Daniel Craig is back as Bond in Skyfall

Rating: 10/10 (8 November 2012)

The James Bond franchise has had some ups and downs but somehow has stayed going strong over the years. When Daniel Craig took over the role of Bond it sent a shockwave through the fans heart as he delivered a harder edged Bond than ever seen before. Casino Royale knocked it out of the park, but while Quantum of Solace was OK it just didn't live up to the quality of Casino Royale. After much struggle to get the latest Craig Bond film Skyfall made it's finally here, but will it return to what made Royale so good or will it be another sequel like Solace?
Skyfall follows Bond as his loyalty to M is tested when her past comes back to haunt her. With an attack on MI6 and a threat that is becoming more personal, 007 must come back from the dead to save her and MI6 before all is lost, no matter how personal it gets. This is easily the best Craig Bond film to date and could rank as one of the best of the 007 overall. Here we get a more emotional Bond times, but not in the realm of whiny or preachy like a lot of stories like this go. While there are some major action sequences, they are noticeably toned down for this latest edition to the popular franchise in favor of taking a more personal approach for both Bong and M, who is given a lot more to do here. Craig steps back into the shows of the titular spy better than ever continuing to breathe new life into this old school spy hero. Dame Judi Dench steps up her game even more to take the M character in a whole new direction giving her a chance to showcase even more of her acting brilliance. Of all the great performances none rival that of Javier Bardem who is the perfect villain. He is a bit over the top strange at times which gives him the feel of the classic villains in the earlier Bond films. Do not be surprised if he ends up with another Oscar nod for this character. The action that is in this film delivers on every level really keeping you the edge of your seat and racking up the body count.
Skyfall more than makes up for the issues with Quantum of Solace and even improves on what made Casino Royale so great. In addition to the expected current look and feel of the series, this time around they have added some classic elements that will make any hardcore Bond fan smile taking this film into a whole new level. If there were any doubts about his staying power it will easily be dispelled with Skyfall as Daniel Craig is James Bond and cannot wait to see what they have in store next.