Skyfall (Mendes, 2012)

If there are any lingering doubts about Daniel Craig's performance as James Bond, look no further. Complaints about the brutality of 2006's Casino Royale and the blandness of 2008's Quantum of Solace are answered in the latest installment of the 007 franchise. Fifty years after the series opened with Dr. No, director Sam Mendes brings viewers one of the most entertaining Bond films in years. And naysayers have nothing to complain about.

Skyfall, the twenty-third film starring British secret agent 007, is a richly satisfying James Bond film that perfectly combines the original style of the classic films with the modern spins of the newer movies. Skfyall is the first 007 adventure in a while to actually feel like a James Bond movie. Daniel Craig is never better as the iconic character, and finally moves past the emotional trauma he suffered in his first two performances in the role. He's still a more grounded, haunted Bond, but can have more fun with the part and all of its particular nuances.

Screenwriters Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, and John Logan give us a story that evokes some of the earlier Bond tales. After MI6 is breached, James Bond becomes the only agent who can stop a mysterious terrorist. Meanwhile, he must deal with the terrorist's apparent grudge towards Judi Dench's M, in her most emotionally involved performance yet.

Skfyall's Oscar-winning director, Sam Mendes, holds nothing back to prove that Bond was still relevant after a four-year hiatus and in a changing world landscape. Mendes is an open fan of the franchise, as popularly denoted by its reference in his Academy Award darling American Beauty (1999), where Kevin Spacey's character mentions he wants to watch the "James Bond marathon on TNT". Mendes, along with franchise producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, maintains the perfect balance of both an emotional character drama and a great thriller, with just the right amount of action scenes that keeps audiences on the edge of their seats every single time.

With Skyfall, Sam Mendes chose to really hone in on the central characters, and more than just the obvious figures of 007 and M. He does a lot with Ralph Fienne's Terry Mallory, an intelligence chair observing MI6's activities in recent days, and with Bond villain Raoul Silva. Actor Javier Bardem gives a similar approach to Silva to what he did with No Country for Old Men (for which he won an Oscar in 2007), but evokes the classic Bond villain style of the no-nonsense, megalomanic, and classy evildoer. Viewers will be reminded of earlier Bond villains such as Dr. No and Auric Goldfinger when they see Raoul Silva, one of the best villains in the franchise's history. In fact, Silva is unique for the fact that his mission is much more personal, much more evil than some of the more recent foes.

Two beautiful Bond girls include Naomie Harris' Eve and Berenice Marlohe's Severine. Eve is an MI6 field agent who works closely with 007, while Severine is an associate of Silva's in Macau, China. While neither is developed as well as the other characters in the film, their appearance is still important and adds the usual chemistry with 007.

Other Bond elements more evident in Skfyall than in the other Craig films include the use of gadgets (finally), riveting car chases, and exotic world locales. With "Skyfall", Adele provides an alluring theme song when combined with stunning graphics in the opening credits. She's on track to win Bond its first Best Original Song Oscar.

For loyal fans of the long-running franchise, several in-jokes appear throughout Skyfall as an homage to the 50th Anniversary of the James Bond movies. Pay close attention to notice some allusions to classic films of the franchise. To whet your appetite, one of the bottles of wine that Bond drinks is a 1962 Bollinger, the same year as the release of Dr. No, and a popular drink for the character in both the earlier films and the novels.

Skyfall will grow in importance as one of the best James Bond films in its fifty year history. Not for a while has a 007 movie felt as good as this one, and proves that fans and newcomers alike can still enjoy the adventures of the world's greatest secret agent. Nobody does it better than James Bond, and no one ever will.

Five out of five stars.