If you didn’t know by now, “Skyfall,” directed by Sam Mendes, is the latest film in the mega-hit James Bond series. It stars Daniel Craig as the iconic 007, a British superspy who in his latest venture must stave off an attack against MI6 itself, the organization that employs him. While the film is fun to watch and smartly made, there exists a disconnect that is hard to shake off.

There’s a lot of fan service here — both the gratuitous kind as well as otherwise — and even those unfamiliar with Bond’s exploits will get many of the references so embedded into film culture. Old Aston Martins and the reintroduction of old characters are just a few of the nods to previous films.

But this film isn’t just retrospective, it’s introspective as well. The film movie picks up with the introduction of Raoul Silva, an unconventional Bond villain played by Javier Bardem. His sexuality is just ambiguous enough and his characterization is just off-kilter enough for him to be captivating. He’s confident but also broken beyond repair, a former agent who wants to take down MI6 and its head (Judi Dench), and the ensuing battle puts the whole idea of spies into question. Bardem might not be as brilliant here as he was in “No Country for Old Men,” but he gets the job done, and 007 has to dig deep into his own troubled past to fight him.

Mendes has stated that he wanted his Bond villain to exist as something more than just a function of the plot. Bardem doesn’t, but almost everything else does, as contrived devices such as Chekhov’s guns and Bond girls permeate the film. There’s even a Chekhov’s knife at one point towards the end. But it’s classic 007, and it’s to be expected.

No, the main characteristics of the films aren’t the main problem here, rather it’s how they work in tandem with the overarching idea. You can’t have a ridiculous chase scene involving motocross on rooftops and then expect to have serious discourse on the role of espionage in modern day society. Sure “Skyfall” pokes fun at the series in some ways, like in a clever line delivered by 007’s new quartermaster (Ben Whishaw) as he hands Bond unconventional gadgets, but for the most part it just doesn’t work.

Despite this, those elements may be why the film has been so critically acclaimed. The adult reviewers who love it are perhaps watching the film through the screen of nostalgia, which is a comforting way to view a film, but also a deceptive one as well. Those uninitiated may still enjoy it, but it’s definitely not the masterpiece claimed by some.

Still, maybe if “Skyfall” had chosen one side of the coin over the other, it wouldn’t have done as well, both with critics and at the box office. But speculation is for economists and philosophers, and all that’s known for sure is that there’s somewhat of a mess here.

A mess that mostly works, but still somewhat of a mess.