Now Pay Attention 007!

Rating: 8/10 (28 October 2012)

Since watching the movie I have read with eager anticipation the reviews for Skyfall both here & in the press. I must agree with the consensus in stating this is a very good Bond movie & a worthy addition to the series, but NOT the best in my humble opinion.
The plot is simple with the basis of the story linked to a theft of a list of fields agents, both CIA & MI5 (shades of Mission Impossible & the NOC list) perpetrated by a cyber villain (Goldeneye) who has a shady history with M. Our villain, both camp & sinister, seeks revenge for a previous wrongdoing by M. Javier Bardem relishes his role & delivers a truly memorable Bond baddie. We like our Bond baddies to look the part and have an almost 'cartoon like' quality about them. Raoul Silva, Bardem, has a sinister yet sympathetic quality which reminds me of the Joker in the Batman series.
We see Bond face the demons of his own past whilst rescuing M from hers, the great Judy Dench on form as usual. The movie is just over two hours long but certainly didn't seem it as Sam Mendes carries us through this highly enjoyable action thriller effortlessly. The cinematography is fantastic with sumptuous sets & beautiful location shots.
Daniel Craig has found his Bond and delivers a very assured performance and even delivers a few well timed one liners along the way. He still has the hard edge we have seen in the previous outings but this time allowed some humour to creep in. The scene with Bond & M in the DB5 will bring a smile to all cinema-goers faces.
Berenice Marlohe is gorgeous as Severine but unfortunately has as much screen time as Teri Hatcher did....if you know what I mean? Naomie Harris as Eve (surname withheld) has an awkward relationship with Bond but why that is is addressed at the end of the movie. Ben Wishaw, the new Q, was another risk which in my eyes pays off well. Q being a genius geek of a lad may ruffle the feathers of die hard Bond fans but watch the movie & see how well it works.
So why isn't it the 'best' Bond in my opinion. That lies in the third act, the final main scene. Although tense, action packed and emotional it wasn't a Bond ending in my eyes. I'm all for the big sets and bigger explosions with Bond at the centre of it all. Don't get me wrong it was a very good ending but more Hitchcock than Bond more Batman than Bond.
I also still have one more question....."what happened to the list of agents that started the movie off?".
I enjoyed Casino Royale the more I watched it so an 8/10 from a first viewing is high praise indeed for Skyfall. Perhaps when I've seen it another two or three times that rating may increase!
And finally.....I like Adele's theme and I think Thomas Newman is a superb composer. Can we have David Arnold back however? He more than anyone is as close to the wonderful John Barry as we've got!