Skyfall

Skyfall is arguably the best James Bond film ever made! And this status is achieved through exceptional writing and phenomenal making by Sam Mendes!

MI6 is on the verge of crumbling to the grounds, vulnerable to invasion and foreign attacks. The threatened state of British Secret Service is transliterated so well onscreen that the audiences could feel it hit their very bones! Together with the organization, M's (Judi Dench) position as the leader is in jeopardy. Bond (Daniel Craig) is no longer at the height of his fitness and accuracy, with age and injuries finally catching up to him. But they have no time to lose as the identity of their secret agents are being compromised through drip-feeding. How will the team surface during a time like this when they are needed now and more ready than ever?

The screenwriters made sure the audiences are able to see clearly for themselves how MI6 personnel on field and office base work hand-in-hand during a mission. Also, you will see how Bond uses all the various skills in his arsenal to tackle assignments. M is more than just an authoritative figure who spits instructions and gets mad at Bond this time around; she's holding a secret. We see for ourselves how she is willing to sacrifice her own agents at the name of duty, and this exact principle lands her in trouble with one of the greatest Bond villains - Raoul Silva, portrayed by the one and only Javier Bardem. M being hunted and protected by MI6 agents whom she forgo is the poetry behind Skyfall's brilliant writing!

The tracking and investigation is clear and progressive from start to finish. Bond changing the course of action by taking a reverse step to lead Silva to him is an instance of greatness! Of course, Silva purposely allowing himself to be caught so that he could hijack MI6's new fortress from the inside is stupid to say the least, but due to how the events unfold and flow smoothly like butter, you will rarely spend much time thinking about this and go with the tide. Debate surrounding the relevance of having specialized intelligence at this time and age, Gareth Mallory (Ralph Fiennes) gradually being roped in to become the next M and Bond driving the whole point of the rat's story back home are of A grade quality!

What's a James Bond flick without the action sequences, correct? Motorbike and train chase at Istanbul where Eve (Naomi Harris) is forced to take a gamble shot that allegedly kills Bond, James hopping on an elevator shaft to silently interrogate the mysterious assassin in a building at Shanghai and the intense brawl that follows over a shattered window pane, Bond chasing after Silva into the Tube where the latter lands a train right on the protagonist by exploding the tunnel, marksmanship score redemption, courtroom shootout, Shanghai bar fight in the giant lizards ground and the entire climax at Bond's home where the main characters go all out for survival with every tool they have at their disposal against Silva who ambushes the old house with a helicopter, not forgetting the ice bed crackle are extremely incredible entertainment pieces you could only find in cinema once in a decade!

Every shot by Roger Deakins is a drop of magic! Adele's theme song is the best, and speaking of music, Thomas Newman's score is invigorating! The locations, especially Skyfall and the skyscrapers plus dragon boat bar at Shanghai are bloody beautiful! Silva showing what hydrogen cyanide has done to the insides of his teeth is remarkable prosthetic and CGI work. Introduction of Q (Ben Whishaw) and Eve Moneypenny together with the importance given to gadgets such as the radio tracker and armprint-locked pistol just like in the classics are fitting nods to the franchise's legacy.