The new James Bond film, “Skyfall,” was released in theaters last Friday and now owns the record of the biggest opening in the Bond franchise history. The best part is that it is completely deserving of all praise given to it. “Skyfall” is a testament to the franchise’s durability, its ability to endure 50 years of films (not all of them were good), seven different actors who played the iconic character (again, not all of them were good) and 11 different directors.

The most important aspect of the Bond franchise is undeniably the man behind the Bond. Daniel Craig was the deciding factor in reinvigorating the franchise and with his third appearance as James Bond he showed audiences that he can do it all. He is arguably the darkest, grittiest, most violent Bond to date, but put him next to a beautiful woman and the viewers’ socks will literally cartwheel through the air from all the charm and wit he oozes.

Craig by himself is a delight, but most of his cheeky dialogue would’nt have been possible without a brilliant script from Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and John Logan. This film had so much talent behind it that it was a wonder that director Sam Mendes (“Jarhead,” “Road to Perdition”) even managed to point it in the right direction.

“Skyfall” is Mendes’ first major departure from mostly intense emotional dramas. But it is easy to see how his past work influenced the new James Bond flick. Don’t worry, “Skyfall” is jam-packed with tons of action and explosions, but in some films the most interesting moments occur in the quiet before battle. I’m happy to report that “Skyfall” is no exception.

Apart from Craig’s outstanding performance, in which he really gets to broaden the character arc of the well-loved superspy, Academy Award-Winner Judi Dench(“Shakespeare In Love,” “Casino Royale”) really gets her chance to shine as M, Bond’s boss. The film is really able to establish the rocky relationship that Bond and M have shared over the years, not always seeing eye to eye but in the end finding out that they cared for each other.

Turning towards the dark side of the film, Javier Bardem (“No Country for Old Men”) will go down in history as one, if not the most, interesting Bond villains of all time. Bardem plays a complete psychopath that will make audiences reminisce about the Joker from “The Dark Knight.” But like the Joker, instead of being just some maniac, Silva is a brilliant maniac who has dedicated the better part of his life plotting the downfall of the UK’s MI6.

The cinematography is perfect in “Skyfall.” Cinematographer Roger Deakins spins a very gritty and realistic, yet modern take on Bond.

Finally, “Skyfall” is able to do something that many films cannot. It looks forward towards the future but also takes from the past, reminding audiences why they loved Bond so much in the first place. The inclusion of Bond’s new gadget from the new Quartermaster, Q, played by Ben Whishaw (“Cloud Atlas”) is an example of this as is the reemergence of the Aston Martin DB5 from the Bond movie “Goldfinger” in 1964.The card that trumps them all though is the inclusion of Bond’s childhood home, Skyfall Mansion(so that’s why the title of the movie is “Skyfall”).

The mansion is another great reference to 007’s history and will give new James Bond viewers a nice background of Bond’s history as it was at the the start of the franchise 50 years ago.

I can’t wait to see what comes next in the James Bond franchise and can only hope that all cast and crew return for the two more sequels that Daniel Craig is locked in for. If Mendes returns then audiences should be in for some more great blockbusters in the coming years. As for future installments, like M says to Bond at the end of the film, “There is much to be done yet.”

By: Andrew Noonan