Bond meets Dark Knight Rises.

Rating: 10/10 (29 October 2012)

Now let me just start with this. Daniel Craig is the best James Bond. Without a doubt this guy has transformed the womanizing secret agent, Moore, Brosnan and Connery played over the years and has transformed him into a powerhouse of a protagonist . Not only is he the closest version to Fleming's literary character, but after he hangs up his boots as James Bond (wait for it), they should close the franchise down. Because they will never, ever be an actor who'll match the on screen presence Daniel Craig has with the character. Now after seeing several trailers for Skyfall, I was very pleased with what I saw and had high hopes that this latest offering, would equal Casino Royale.
Skyfall is the best Bond film, I have ever seen. Not only does Skyfall equal the awesomeness (if that's a word) of Casino Royale. It surpasses it! Now I don't usually believe in any film hype, but Skyfall lives up to the hype and delivers in spades. Not only is it excellent on every level, it really is a triumph in filmmaking.
Performances are excellent from everyone who plays a major part. Daniel Craig not only continues to play the hard as nails side to Bond brilliantly, his vulnerable side is on show more than it has been in the previous films. Not much has been mentioned of Bond's past in previous films, but Skyfall gives you everything you need to know and more. This is not only Craig's best performance as Bond, it's the best I've seen from him as an actor. This time he allows us to see a totally separate side to the James Bond character. Old wounds are opened and left open for all to see how much of a wreck he has become after doing the job he was required to do. His performance is only outmatched by Judi Dench as M, who just like Bond has to deal with the sins of the past when she realises one of her old agents is after her. Again it's the first time we see M show her human side. Showing behind her well fortified MI6 office desk, she becomes just as afraid as any other person. M is regarded as a relic by the Prime Minister and her peers at a committee hearing, but she fights and back quotes TS Elliot, which is her way of telling everyone she won't quit, until the job is done. Judi Dench is excellent in this, and her chemistry with Craig is very much a mother looking out for her son kind of relationship. Which has been more or less been the story between the two throughout the three Craig films.
One of the many problems with Quantum of Solace, was that it had an extremely poor villain. So poor, he's not even memorable. Javier Bardem did a job in No Country for Old Men which rightly earned him an Oscar. But I had doubts if he could pull off being a Bond antagonist. He's fantastic in this and plays a really scary unhinged villain. Think Max Zorin from A View to a Kill with a dash of Heath Ledger's Joker, and you'll get Silva. The thing that's unique about Silva is that, his blond hair and campy cream suit jacket almost make you underestimate him. But he is a really dangerous villain and excellent match Bond, physically and mentally. Bardem makes Silva memorable with one scene, and I won't spoil it, but trust me, you'll know what I'm on about once you see it.
Supporting cast does a great job. Naomi Harris, Ben Whishaw as the new Q, Bérénice Marlohe, Rory Kinnear, Ola Rapace, Albert Finney and Ralph Fiennes all do a great job supporting, with Whishaw and Finney being standouts. Mendes' direction is visually beautiful. It's clean, crisp, polished, picturesque and well-edited. The scenes in Shanghai are amazing, and those scenes only confirm why Mendes is held in such high regard as a director. Not only does he have a great eye for detail, he also allows his actors to breath more life into their characters. Add veteran cinematographer Roger Deakins to all of this and you have a visually amazing film. Every frame is given attention and every frame looks as if it should be photographically framed. Nicholas Refn did a similar job with Drive, but Mendes (with a bigger budget) has shown he is a master at it. There's even a fight scene between Bond and an assassin in Shanghai that's worth the price of admission alone because of how it's been shot. The whole film is wonderful to look at and wonderfully put together. The nostalgic references were welcomed as were some of the jokes that went with them.The set pieces, visual effects, writing, acting even the score from Thomas Newman had me engaged throughout the entire film.
In essence, you could say that this is the Dark Knight Rises of the Bond series. It's picked little elements from previous Bond films like, Her Majesty's Secret Service, You Only Live Twice and Licence to Kill to make Skyfall work the way it does.
All in all, Skyfall is an amazing film and the best Bond film I've seen so far. But with Craig signed on for three more, how will they top this? Will Mendes helm the next Bond film? Or will they get another director with a different vision to handle the next instalment? Either way, it will take a lot to surpass Skyfall.