I saw Skyfall on opening night and it was very good. As expected, it kicked off with a wild chase scene involving motorcycles, trains and, of course, guns. Then the film’s opening sequence, featuring Adele’s great new song, played. The score for this movie, by Thomas Newman, has been getting a lot of flack from Bond fans, and rightfully so. While it featured a good track here and there, it lacked a cohesive feel. It’s serviceable, just not impressive.

The plot surprised me, as it’s very different from previous films in the franchise. It focused on Bond, M and MI6 being “old dogs” that are out of touch with reality. According to the screenplay, today’s villain isn’t threatening the world with nuclear missiles, he or she is systematically taking it down from behind a keyboard. This point is driven home by the main antagonist Raoul Silva, brilliantly acted by Javier Bardem. Anytime he was onscreen, he had my rapt attention.

Judi Dench played a big role in this film and did a fantastic job, as usual. Daniel Craig also deserves recognition for clearly conveying the inner turmoil suffered by James Bond, especially in the beginning of the film. He’s grown into this role and made it his own. I’m glad Craig is sticking around for at least two more films.

Skyfall had the biggest U.S. box office opening for any Bond film, bringing in nearly $88 million. While I don’t consider Skyfall to be as good as Casino Royale, it is superior to Quantum of Solace. It’s a refreshing take on a film franchise that’s running 50 years strong. Here’s to another five decades of 007 reporting for duty.