Javier Bardem's Bond Villain in 'Skyfall' Is Camp Horror Perfection

If there's one quality that the James Bond series has always been good for, it's camp. Even if it wasn't always intentional, the series has had a healthy dose of sincere absurdity, whether it's the overt machismo of the Sean Connery era or the smoothly streamlined blockbusters of the Pierce Brosnan age. There's something inherently silly about the premise of Bond, and the best films know how to properly intertwine that silliness within actual stakes and well-crafted action sequences. The downside to this is that the silliness can often undermine any sense of real tension, particularly when it comes to the villains. Bond villains might be memorable, with their monologues and penchant for world domination, but they are hardly ever what one would call "scary." So consider how scandalous it felt when Javier Bardem blessed us with Silva, the villain from Danny Boyle's Skyfall, and became not only one of the best Bond villains ever, but also a perfect display of the power that comes when horror is laced with camp.