Best bond film ever

Rating: 8/10 (4 January 2013)

In Skyfall we come across a very imperfect Bond, something we have been used to since Casino Royale & Quantum of Solace. Skyfall however does not carry on from its predecessors in terms of story or character building and really stands alone as an entry in the whole series.
Even though the initial plan was to form a trilogy, with the Quantum organisation being the gel that helped connect all the three films, we now find Bond on the trail of a former operative who wants to bring down Mi6. An operative who makes a somewhat homoerotic entrance to say the least.
Comparisons have been made between Skyfall and Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy, which is apparent in the way the character of Bond and the themes normally associated with a Bond film are deconstructed and built back up again. This completely works in Skyfall as we see Bond essentially labelled as being over the hill and encouraged to step aside for a younger, better version to take his place.
Where Skyfall really works for me is how it works as an intelligent blockbuster, there is no action for action's sake. The story builds up to moments where the action makes sense and you feel as if it is continuing to move the story along. Of course there's nothing wrong with a silly blockbuster to pass a few hours away, but that wouldn't have been right here. Bond needed stripping down and going back to basics.
Overall I really enjoyed this version of Bond, at the moment I would say it stands as my favourite James Bond film. Any future sequel has a tough act to follow but the ground work has been laid for something special to happen.