Skyfall

Allow me to state, for the record, that I have never seen a James Bond movie that didn't star Daniel Craig. So, right off the bat you know I'm not the biggest Bond fan in the world. I'd sort of like to go back and watch every one in order but also part of me thinks they are basically all the same. Hot women, fast cars, suits, exotic locations. They just change basic plot points so if you've seen one then you've seen them all.

That being said, Skyfall was pretty damn good. The plot follows Bond (Craig) as he tries to track down a bad guy (Javier Bardem, with his bad guy ridiculous hair) who attacked the MI6 building and hijacked a list of undercover agents. Said bad guy, Silva, also has a special interest in M (Judi Dench) and so this time it's all a little personal. And, so, Bond treks from England to Shanghai to deserted islands to Scotland in hopes of bringing down Silva before it's too late. Enter the car chases, train derailments, women in backless gowns, yachts, Tom Ford suits and whatever else stylishness director Sam Mendes can throw at you.

I know I sound blase about the whole thing (and I guess I kind of am) but, for me, Bond is way more style over substance. According to reviews I've read, Skyfall is supposed to be the best of the best as far as Bond movies go, and it was really fun and very good, but I feel like it holds up well against super blockbuster movies like Spider-Man but not necessarily against brilliant fall thinkpieces like Looper. Skyfall is a fun ride, but a ride is really all it is. It's exciting and it gets your adrenaline pumping, but it's not really the kind of movie that is going to stay with you for a long time.

The performances are great, though. Craig makes for a rebellious bad ass Bond was swag. Dench is joyfully great as M. Ralph Fiennes shows up as a sort beaurocratic bad ass named Gareth Mallory. Ben Whishaw is adorable as ever as Q. But, the real stand out here is Javier Bardem. Anyone who has seen No Country for Old Men knows how good he is at playing a chilling villain. Here, with equally awful hair (seriously, is it in his contract that when he plays a villain they have to give him the worst hair of all time??? or is it just producers way of trying to make him less attractive??), Bardem is having a blast playing a Bond baddie. He's easily the best thing about the movie although I didn't entirely buy his motivations. Without giving anything away, it just seemed completely out of character for him to be doing what he was doing in this movie.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed Skyfall. It makes me a believer in the pure fun you can have at a Bond movie. However, as far as substance goes, I think I'll probably forget all about this movie by the end of the year. And for the solid performances and great action sequences, that's a shame.

Grade: B