Great film but not really Bond

Rating: 8/10 (1 June 2013)

The plot is pretty good, although there are some minor holes in it. To keep this review spoiler-free I won't go too much into the details. James Bond films have never been known for the quality of their plots, but it's obvious that in Skyfall they wanted to change that, so I think it is a shame that they took a few short cuts too many. Other then that it is a great, emotionally charged piece of writing.
The acting is first rate. Daniel Craig, while -as many people have remarked in the past- not looking the part, does a great job at playing an older, hardened Bond. Judi Dench is amazing as M, and she really gets to show her talent due to M having a much bigger role in this film than in it's predecessors. Javier Bardem makes for an interesting villain. A touch too flamboyant for my taste, but he gets the job done really well.
The Directing is really where Skyfall stands out. Sam Mendes has already proved himself to be a fantastic cinematic director in the past, and Skyfall only serves as more proof. It may have helped that he has worked with most of the stars in the past, but also the pacing and atmosphere in the film are expertly crafted.
As for the cinematography; Skyfall blew me away. Fantastic compositions and brilliant use of colors that even Ridley Scott could learn from make Skyfall a treat for the eyes.
So all in all Skyfall is a good film. But Skyfall isn't just any film, it's a Bond film and certain special standards apply to Bond films. When people hear James Bond they think mind boggling stunts, pretty girls, fast cars and crazy villains. Well Skyfall delivers on all of these fronts, however very briefly.
The stunts are mind boggling, yes, especially considering that, as opposed to the last few films, there was almost no CGI involved in creating them. However most of the stunts and action occur in the first 10 minutes, allowing the rest of the film to get on with the plot. While normally this would be a good thing, more avid Bond fans may be disappointed by the lack of action.
The same is true for the girls. There is a lot of eye-candy in the film, but Bond hardly gets to spend any time with them before he gets whisked away again by the plot.
As for the villain, he's just the right amount of crazy and having a Bond villain on a personal vendetta instead of just being out for money or power certainly makes for an interesting change.
It all comes down to this. Skyfall is definitely a fantastic film and definitely worth watching, but in my opinion it just isn't Bond. As stated earlier, all the classic Bond elements get drowned out by the plot and therefore may leave some fans mildly disappointed.