Judi Dench gives the performance of the year in Skyfall (:

Rating: 10/10 (13 December 2012)

I am not a big fan of the newer James Bond films; I prefer Sean Connery's Bond films. With that said, this installment gets an A+ from me, and I consider it one of the very best films of 2012, and it contains the best acting performance I have seen in 2012: Dame Judi Dench as M (: She is the co-lead of the movie, as the movie goes back and forth between Bond and M, both dealing with getting older in the spy business (; The opening chase scene is one of the greatest I have ever seen - I don't particularly like chase scenes but this one was so well paced, directed, and performed. The opening credits were witty and exciting and aided by a brilliant theme song sung and co-written by Adele. The film hardly has any let ups (or let downs) and my only minor criticisms is that I couldn't understand the Asian woman's dialogue when she & Bond were outdoors; and I would have shaved 5 or so minutes from the climax, which was a bit repetitive at times, but these are minor quibbles.
Javier Bardem is a wonderful witty formidable villain. It was interesting that he doesn't show up until at least half way through the film and yet this decision completely works! Ben Whishaw is one of my very favorite young English actors and his addition to the movie as "Q" was a total delight.
Naomie Harris as Eve is a real find; I am looking forward to seeing her in other movies.
Albert Finney was completely unrecognizable and great fun in his role.
Sam Mendes' direction is top-notch. It's the best work he has done ever as a filmmaker imo.
The cinematography, art direction, sound, editing, costumes, sets, and especially the musical score add considerably to why I give this film an A+.
But mostly I loved Dame Judi Dench's M. She is sharp, funny, precise, active, reflective and formidable. There's nothing like a dame! especially this particular Dame! (; Was it only me or did I want her to be sitting behind her desk at the end of the movie? "Say it isn't so" - an era has ended...