off the train he was riding on top of with the bad guy and into a river. For next three months he has been away from MI-6. He returns much to everyone’s surprise and does not do too well to be reinstated. M’s office at MI-6 is blown up by a cyber terrorist. The terrorist stole a device that names all the agents planted within terrorist cells and will release them publicly every few days.

            This attack was a personal attack on M. She reinstates Bond because she knows he is the only one who could track down the bad guy.

            The whole movie is very personal for Bond and M. The story touches on some aspects of their personal lives but does not divulge a whole ton of information keeping the characters in a shroud of mystery.

            There is so much amazingness in this movie I do not even know where to begin. The cast was perfect. Jarvier Bardem is perhaps one of the best of the best Bond villains ever. He was just creepy he got under your skin and stayed there. If he does not get an Academy Award nomination then there is something utterly wrong with the film industry.

            The cinematography by Roger Deakins is unbelievable. You could feel the atmosphere of every place Bond went. The best scene was when Bond was at a casino in China. The colors were warm and beautiful. I was drooling over that scene and I was drooling over Daniel Craig and his beautiful blue eyes as he was traveling on a yacht. The sun and the blue of the water and his white shirt he was wearing just made his eyes pop.

            No Bond movie is complete without a sweeping theme song. The Bond themes of the past few years have been so-so the only really stand out one has been Chris Cornell’s “You Know My Name.” Adele sings the theme this time. The woman can do no wrong. Her voice on a James Bond theme song fit like a glove. Adele’s voice here is like Shirley Bassey on “Diamonds Are Forever”- classy, sophisticated, and smooth just like James Bond. You can almost imagine a classy and sophisticated man like Bond would listen to this Adele song. The opening credits are fantastic. In all my years of watching Bond films I never realized before Skyfall that they allude to what will be happening in the movie. Go me and finally realizing this haha.

            Skyfall is one of the all around best films of the year. Anthony was completely happy with it and says it was perfect and gets all excited just thinking about it. So many references are made from past Bond films in honor of the series turning fifty years old. The references make sense they were not thrown in the movie haphazardly. James Bond has spectacularly stood the test of time in the past fifty years. The character and the idea of Bond being the ultimate spy has inspired so many men and boys and sparked countless imaginations. Skyfall and Daniel Craig have excellently continued that tradition.