Skyfall (2012)

**Seen on November 17th, 2012**

Bond's loyalty to M is tested when her past comes back to haunt her. Whilst MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost. [imdb]

Nominated for 5 Oscars:

Best Cinematography
Best Original Score
Best Original Song (WINNER)
Best Sound Mixing
Best Sound Editing (WINNER)

I have never paid much attention to the Bond series - I don't have much against it, but it seemed like a rather redundant action type. I actually prefer the superhero ones. Still, if there was a series that needed something fresh, this was it. But even with Daniel Craig taking over the iconic role, it wasn't enough of a push for me to see it. And that makes Skyfall my first film to see with Craig as James Bond.

And it was a good action film, and I'll give some of the credit to Sam Mendes - he himself needed a new starting point in his career. The screenplay is sharp enough to make it interesting, but that wasn't the highlight. The best element related to this film has to be Javier Bardem, who gives a delicious Oscar-worthy performance as (from what I can gather) an unusual Bond-villain. I love his performance, both the fun and the tragic aspects of it. Also, everything below-the-line is top quality: Adele's song, the sound mixing & editing, the Production Design and ESPECIALLY Roger Deakins' cinematography. 

My rating for the film: 8/10. It's not without it's problems, mostly concerning the female characters. But overall a success.