Skyfall was a solid movie in its own right but as a Bond movie, it was one of my all time favourites. Unlike Quantum of Solace, I felt like they actually took the time to tell this story and the pay off was worth it. Something I found interesting is the idea about Bond getting old and how the job of an MI6 agent is not something you can do forever. It makes me wonder if they might explore some of these themes in the next movie. It's true that the last 1/3 of Skyfall didn't feel like a Bond movie at all and I think that's why I loved it. The Daniel Craig Bond movies have always taken a different look at James Bond and Skyfall was no exception. Like I said, great movie. Execution on all accounts were solid like you'd expect. I hope Mendes gets a chance to do the next film.

How safe do you feel? Bond 23 and 007 has to literally come back from the dead when a stolen hard-drive makes M (Dench) look bad at a time when a face from her past comes homing into blood thirsty view. There is one sure fire fact in cinema that nobody can dispute, that of there never ever being a James Bond film that all Bondphiles will agree on. From each corner of the spectrum will come arguments that said Bond film is not gritty enough, not fun enough, not enough sex, not enough action, not enough fantastical stunts and etc etc etc. Well that's fine of course, we all have our peccadilloes we prefer in our Bond movies, but we do live in different times now, the world has changed, and so has Bond. You may not get the ultimate Bond you want, but this is a 21st Century Bond and a new era of 007 is upon us, something which makes Skyfall even the more bolder and braver because it marks the 50th anniversary by blending the old with the new and mostly achieving brilliant results. Skyfall allows us to bathe in nostalgia whilst also forcing us to re- evaluate just where we are at in terms of our beloved super secret agent. One of the great things about this Bond is that there is a bubbling under current of time's importance delicately perched on each side of James Bond's shoulders. Is he (and M etc) outdated? Or is the future still in need of such operatives/organisations? Director Mendes and his team don't take any of the easy options that were clearly available to them to answer the question, they instead build a film around Bond and M as characters, embrace the traditions of the series and hit us hard in head and heart. The plot of Skyfall as written is simple, absolutely nailed on it is straight and true to Hollywood conventions, but what fills out the simple plot is a series of Bondian delights, thrills spills and emotionally splintered kills. The stunning pre-credits sequence sees Bond traverse the rooftops of Istanbul on a motorcycle and then fight on top of a speeding train. Only to then find himself expendable. Which leads to Daniel Kleinman's title credits sequence that is filled with ominous portents of death and blood, in turn backed by the wonderfully Bondian of old title song warbled by Adele. It's clear at this point that this Bond movie is nodding to traditional values whilst promising to deliver some emotional pain. And so it proves. A washed up Bond enters the fray, and he convinces, he's dishevelled, unshaven and unfit, but he's still a tough bastard who can drink hard and stare a scorpion down. He'll be back soon, we know this, and he will be in wonderful physical shape, and loyal to his surrogate mother for sure. Ah, but there's the adversary on the scene now, a villain to finally give Craig's Bond something to fret about. It's Javier Bardem's (perfect) Silva, a cyber terrorist with a shock of blonde hair, a nasty dental trick and a devilish sexiness that unnerves during an interrogation scene; to which Bond cheekily opens up some wink wink possibilities. There is other sexual tension in the film as well, not just a steamy shower scene, but the ongoing banter with Naomie Harris' (excellent) Eve that positively fizzes with smirking innuendo. But ultimately this comes down to the love between a man and a woman, the kind that is so different to the type that has so often underpinned a Bond movie. Bond will kill or be killed for M, and how marvellous to see a director really able to give Judi Dench the direction she so deserves, and Bond, in Craig's magnetic and gritty hands, responds in kind to deliver a last half hour as good as any in the 50 years of Bond on film. As we know, all turf is Bond's turf, but this time it really is HIS turf, and as a little back story comes seeping out, Bond gets to exorcise some demons whilst kicking considerable ass. Get ready Bondphiles, this has the emotional wallop only seen in the best Bond movies of old. All the Bondian trappings are still here, exotic locales, gorgeous women, speeding vehicles, fights, stupendous stunts, bizarre lairs and balls out machismo. It's also funny! I myself commented when reviewing Quantum of Solace that it was pretty ace as an action film, but for many it's not Bondian enough, and the truth of the matter is Bond still needs to have a degree of fun, no matter how grim and gritty the story line is. Thankfully Skyfall is often a blast, with Craig (surely convincing even the most stubborn of dissenters how good a Bond he is) having the confidence and skill to lace his Bond's macho broody instinct with a desert dry wit and shrug of the shoulders nonchalance. Other side of the camera the tech credits are high, with Deakins proving to be one of the aces in the pack. His capturing of vistas, be it a neon city scape or a mountainous valley, are eye delights, his colour tones are beautiful, I promise you, nobody these days does golden browns like Deakins. It's not the masterpiece that I or gazillions of others hoped for, and it does have flaws (new Q a bit too geeky safe, finale lacks a substantial battle with the villain) and it remains simple in plot, but it's Bond's birthday and the birthday boy has been done proud by the makers. It's a new era Bond for sure, but that most definitely isn't a bad thing, it knows its past and it now knows its future, and without doubt we all still know the name. 9/10

Great theme song and a much more balanced movie compared to Quantum of Solace, and the story is well written, revealing Bond's background and the motherly relationship with M (contrast with a more antagonistic portrayal in the Brosnan series). Javier Bardem as the villain was fantastic, almost Joker like in his planning. The only setback is the finale, sure some nice action and explosions but not quite as thrilling versus Casino Royale. Still, one of the better in the Bond series overall. **4.0/5**

_**Can you go home again?**_ After 007 (Daniel Craig) is thought dead-in-action in Turkey, the computer of ‘M’ (Judi Dench) is hacked and there’s an attack on the MI6 headquarters in London. M & Bond suspect it’s an inside job, which leads James to Shanghai, Macao and a mysterious island off the coast of China, then back to London. Bond has to find sanctuary for M, but you know what they say about going home again? Javier Bardem plays a heavy and Ralph Fiennes an MI6 official. “Skyfall” (2012) thankfully includes the character depth of “Casino Royale” (2006) and fixes the confusing 4 clips-per-second action of “Quantum of Solace” (2008). Don’t get me wrong, “Quantum” can be appreciated as the action-oriented second half of “Casino Royale,” but it’s easily one of the lesser installments in the franchise. “Skyfall,” by contrast, stands with the best. The movie saves the best for last, but I don’t want to give anything away. Let’s just say it’s a refreshing change for the series, the locations are fabulous and a classic actor unexpectedly shows up. Besides Dench on the feminine front, there’s Bérénice Marlohe as Severine in China and Naomie Harris as MI6 agent Eve. Tonia Sotiropoulou also has a brief scene in Turkey. The film runs 2 hours, 23 minutes, and was shot in Turkey, England, China and Scotland. GRADE: A-

Ok, first things first. "Skyfall" and "crumble" do not rhyme. Sorry Adele, but they don't! Luckily, the rest of this story is almost as good as "Casino Royale" (2006). Daniel Craig reprises his role as "007", this time charged with thwarting a dastardly plan by the enigmatic "Silva" to avenge himself on none other than "M" (Dame Judi Dench) herself. He has managed to successfully infiltrate just about every system MI6 has and obtain a list of agents the world over. When he starts publishing these names, and the body count starts to rise, it falls to "Bond" to engage with his clever and malevolent foe. Bardem is effective as the baddie here. He has a certain, almost menacing, effeteness as he quite literally toys with his quarry. Loads of gadgets, explosions, a welcome appearance from the original Aston Martin and an action-packed pace keep this moving along well. The ending is a bit far-fetched, even by "James Bond" standards, and that even though it did give us chance to enjoy a suitably eclectic contribution from Albert Finney, was all just bit daft. The supporting efforts don't bode so well, either. Ralph Fiennes seems set for a larger role in future films and he doesn't really add much and though she does well enough, the role offered to Naomie Harris' "Eve" is just too insubstantial for her to assert herself on much of the story. That said, though, it's very much at the top end of the Craig outings for this character and it does look good on big screen,

**Skyfall understands, admires, and elevates Bond to excellence and mastery to an unexpected level and unmatched by its predecessors.** Skyfall is The Dark Knight of Daniel Craig’s James Bond films. Sam Mendes took all Casino Royale had built and elevated it to heights never before reached by Bond. Everything fires perfectly on all cylinders. The story is rich and delves further into the character of a bond than ever before. The action set pieces, the locales, and the cinematography are all masterpieces that establish Skyfall as an excellent James Bond film but take it further, placing it among the best movies of all time. Judi Dench’s performance as M cements her legacy as a Bond great. And the excellent supporting cast grows with the brilliant casting and performances of Naomi Harris as Moneypenny, Ralph Fiennes as Mallory, and Ben Whishaw as Q. Still, the biggest standout is Javier Bardem as the villainous Silva - one of the greatest Bond antagonists of all time. His unpredictable and menacing nature is cloaked in a slightly goofy demeanor and skewed moral code. Skyfall asks and answers questions unlike any Bond before while staying true to what makes James Bond so compelling and entertaining. Just like The Dark Knight for Batman, even people who are not traditional Bond fans will be impressed with Skyfall.

By the time Skyfall dropped my hatred of Craig Era Bond was pretty solidified. I started to realize that this was going to be the Bond that hated being Bond. That Bond was going to go down a dark hole that I was really going to loath. But... Javier Bardem really nailed it didn't he? Javier Bardem nailed it. Judi Dench had her best showing as M... ever, in fact it was so good that it kind of made you made she was relegated to a side character in all the other Bond movies. And the story was great... it was so great that Disneyer ripped off huge chunks of it when they made Black Panther. By 2012 you got the feeling that Sony was going to take the 007 down a dark and evil rabbit hole that would destroy the Franchise, but Skyfall still ranks as one of the best Bond movies in franchise history.

Keeping the Bond series down. Poor Daniel Craig isn't at fault for these totally uninspired, unmotivated stories he appears in. Maybe his agent is at fault. But while Craig makes money, his memory will be forgotten in a hundred years, if these 007 fiascos are his high points. They probably won't be his high points. Good for him. Here, we get more of the modern day movie making which eliminates all the exotic scenery and all the wit and all the inspiration and all the motivation. Instead, we get another demigod villain on the order of horror movies. He may as well be Freddy, Jason, or Wishmaster. That's how he's written. So, we have the worst Bond villain in movie history. Certainly, he's the most Hollywood. Which makes this as dull as watching a pot boil. Even the high octane action sequences can't save this flop.

This is a Bond film 100 times better than Spectre.