A welcomed call back to the Connery classics

Rating: 7/10 (1 August 2015)

Bond Review.
Title: A cool title and plays a part in the story.
Pre-Titles: In Istanbul Bond and fellow agent Eve pursue a mercenary who has stolen a computer drive. Whilst Bond fights the man on a train, Eve is order to shoot and accidentally 'kills' Bond. This is a brilliant opening. It is well set-up, the stunt work is excellent and it is all very exciting. I love how the action gets bigger from cars to motorbikes to the top of a train and without it feeling too overblown.
Theme Song: Adele provides a classy and suitably moody theme. It is in the same vein as Shirley Bassey's work on the series and a pleasant call back to the Connery era theme songs. Most of it is thanks to a beautifully delicate piano melody, mysterious lyrics and soaring vocals.
Plot: MI6 is being attacked by a force that is believed to be from M's past. Bond returns from his absence and follows a trail that leads to one time agent Raoul Silva who is seeking revenge against MI6 for its apparent betrayal of him during his service. This is probably the most personal story in the series and it is that uniqueness that makes it so effective. Well finally get a pure look at the M character, her relationships with her agents and even a look into Bond's origins. Silva's scheme is set-up excellently and is interesting, whilst the relationships between the characters are developed and feel real.
James Bond: Daniel Craig does a truly brilliant job. He's probably the closest thing to Connery here in making Bond well balanced in each aspect as he's ruthless, sardonic, witty and charming in just the right amount. Craig also nails the more expressive scenes as well as being believable as a wearier and wiser Bond, while his relationships with M and the new Q are excellent.
Bond Girls: The Bond girls are probably the weakest point. Naomie Harris is decent as Eve and delivers her lines with a warm charm, but she just doesn't convincing in the action sequences and doesn't have much chemistry with Craig. Berenice Marlohe is very good as Severine and has an engaging presence, but the character is given little screen time and has absolutely no development.
Villains: Javier Bardem is fantastic as Silva. He has an interesting look, delivers some really effective lines and feels like an intellectual as well as physical threat. The fact that Silva's a hacker is a smart update and even the homosexual undertones work surprisingly well. His motivation makes sense and his link to M is explored excellently, while Bardem succeeds in being memorable.
Support: Judi Dench is superb as M. She adds a more sympathetic side to the character and her relationship with Craig is just wonderful, while every word she says and every expression she makes feels real. Ralph Fiennes is great as usual as the tough intelligence chairman Mallory and Albert Finney brings warmth as gamekeeper Kincade, while Ben Whishaw is fantastic as the new youthful computer smart Q and brings a lot of subtle humour to the role.
Action: The action is brilliant. Bond tracking the mercenary and fighting him in one of the Shanghai buildings is shot amazingly. We get a fun fight with some komodo dragons that hearkens back to the Connery fights. The whole sequence of Bond chasing Silva through London is just fantastic in every aspect, while the shootout in the enquiry room is great too. The climax is superb and is effectively Bond does Home Alone as he tries to protect Skyfall, it's packed with tension and nicely inventive.
Score: Thomas Newman provides an excellent score. He simply creates a great balance as his compositions move between pounding intense pieces to sweeping classic sounding arrangements, while incorporating oriental sounds and subtle electronics smartly.
Production Values: Sam Mendes does a great job with the direction. He knows when to keep it simple and how to create memorable imagery which is exactly what you want from a Bond director. The visuals are a highlight. This is possibly the best looking film of the series, there are so many beautiful shots when Bond is in Shanghai thanks to a really expressive colour scheme and the shots of the Scottish hills are just oozing with atmosphere. The writing is very good. The characters are believable and their motivations are plausible, this is very much a character driven film and the plot fits around this direction smartly. The dialogue has a just the right mix of intelligence and humour. In fact the humour in this film is effective because it is so low-key, it shows that you can do a serious Bond film and have plenty of amusing bits throughout. As noted the locations are brilliant and are all captured perfectly.
Conclusion: Skyfall is a fantastic Bond film in every sense of the word. It is constantly entertaining while managing to be gritty, funny and stylish whenever it is called for. Daniel Craig is just superb here and he really does include everything you want a Bond actor to have. Judi Dench is outstanding in a bigger role, Javier Bardem makes a memorable villain, the supporting actors are fantastic, the action is very enjoyable, the score is engaging and the visuals are spectacular. Sure the female leads are a little weak and the plot may well be too convoluted for some, but this is Bond at its most entertaining and it is a welcomed return to form.