This is exactly how 21st century Bond/action movies should be made.

Rating: 10/10 (6 November 2012)

**SLIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD**
I don't often write movie reviews. But today, I feel compelled to.
I was dismayed by the previous installment, Quantum of Solace, which was an obvious copycat of the Jason Bourne flicks. It was painful to watch with its shaky camera-work, stroboscopic editing and incomprehensible storyline (I had the feeling the producers decided the plot was something accessory). Actually, the same thing can be said of most action thrillers churned out by Hollywood nowadays: just one action scene after the other, without any plot, let alone any depth whatsoever; they're just disposable products for the average moviegoer more interested in eating his pop-corn or answering his cellphone during the screening than in following a storyline worthy of the name. Typical of the dumbing down of today's society.
In stark contrast, Skyfall is the Bond movie I had been waiting for for ages. It stays true to the Bond mythos while daringly breaking new ground never seen before in Bond flicks. A more realistic plot drawing its roots in today's headlines. For the first time, a Bond flick has noticeable political thriller overtones. Settings remarkable for their lack of glamor, at least in the second half. A woman in her 70s as both "the Bond girl" and a motherly figure to Bond. Smarter dialog with more depth, nevertheless with the odd typical Bond one-liner. Clever editing and beautiful photography, perhaps the most beautiful in the Bond series. Memorable performances, especially from Daniel Craig, Judi Dench and Ralph Fiennes. Perhaps for the first time in the Bond franchise (with the notable exception of Timothy Dalton), the characters are fully-fleshed and NOT mere cardboard cutouts. I really hope we'll see in the next movie more of Fiennes' no-nonsense character, deft at playing power games in the corridors of high government (an ambiguous character reminiscent of the bad guys of Ken Loach's "Hidden Agenda"). The relationship between Bond and M is also delved into with brilliance.
As a longtime Bond fan who's always considered Timothy Dalton's rendering of Bond as the most hard-edged and closest to Ian Fleming's depiction of 007, I consider Skyfall to be the most mature, the most adult-oriented, the most beautifully crafted Bond movie. But just like Timothy Dalton's Bond didn't appeal to mainstream audiences, I fear Skyfall is too serious and too smart for the average moviegoer. I am concerned the producers might decide for the next installment to go back to the campy/light-hearted tone of the Roger Moore/Pierce Brosnan eras that was more crowd-pleasing.
The infallible superman Bond with no physical nor psychological flaws whatsoever is something of the past. Many people will disagree with me, but Skyfall should be the mold for the Bond movies of the future.