Basement X

Skyfall was one of the strongest Bond movies to date. Craig’s films have this great sense of story history and continuity. When I say continuity, I don’t mean that everything is connected on a micro level and it’s constantly referenced and picked apart like we see in comics. The movies are connected on more of a character level; we see Bond growing, failing and then evolving as a character through his films as a result of his victories and losses.

Most of the previous Bond films are standalones and have nothing more than a superficial connection to the previous films. An organization like SPECTRE is mentioned as a recurring a villain but that’s it. The entire story and tone are different; and even after that it’s Bond against a nameless and faceless villain with immense power. Craig’s films showcase a side of the world of Bond we rarely get to see - We get to see inside Bond’s head.

In Casino Royale, Bond was just starting out and was a rough around the edges. He was handsome & smart but not the suave, sophisticated beast he’s known to be. He then deals with betrayal and loss when Vesper dies. In Quantum of Solace Bond battled depression stemming from his personal failures in Casino Royale before finally getting whatever passes for closure. Skyfall saw Bond deal with professional failure and second chances. None of the other Bond movies put their lead through the emotional and psychological ringer that Craig’s Bond has gone through. And though this version of Bond is a little older than is ideal for a field agent, he is finally in his prime.

With the introduction of Q and Moneypenny, this Bond series has finally gotten to where most Bond films start out. I just hope they don’t screw it up by making Moneypenny some fickle, airhead who spends her time pining for Bond.

Who is your favorite James Bond?

I really want to see this one. I'll get the DVD when the price drops.

I quite liked this one. I liked the other two as well. It is nice to see this film get Bond to the starting point of all the other Bond films, but, obviously set in this decade.
I did find it a little regressive in the action scale when it came to the grand finale. A lot happens, but the scale of the action goes from heavy ludicrous action at the start to survival and basic at the end. It's very good, but for me it felt like the action scale went backwards as the film reached the end, which jarred a little for me. The homage to one of the previous older Bond films was a nice touch.