Just got back from Leicester Square after seeing Skyfall, and it is truly amazing.
All the traditional elements return in this film, modernised, updated, and they all work. The humour has returned, but never once did I think it was used inappropriately, or used in a cheesy way.
When the Aston Martin DB5 made its appearance, it was received with a huge round of applause in the audience - something I've not witnessed before in a cinema, and the last 5 minutes of the movie will put a smile on your face if nothing else, as it celebrates all what has gone before for the past 50 years.
There are plenty of nods to previous Bond films, but again done in such a nice, effective way, it puts both DAD and QoS to shame.
All the characters work - M (surprisingly), Q (surprisingly) and Moneypenny (very surprisingly). Bardem is without doubt one of the best villains of the entire franchise, and the script is the strongest of the entire franchise.
All the talk of Oscar nominations is entirely justified. This is the best Bond film. I may sound like I'm overreacting, and my opinion may wane over time, but I was blown over by what I saw this evening. Truly amazing film.
Finally to Craig. Yes, he looks old in this film, and no I don't like the short hair. But my God he puts in a hell of a performance, and there are a few moments when I felt truly sorry for the character of Bond, and understood him far more than any previous film. This was close to getting in Bond's head, the same way Fleming did with the books. The opening is loosely based on YOLT and TMWTGG.
The film is nicely paced, beautifully shot, and for the first time I understood all the characters I've seen over the years - Bond, M, Q and Moneypenny. This film will be a very hard act to follow.