A Superb Entry In A Venerable Franchise

Rating: 10/10 (10 November 2012)

The critical acclaim doesn't begin to describe the exhilaration I felt watching this movie. You get all the elements we've come to expect from the Bond franchise, exciting set pieces, exotic locales,and beautiful women. But the movie is so much more. The story delves deeper into the characters of its principles than any other film in the series. It feels like a story that Fleming himself could have written. The pacing is steady. The cinematography by Roger Deakins is breathtaking, along with the razor sharp editing by Stuart Baird. Craig claims the mantle of Bond for himself. Javier Bardem is the creepiest Bond villain of all time. He equals, if not surpasses, his Oscar winning performance in "No Country For Old Men." And even in a series where you sometimes you feel like you've seen it all, this movie offers up an array of surprises that run the gamut from funny to heartbreaking. Easily the best written, directed, acted, photographed and edited movie of the entire series.