Bold and original, but not the best of Craig's 007s

Rating: 7/10 (30 October 2012)

MINOR SPOILERS
Sam Mendes's take on 007 is a remarkably well done film, both technically and entertainment-wise, it has the characters, the action, and the Bond allure which is a constant throughout the movie.
It captures you right with the opening sequence, which is absolutely thrilling and beautifully choreographed, the whole movie is nicely choreographed and very well shot (Roger Deakins's cinematography is a stand out). The key characters are well presented, with each of them having their own layers, and the movie dives specifically into Bond's psyche, which gave us on the way, the right dose of Bond origins (not too much, not too little). The lead acting is fantastic, Craig as Bond, which in my opinion is the best who portrayed the Iconic spy, Dench as M, and Bardem as Silva, which by himself takes the movie to a whole new level both as an actor and the character itself, since among the Daniel Craig-led 007's, Skyfall is the first film to bring us a true villain, an archenemy, one that is actually in-par to Bond himself. Skyfall also brings new additions and takes some out that leaves a lot to be explored in sequels (several new characters that will most probably be reprised again, and yes, there is death). And there is a very, very nice retro touch to the film that pays homage to 50 years of James Bond.
This however does not mean the film is perfect at all, it does have several issues of its own, issues that stand out. The overall story does not hold itself very well, specifically the final act, which might be considered a bit... stupid. Some characters and the architecture surrounding them did not Solid nor necessary, the whole Sévérine (Bérénice Marlohe) charade felt imposed and like a plot device just to introduce a an action sequence, a fling, and shed a little light on the villain. To me, the most un-Bond thing about Skyfall was that, 007 was more of a hit-man than a spy, he had one, maybe two "spying" missions, which included lots of killing, the rest was a shoot-em up, more like an open war movie than an espionage one.
And as for the temporary feel of the film (in the time of its release), the trailer had a very negative effect, it gave out almost every key scene and one liner in the film, leaving almost nothing to surprise you at the theater, this however cannot be held against the movie's lifetime position since trailers do not live forever, opposing to Bond films which actually do seem to live forever.
If I have to place this film among the other Craig-led Bond movies, it falls somewhere between "Casino Royale" and "Quantum Of Solace"