The media blitz for the 50th Anniversary of British superspy James Bond has been deafening.

On the market just in time for the new movie, there’s a comprehensive Blu-ray box set of all 22 Bond flicks, a 600-pg. coffee-table book, a 2-CD set of Bond theme songs, new commemorative posters, and even a $4,000-dollar luxury watch. Besides the recent “60 Minutes” feature, there’s been countless stories in the media about Bond’s history and his triumphant 2012 return.

It’s a lot of hype for “Skyfall,” Daniel Craig‘s third outing as James Bond, to live up to. Mostly, the film is up to the task. “Skyfall” doesn’t reach the emotional depths of 2006’s “Casino Royale,” but it features jaw-dropping cinematography and set design, and some of the most exciting action scenes of the entire series.

James Bond has never been a series known for its emotional complexity. Rather, Bond movies are known for their high style, veneer of cool, exotic locations, seductive women, over-the-top villains, and high-octane action sequences. “Skyfall” has that in spades, so on that level, it’s right up there with the best. From a suspense plot standpoint, though, it’s pretty routine.

Bond’s boss M–played again by Judi Dench–makes tough choices that put her in the sights of an effeminate former MI6 agent-turned-terrorist played in traditional campy fashion by Javier Bardem, who is having a ball. The personal relationship between Bond and M is the most significant in the film, and “Skyfall” revolves around two themes that test them both: the true definition of loyalty to country and knowing when to retire.

At two-and-a-half hours, “Skyfall” gets a bit long, especially when it settles in and eventually becomes a straight-up cat-and-mouse revenge plot. But the surface-value thrills are pretty extraordinary and the parallels between M and Bond form a strong thematic core.

“It’s not about the money,” says one-time felon Jimmy Grant to rich hedge-fund manager Robert Miller.

Miller’s response: “What else is there?”

Opening at Liberty Hall this weekend is “Arbitrage,” a compelling new drama starring Richard Gere as a billionaire who’s trying to juggle multiple balls in the air as long as he can before they come crashing down on him. He’s covering up a huge investment loss, harboring a mistress, and routinely lying to his family about everything under the sun. Things get worse for him from there.

Gere has just the right balance of smooth calm and genuine panic in a performance that just may eek out a Best Actor nomination come Oscar time, despite the relatively low profile of the film. The supporting cast of Susan Sarandon, Tim Roth, and Britt Marling are uniformly excellent, and “Arbitrage” skillfully keeps the audience guessing, while organically pointing out all of the advantages that the uber-rich have to keep themselves out of trouble.

Also at Liberty Hall this week is “Liberal Arts,” a romantic comedy/drama written and directed by Josh Radnor from TV’s “How I Met Your Mother.” It’s another movie about an aimless, self-centered thirtysomething guy who wants to sow some more wild oats before it’s too late, but at least Radnor’s character in “Liberal Arts” at least has a severe guilt complex about it.

Elizabeth Olsen (So good last year in “Martha Marcy May Marlene”) is the immature 19-year-old college student he falls for, and while Olsen’s looks make it easy to see why, no real bond or fireworks develop between the two actors. Richard Jenkins appears briefly as an older professor not yet ready to retire, and while his story mirrors Radnor’s, there’s too much self-indulgent skulking and not enough clever dialogue to keep the movie from sinking into the mire.