One of the best Bonds.

Rating: 9/10 (20 November 2012)

Back in 2006 Martin Campbell's sensational Casino Royale re-imagined Britain's most famous spy as a flawed human that could make mistakes and feel real emotion. Gone were the gimmicky gadgets, onslaught of one-liners, self-referential acting and many more traditional 007 staples, this was a real-world Bond on show. Direct sequel Quantum of Solace took this too far and became excessively serious and sombre; its sense of fun had diminished to the point of non-existence. Enter acclaimed director Sam Mendes – not to mention world-renowned cinematographer Roger Deakins whose work here is second to none – and the franchise is not only back on track, but on a high. Skyfall is undoubtedly the most nostalgic (and humorous) Daniel Craig-era instalment, but it's also the most dramatically tense. Parts of Bond's back story are explored and he, along with Judi Dench's M, have their strongest emotional arc in a single movie to date. Between amusingly light-hearted encounters with the new-age Q (Ben Whishaw) and fellow field agent Eve (Naomie Harris), 007 must navigate through maternal surrogacy issues with M (Dench is thankfully given a larger and juicier role than in previous outings) in addition to dealing with the intensely vengeful Silva (Javier Bardem), who wields the power to bring down both MI6 and Bond's way of living. It's credit to Bardem that his villain is so obviously cut from the same over-the-top cloth of vintage Bond baddies (his introductory scene is both hilarious and menacing), yet retains a grounded stature that makes his life-threatening deeds instantly impactful and with severe consequences. There's more to chew on thematically for sure, but with a runtime of almost two and half hours the action and all-round excitement hasn't been skimped on. Look no further than the frenetic opening sequence that goes from a motorbike chase atop the Grand Bazaar to a fist fight on top of a moving train, with hardly a chance to breathe, which then segues into the typically awesome title design and Adele's beautifully old-fashioned title song. An underground escape by Silva and a courtroom shoot-out are other examples of heart-pounding action whilst a lusty casino-set meeting with reluctant henchwoman Severine (Berenice Marlohe) well and truly brings sexy back to the series. Simultaneously harking back to the good old days whilst energetically pushing towards the future, Skyfall can lay claim to being one of the best Bond flicks of all time.