A breath of fresh air (again).

Rating: 10/10 (28 October 2012)

Lets start by stating the obvious - this film (as with the previous two in the Craig era Bond)will divide audiences. There will be those who mourn the loss of girls, gadgets and humorous Bond and there will be those who welcome this new era of strong, silent Bond whose jokes, gadgets and one liners are kept to a minimum. Personally, I fall into the latter category. Those fans that mourn the 'real Bond' are actually missing the point - the real Bond as envisaged by Ian Fleming is far closer to Craig's interpretation that that of Moore in the 70's or Brosnan in the 90's. So, a breath of fresh air that we have something approaching the real deal instead of increasingly ridiculous gadgets and cheesy one liners that would not be out of place in a Carry On film.
I saw the film in IMAX and it is a treat from the breathless opening sequence to the satisfying conclusion. Mendes produces to big action set pieces when they are called for, which contrast brilliantly with the quiet, brooding moments, especially those involving the bad guy, played brilliantly and with evident glee by Javier Bardem. Judi Dench again produces a top acting turn as M and this time has far greater involvement in proceedings, much to the film's benefit. In fact, all the supporting cast contribute greatly to the film - Marlohe giving us the sex appeal and Whishaw surprising me with a convincing Q. And then there is Craig - the first Bond since Connery who you watch and actually believe that this man is a British spy. He is human, he has emotions but at the same time he is cold and dedicated. Everything is in place to give a well rounded, thoroughly believable character, consequently giving the film that gritty edge as opposed to throw away popcorn fantasy. If Fleming were alive, I'm confident he would applaud.