The story is told in the manner of "Quantum of Solace", with Bond as catalyst for story told in flashback, rather than as a main character for action.
But after a very effective reboot of the series in Casino Royale, taking the story back to its beginnings in the very first Ian Fleming novel, which had never before been made as a feature film, updating its Soviet villains to a transnational network, the follow-up Quantum of Solace showcased Bond on a mission of revenge for his tragically compromised love, Vesper Lynd.
With "Casino Royale" in 2006 and "Quantum of Solace" this year, Bond has been turned into something of a real person again for the first time since he stepped from Ian Fleming's pages onto the big screen.
In the two experimental stories Bond is given something of a more human side, with "Quantum of Solace" evidencing Bond's reaction to the Governor's story by showing a compassionate side, as he sees the real life of Philip Masters and Rhoda Llewellyn as being more dramatic than his recent mission; the forthcoming trip he has to make to the CIA, he now sees as "dull and unexciting".
With the exception of the first two Daniel Craig films, Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace, every Bond film has a sequence in which Bond interacts with Miss Moneypenny, the personal assistant to M, Bond's superior.
Daniel Craig is redeeming the situation somewhat, even though he can be seen driving a Range Rover in "Quantum of Solace" (is Bond picking up the kids from school now?).
In follow-up Quantum of Solace, the Bond writers made a decent stab at couching Olga Kurylenko's Camille Montes as a different kind of match for 007, but the character is largely forgettable in a vapid entry.
At around $150 million, Skyfall is way cheaper than the previous Bond picture, Quantum of Solace (the first Bond film, Dr. No, was made for pennies -- $1 million); where the initial script called for shooting in six countries, they ended up with a film largely shot in London and the nearby highlands of Scotland.
From Dr. No to Quantum of Solace, Bond Mixology provides a minute-by-minute breakdown of all of the on-screen libations, recipes and all, so you and your friends can drink as Bond does.
Quantum of Solace, the previous Bond film, took an initial £14.4m.
And there is at least one reason to watch: Gemma Arterton, the "Quantum of Solace" Bond girl, is a lovely and appealing Tess.
