Skyfall is Brilliant!

Rating: 8/10 (21 February 2013)

I usually get to see Bond's at the cinema and have the big DVD boxset of all the Bond's up to the last, A Quantum of Solace. I missed Skyfall at the flicks and so when my local Tesco had it at ten to midnight, for £10, it was mine.
And I watched straight away. Bond's still aren't perfect and never will be - we all have different expectations on both who Bond is now, who he should be and how well Daniel Craig is portraying him.
For a start, no Bond will make total sense, which is good, you cannot have a 007 that isn't slightly barmy, fantastical and at least a bit macho. Sexism has largely gone, which suits the modern audience and the interplay between Judi Dench as 'M' and Craig is hypnotic. Others may find it incredulous. But, let's face it, Dame Judi can out-act anything and make it seem real, which is really what this milarky called acting is all about.
Brit director (American Beauty his best to date) has done a superb job, mixing an incredibly exciting, totally implausible opening, from which 007 cannot possibly recover, to big sweeping and (obviously) expensive locational shoots. The Shanghai set scenes are amazing and immediately make you want to go there.
There's an occasional and knowing irony and self-mocking of 'old' Bond, that's as dry as his shaken (not stirred!) vodka tonics, which are both clever and reassuring, aiding continuity within the franchise. Young Ben Wishaw makes for an unexpected (I had no idea) and effective 'Q', again keeping the franchise fresh and open to new story developments in the future.
The prerequisite Bond baddie is taken up by a quite weird Javier Badem, all peroxide blonde...! whilst Ralph Fiennes is supremely suited as MI6 Top Brass. The girls are all beautiful (of course) and Adele's title song (and having just won a BAFTA) is big on presence and stature - a very worthy addition to that title of Bond Theme.
Albert Finney is almost unrecognisable as a white bearded old Scotsman, defending a castle, in Scotland, where the film ends, in a rather Western style sort of shoot-out. I won't say any more on this!
I, personally, thoroughly enjoyed every single minute of Skyfall. I expected to and I wasn't disappointed. I'll watch it again within a few days, guaranteed!