Skyfall!

Rating: 9/10 (1 June 2013)

I love James Bond movies! Some of my favorites: FRWL, GF,TB, OHMSS, TSWLM, FYEO, TLD, LTK, GE, TWINE, CR!
Sean Connery is the man. George Lazenby was pretty good, a bit more romantic. Great final scene in OHMSS. Roger Moore, over-the-top, action-packed, fun stunts....he could be cold and serious here and there. Dalton, serious, dark, brutal, yet still some fun. Brosnan, a hybrid of previous actors but I liked him. His acting got better as the movies progressed. Too bad the scripts weren't all that great!
Daniel Craig! I was surprised with their choice but man was Casino Royale so good. His acting was fantastic: funny, charming, dangerous, vulnerable, sarcastic, cold, cool. The action, the romance, the script, the score, the direction = great! Quantum of Solace? Not as good but I still liked it. The story and villain aren't as interesting but there is a ton of action, nice score, great locations (Italy), Felix returns, M is great as always, the return of Tanner, strong and gorgeous Camille, Fields, opera scene, some really nice moments in here (between Bond and Mathis, and Bond and Vesper's boyfriend).
Skyfall: Love that song. Reminds me of the Shirley Bassey songs. The score was pretty good, Istanbul and Shanghai scenes being favorites. I liked how Newman incorporated Adele's song briefly during James' entrance in to the casino. We even hear the Bond theme here!
Mendes as director? A pleasant surprise as Skyfall is a winner. Great acting- Javier Bardem, Daniel Craig, Judi Dench! Javier was a fantastic villain, scary, funny, creepy, flamboyant, sympathetic, dangerous. When he took out his dentures....woah. Wish he had a fight scene with Craig! The others were great too. I'm looking forward to seeing more of Ralph Fiennes, Eve Moneypenny = wonderful, Severine was a tragic character. The cinematography was stellar! Nice job Roger Deakins.
The story was way more simple this time around compared to Quantum. It allowed for a slower pace and more insight into Bond's character. His interactions with Dench make for great cinema. She will be missed! The opening Istanbul sequence was one of my favorite Pre-title sequences. And the action is coherent! I also loved the Shanghai and Macau sequences. They felt very BOND. Good idea to mix it up by having the baddies invade Bond's lair. OH! And great cinematography by Roger Deakins. WOW.
Daniel Craig's performance is so good! He is still the Bond from Casino and Quantum yet manages to bring some Connery and Moore, maybe a little Brosnan into the mix. A layered performance. Best Bond ever????
This movie combines old and new in an exciting way. There are tons of references throughout, even some Roger Moore-like moments in here (Komodo dragon fight). It was great to see the DB5 again along with a new underground headquarters and that groovy office at the end.
There are a few things though like a striking similarity between this and The Dark Knight, the fact that Silva and Bond never fight, some plot holes (every movie has them).
Overall, this movie is fantastic. If you dig James Bond, you will dig this.