Skyfall (MGM/Columbia)

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Ian Fleming’s incredible super-spy James Bond 007 remains an enduring pop culture phenomenon since the author first brought him to life in his best selling novel Casino Royale.

Since 1962’s Dr. No, the character became a big screen icon spawning 23 films and 50 years of high adventure. No matter the gadgets, the women, the villains, the exotic locations, or the action; Bond keeps going and never lets up.

The latest film Skyfall can be seen as a culmination of the series’ 50 year history.

Daniel Craig returns as Bond for the third time after 2006’s Casino Royale and 2008’s Quantum of Solace. Here, he find his comfort zone by making his character more psychologically complex when he’s torn between his life and his duty.

The movie’s also backed up by a good script, strong performances and some spectacular action sequences.

In the film’s pre-title sequence, Bond and his field partner Eve (Naomie Harris) are in Istanbul locating a missing disk drive containing the names of their fellow MI6 agents.

During a fight on top of a moving train, Bond is accidentally shot by Eve and is presumed dead.

After an amazing opening credits sequence (with a wonderful title song by pop artist Adele), the movie cuts to three months later where M (Dame Judi Dench in her seventh Bond film) finds out that the drive is linked to a past MI6 agent, the mysterious Silva (Oscar-winner Javier Bardem) with the ability to hack the most secure systems all around the world.

The plot goes deeper than that, and it gets more interesting when you see the movie. 

When Quantum of Solace came out in 2008, it was met with criticism from some critics and Bond fans as being too ‘Bourne-like’ with its speedy-action scenes and having the shortest runtime in the whole series.

Fortunately, Skyfall rectified those issues while delivering a much more satisfying Bond experience. The real highlight is Bardem’s performance that borderlines between chilling and over-the-top.

It may not be Oscar-worthy unlike his role of Anton Chigurh in 2007’s No Country for Old Men, but the actor knows how to deliver these types of steely-eyed characters.

Plus, it doesn’t hurt to have some gorgeous blonde hair much like some other classic Bond villains including Robert Shaw’s Red Grant in 1963’s From Russia With Love and Christopher Walken’s Max Zorin in 1985’s A View to a Kill.

The film’s music, which features Adele, is composed by Oscar nominee Thomas Newman and while not on par with David Arnold’s previous Bond scores, the score is a combination of classic Bond motifs with an original action-packed score. Even if you’ve never listened to her music, you’ll still enjoy hearing it alongside Daniel Kleinman’s memorable title sequence.

Without going into too much detail, it’s best you watch this film. By the end, it looks like James Bond has a bright future ahead of him.

Happy 50th Anniversary 007!

THE MOVIE’S RATING: PG-13 (for intense violent scenes throughout, some sexuality, language, and smoking)

THE CRITIC’S RATING: 3.75 Stars (Out of Four)