So far, there have been 23 movies featuring the iconic character James Bond. However, my prior experience with this franchise is limited to Paul McCartney’s “Live and Let Die” and the familiarity that comes from the huge place 007 holds in our popular culture. Obviously, I have no ability to compare this movie to its immediate prequels, but there are plenty of reviewers that can and will do that. The question is how does “Skyfall” stand on its own? The answer, as agreed upon by most critics, is that it holds up remarkably well. Many critics have said it is one of the best Bond movies yet.

First of all, “Skyfall” is visually stunning. From the opening chase scene through a town and surroundings in Turkey, to the finale on a Scottish moor, director Sam Mendes (“American Beauty”) takes advantage of the spectacular settings with some well-chosen cinematography to really show off the physical beauty of Bond’s surroundings. The indoor locations are great, too, especially the revamped underground MI6 headquarters and a Chinese gambling house complete with a pit full of hissing komodo dragons.

The acting was generally strong, and the casting was perfect. Javier Bardem (“No Country for Old Men”) is a veritable expert at playing the creepy villain, and his turn as Raoul Silva was incredible, featuring depth that showed a tortured soul, not just a mindless psychopath. Ralph Fiennes (the “Harry Potter” series) is too often typecast as a villain, and while at first his character Gareth Mallory seems like a bureaucratic jerk, audiences soon find out that there is more to him. Daniel Craig and Judi Dench as Bond and M were in usual fine form on their own, but the scenes of them together displayed some intense emotion and great chemistry. The only disappointment was Ben Whishaw (“Cloud Atlas”) as the new Q. His character is a one-dimensional, young and overly confident nerd. However, this problem may have been more due to screenwriting than acting, and overall performances in “Skyfall” were top-notch.

The movie ends just as you might imagine, save one surprise, along with a small homage to Bond’s history. The film doesn’t have many twists or cliffhangers, but as a blockbuster it still has quite a bit of heart. Bond is not the invincible hero anymore—after an early injury the MI6 spy is weak, broken and can’t even shoot straight. By the film’s closing, he overcomes in true innovative and inventive Bond style—although in the case of his difficulty shooting, the plot never really explains how. Overall, if it were any other protagonist, it would still be a good movie, but the cultural importance of James Bond makes “Skyfall” a must-see this year.