James, 24, was the star of the show for the Blancos, scoring Madrid's second of the night with an unorthodox free kick from an acute angle and adding the side's fourth with an acrobatic bicycle kick.
Benitez discussed James' quality, Cristiano Ronaldo not scoring for consecutive gameweeks and the quality of goals scored by last season's La Liga runners up - with Gareth Bale bagging an impressive double and Karim Benzema finishing off a fine team move with his head.
"James has been catching up with the rest of the team's fitness, his quality is undeniable," he told reporters. "Everybody knows the kid can play. There's no debate about it.
"You do the best to score spectacular goals, so I am content with what was scored today, but I generally don't care how the ball gets put in the back of the net.
"Cristiano was the one with the most shots on goal - if the team continues to generate chances, he will score soon enough."
The victory has alleviated pressure on Benitez, who was not a particularly popular hire among Madrid fans in the summer following the sacking of Carlo Ancelotti after a season without a major trophy.
Real Madrid - who drew last weekend's opener 0-0 at Sporting Gijon - are back in action on September 12 with a trip to Espanyol, following a two-week international break.
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