Skyfall, Easily on the best Bond films

Rating: 8/10 (26 October 2012)

Casino Royale was one of the best Bond film, whilst Quantum of Solace was frustratingly flawed. Now we have have Skyfall, the third outing of Daniel Craig as Bond, with Sam Mendes stepping into the directors chair.
After the horrible opening to Quantum of Solice (a lesson in bad editing). Skyfall opens with an extremely strong action packed opening sequence, which introduces a new major character and also is the basis for the main plot of the film. The following title sequence, is exceptionally well done and whilst I am not a big fan of Adele's Skyfall opening theme, it does work well with the titles.
I won't go into any further detail on the story but it is handled well through out. Certain comparisons have been made with Christopher Nolan's 'The Dark Knight' and I can definitely see resemblances, though I think the dynamic between the characters in Skyfall is stronger and more interesting.
Whilst the story for the film is quite basic, it is written extremely well for the most part. The dialogue is probably at a higher level than I have heard in a Bond film for many years and maybe ever. Sam Mendes is generally accepted as being a actors director and he shows his skill here, bringing out some great performances.
Daniel Craig has made the role of Bond his own and for me is probably the best Bond. In this film we see a much changed, more grown up Bond, who is much more world weary than previous Bonds and who is shown to have various problems. Judy Dench as we expect is impressive as 'M' and with the story of the film, revolving firmly around her character, she is given much more to do than any previous Bond film.
As for incoming Characters. Javier Bardem is a strong Bond villain, who come across as extremely creepy at times and camp at others. Naomie Harris works well as the field agent 'Eve' and her character and Bond work well off each other. Bérénice Marlohe does a good job in her role but isn't given a huge amount to do, Ben Whishaw plays a modern version of 'Q', he is given quite a bit to work with and again his interaction with Bond helps the film. Ralph Fiennes comes in to the film with a very murky character, who is fleshed out through out the film. It does become quite obvious where his character is heading, though those of us with a suspicion double cross nature might come to an in obvious but incorrect assumption.
Mise-en-scène in a Bond films are exceptionally good generally but with Skyfall the notch is moved up another level. The settings for the film look extraordinary adding a huge amount of character to the film. Special mention has to be given to Roger Deakins, who does an amazing job of the cinematography and if this is not up for an Academy Award for the amazing job he has done on the film, it would be a travesty.
Another area where Skyfall has stepped up its game is the score, which I found both comforting and interesting. Thomas Newman has taken over from David Arnold and has done a great job. As I said at the top, I am not a big fan of Adele's Bond theme but it does make much more sense after seeing the film.
Unfortunately I can't say the film is perfect. There are a couple of moments, which for me don't work as well as they should. The initial interaction between Bond and Bardem's Raoul Silva, at a certain point becomes uncomfortable, in not a great way. Fortunately that moment psses soon enough but it will raise eyebrows.
My second gripe is the ending.I found it to be much weaker than I had hoped for. It isn't terrible but is very sudden and feels out of step compared to the rest of the film.
Apart from the two small problems though I feel that Skyfall, in Bonds 50th year is a triumph. I would say that this Bond film probably isn't for kids as it has some strong moments, though none stronger than the Chair scene in Casino Royale. Well worth going to see.