Skyfall is one of my absolute favourite James Bond movies, and my favourite post-Connery Bond by a mile.

Having seen this originally in the cinema I subsequently ended up watching it many times on long-haul flights, and it really bears up well to multiple viewings. It is probably the best-looking of all the Bond movies, with fabulous photography by Roger Deakins.

Skyfall kicks off with one of the very best opening sequences of any Bond film (a high bar already). Then the theme song by Adele is also an instant classic.  Director Sam Mendes does a fabulous job throughout with both the action and the quieter set pieces. (Bond’s first meeting with villain Silva, played with slithering menace by Javier Bardem is a fabulous moment). 

Mendes was tempted back a second time to helm Spectre, and I rather wish he hadn’t – after Skyfall I found that movie a crushing disappointment, over-egged with ridiculous plot twists and too focused on trying to build a linear arc through all the Craig Bonds. Having paid for a luxury reclining bed seat in the cinema in anticipation, I came out thinking Spectre was a pile of crap, with its sub-Austin Powers plot about how Bond and Blofeld had grown up together.

I recently also sat through Craig’s Bond swan-song No Time To Die (and spent the duration of the movie being distracted by wholly pointless 3D – another gripe!), which also tried rather too hard to parcel up all that had gone before into a definitive conclusion. So I can now say without doubt that Skyfall remains the undisputed high-point of the Craig era for me!

Personally, I think its a huge shame that the Bond movies have used photography for their posters ever since 1989’s Licence to Kill’s photoshop monstrosity. I really miss the old illustrated posters. These two images were used in various forms across multiple markets.

The first is a mini Japanese ‘chirashi’ flyer.  The second is a French ‘grande’ pre-release poster.  I do like with this one how the designer has incorporated the ‘gunsight’ design that opens almost all Bond movies (although curiously not Skyfall).