Skyfall

It's the 50th anniversary of Bond, James Bond gracing our movie screens, and you might think the old chap would be showing a little gray hair and old age. Oh no, Siree!!!!! Skyfall is one of the best Bond movies ever and makes me feel like the whole franchise has been given a new shot of vitality and vigor.

Daniel Craig is back as James Bond, and his recent mission in Turkey has been a complete disaster. A fellow MI6 spy has been attacked, a computer hard drive containing information about every undercover agent around the globe has been stolen, and, while attempting to get it back, Bond is shot and presumed dead. Talk about having a rough day at the office!

Will Bond return from his "death" and resume his duty to the crown?

Will he be up to the task?

Can he stop this mad man who is focused on destroying MI6 and M (Judi Dench)?

Skyfall is the perfect 50th anniversary celebration of everything Bond, and stands out as one of the greatest Bond movies ever made. It's my favorite movie of the year, so far.

The brilliance of Skyfall comes from the perfect melding of old Bond and new Bond. On one hand, this is a spectacular action film with a straight forward story and plot. Everyone can understand a villain whose goal is revenge. It's so much more understandable than what we have seen in past Bond films, and gives younger people or just anyone who is not familiar with the totality of James Bond a great action film to enjoy.

However, Skyfall also celebrates everything we love about Bond from Dr. No to Quantum of Solace, from Connery to Lazenby to Moore to Dalton to Brosnan (Ok, maybe not so much Dalton, but you can't leave anyone out). It was enough to have me giggling with glee several times during the movie as something is brought up from the past.

All of the iconic imagery, characters, attitude and more are weaved into the fabric of Skyfall. I feel like it's one of the few Bond movies to acknowledge the previous films before it, which is why longtime fans will be jumping up and down for joy as director Sam Mendes brings back some Bond history we all love and in ways that help enhance the picture.

Best of all, the writing team of Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and John Logan beautifully tie in overarching themes and ideas into Skyfall. The bare bones of the movie is about catching a villain, but Bond and M both are struggling with the fear of losing a step, getting older, being pushed aside by a new generation or being out of touch with the modern world. It adds a different kind of depth that we haven't seen in Bond movies before. It's a romp and a cerebral inspiration.

Skyfall is the movie you have to see.

Skyfall is rated PG-13 for intense violent sequences throughout, some sexuality, language and smoking.