James Bond has been the subject of much conversation lately.  Were he a real spy, this would be concerning.  But he’s not, and the chatter around Bond’s latest exploits is nothing but good news for Double-O-Seven.  The latest Bond movie, Skyfall, has been dubbed the best yet by many Bond fans.

To a first-time Bond viewer, that doesn’t say much for the billion-dollar franchise, because Skyfall is not an excellent movie.  It’s a good movie, but the viewer can’t help but think that after 50 years, Bond has to have been better.

That said, Skyfall is everything a Bond movie should be: fast, suspenseful, witty and saturated with fast cars and beautiful women.  The plot revolves around an attack on MI6 by an unknown party, an attack which only underscores the idea that the organization is behind the times.  The attacker turns out to be a former MI6 agent (Javier Bardem) with an unhealthy obsession with spy boss M, played immaculately by veteran Judi Dench.  Bardem, too, is gloriously creepy, despite a criminal lack of screen time.  Without these performances, Skyfall would just be another Bond movie.

Sprinkled throughout the film are references to earlier films: mentions of exploding pens, conspicuously placed mirrors and an appearance by a certain beige car.  All these supplement the greater theme that Bond’s getting old.  About time, too.  It’s been 48 years since Auric Goldfinger spoke the iconic phrase “no, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die.” Who knew he would have to wait so long?  At long last, Bond has to face the idea of mortality.

All this would make the movie much better if it meant anything.  By the film’s end, Bond is, as ever, back on assignment. Nothing changes.  Double-O-Seven returns to his life of good scotch, bad pick-up lines and constant brawling without a second thought.

Perhaps it’s too much to ask of a cash-cow such as Bond to change his formula.  But even a new Bond watcher can see that the franchise is going nowhere.  Skyfall promised to be revolutionary, and it wasn’t.  It was just another pretty good movie.  Ah, well.  At least the theme song is catchy, and a reminder that some things don’t need to be changed.