Skyfall

Daniel Craig is easily the best James Bond, ever.

I know saying that is going to irk many longtime fans who insist that no one can top Sean Connery. Well, I mean no disrespect to the man who originated the role, or any of the other actors who've played 007 (Pierce Brosnan will always have a place for me as the Bond I grew up with). And I admit I haven’t seen every single one of the twenty-odd films featuring the character. Nevertheless, I stand by my statement.

Bond movies were always entertaining before, but let’s be honest: they were a little ridiculous. The plots were very outlandish, and some of the action scenes stretched even the typical suspension of disbelief you need for an action movie. Also, there was arguably always a comedic undertone, as Bond never seemed to break a sweat or even seem surprised by any of his experiences (not to mention all those Q gadgets, which were laughable fantasy).

With 2006’s Casino Royale, the series did away with most of that, dropping Bond into the real world of the 21^st Century. The cartoonish bad guys were replaced with harder villains whose evil intentions were right out of the news, and Craig brought a much needed edge and cunning that made the character so much more compelling. The suave demeanor and cold wit people expect from Bond are still there, but he actually seems like a real secret agent now, as opposed to a smooth playboy who just happens to defeat an evil genius while on an exotic vacation.

So, I reiterate: Daniel Craig is the best Bond, ever. And Skyfall might be the best Bond film I’ve ever seen.

The movie begins with an amazing chase through Turkey involving motorcycles and a train (one of several great action sequences), which ends with Bond apparently dead (not really, of course), and a hard drive listing double agents in terrorist organizations stolen. Soon, whoever obtained the list starts toying with MI6 head M (Judi Dench) by releasing the names online, resulting in the agents being executed by the groups in which they operate. As M faces an inquiry on her leadership, Bond sets out to find whoever stole the list.

Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace (which had one continuing story stretched across two movies) didn’t follow the standard Bond formula, as they were reestablishing the character’s origins to start fresh. This time around, Craig is firmly in place as Bond, owning the role whether he’s in the heat of battle, dropping a one-liner, or getting the ladies. But he's a much more real Bond than anyone who came before him. He bleeds, he doesn’t just walk away unscathed from a fight, and he has human feeling.

Really, this could be a metaphor for the whole movie: It’s a Bond movie through and through, with all the familiar trappings (as well as some references to movies past), and yet different from any one we’ve seen. It’s darker, and much more character-driven, building as much dramatic tension between the action scenes as during them.

The last third of the movie even departs completely from the formula and takes the story in a direction the series has never seen, as we learn a little about Bond’s past, as well as his relationship with Dench’s M. It doesn’t reveal anything too specific, leaving Bond’s secretive mystique intact (and leaving open possibilities for sequels), but it speaks volumes about how the character became the man he is. What was evident from early in Casino Royale is made very obvious in Skyfall: Craig’s 007 is no campy caricature, but a strong, fully developed character, more in line with creator Ian Fleming’s original vision than some previous portrayals.

And he’s not the only character who gets a meatier part. Dench, who’s played M since the Pierce Brosnan movies, advances from simply a dignified voice of authority to a vital supporting role. More than just his boss, she comes off almost like a matriarchal figure to Bond, as their relationship is revealed as more than mere loyalty and professional respect, and yet remains at arm’s length because of the nature of their work. Other Oscar-level talent in supporting roles includes Ralph Fiennes and Albert Finney. As the new Q, Ben Whishaw is an appropriately nerdy techno geek, but he gets to play a more active part in the action than just a scene or two of comic relief (the filmmakers wisely reworked the character instead of trying to replace the late Desmond Llewelyn, which would have been a futile task). And (MINOR SPOILER!) even Moneypenny (Naomie Harris) gets an upgrade, becoming 007’s equal and ally in the field, not just the secretary he flirts with. The way the movie takes longtime characters and turns them into major, important supporting roles is comparable to what Christopher Nolan’s Batman movies did for previously minor characters like Alfred and Commissioner Gordon.

As antagonist Raoul Silva, a cyber-terrorist and figure from M’s past, Javier Bardem makes the typical Bond villain monologue entrance, but the parallels to all the previous villains stop there. Unlike all the colorful megalomaniacal baddies over years, his goals are personal and vengeful, and he pursues them with the same brutal intensity and path of destruction he showed in No Country for Old Men. He’s easily one of 007’s most formidable foes, and one of the few who could really take him in a fight. If there’s anything to be desired, it’s that the character’s backstory sounds quite interesting, but the film only offers up small snippets. Then again, such a story could be good material for a sequel (or even a spinoff).

Speaking of sequels, the picture is just begging for them. Not only does it hint at plot points that could make for intriguing future storylines, but it puts in place and revamps the last few pieces of the Bond mythos that were missing from the first two Craig films, obviously priming the audience for more. More films of this caliber is an excellent prospect (and Craig is signed on for at least two more movies, which is encouraging). But overlooking the sequel potential, as it stands on its own, Skyfall is one fantastic movie.