Brief Musings on Skyfall

This past weekend I saw the newest Bond movie, Skyfall, and overall I was really impressed the film.  The opening credit sequence was beautifully filmed and the song performed by Adele was perfect.  The movie was about 2 and half hours long but it was so exciting that it held my attention throughout.  I didn't even look at my phone to see what time it was until the two hour mark, and even then I couldn't believe that much time had passed.  

Javier Bardem was a superb villain.  I hated him during the film.  Just the sight of him and hearing his awful laughter would get me to tense up.  His backstory and his master plan were well thought out and believable.  As for Bond, I also think Daniel Craig did a great job.  Growing up, Pierce Brosnan was always my Bond, so although I'm used to a classier, more refined 007, I still enjoyed Craig's performance.  (Although, Bond only drank one martini in the film, opting for scotch as drink of choice.)  Judi Dench played M, and Ralph Fiennes antagonized her as Gareth Mallory, the man who would transition into her role after her forced retirement.  Dench was faced with many difficult decisions and shouldered a lot of the blame for the course of events in the film, but she played her part with dignity, a strong sense of pride, and a deeply rooted love for her country.  Ben Whishaw, who played Q was adorable.  I particularly enjoyed the conversation he and Bond had upon first meeting each other.

As with all Bond films, action is what the viewers are hoping to see and Skyfall certainly delivered.  There were explosions, collisions, dangling on ledges, kimono dragons, and William Tell style shootings.  The movie reminded me of a well played chess game.  You always want to be a few steps ahead of your opponent, and Bardem was.  It was up to 007 to change the game.  The only element that was severely lacking from Skyfall was a Bond girl.  There were several girls in the film, but none of them really stood out to me or anyone I saw the movie with as the quintessential Bond girl.  Although Eve Moneypenny has a shot in the next film.  If you haven't already seen Skyfall, I definitely suggest seeing it in theaters.  And if you did see it, what did you think of the movie?