I fire lange år har jeg ventet på «Skyfall», fulgt produksjonen med argusøyne og hele tiden hatt stor tro på Sam Mendes som Bond-regissør.

Likevel har jeg grugledet meg litt at filmen faktisk skulle vises fram for første gang – at den endelige dommen skulle falle. Det skjedde i går, da den første pressevisningen fant sted i London.  Omtrent 1600 britiske filmkritikere og øvrig media var invitert.

Og – heldigvis – mottakelsen er eksepsjonelt god. Rost opp i skyene! Og det er verdt å huske på at James Bond sjelden har vært noen entydig kritikerfavoritt.

Her er noen av kritikerreaksjonene:

The Times (5 av 5 stjerner):

Skyfall is a great British bulldog of a movie. From the moment the orchestral sound of Adele belts out, sending a nostalgic shiver down the audience’s collective spine, we know this will be a triumphant return to classic Bond. Sam Mendes, the director, deftly balances fanboy worship of 007 tradition with sophisticated film-making, and (apart from early Connery), nobody does it better than Daniel Craig.

The Independent (4 av 5 stjerner):

Mendes has gone back to basics: chases, stunts, fights. At the same time, he has subtly re-invented the franchise, throwing in far greater depth of characterization than we’re accustomed to in a series of films that are often proudly superficial.

Time Out (4 av 5 stjerner):

Mendes knows there’s a risk of appearing po-faced by omitting the traditional pleasures of a Bond movie, and his approach seems calculated to stick to the formula while moving things forward. (…) It’s only in the second half of the film, which takes place entirely in the UK, that you get the feeling that Mendes has dealt the compulsory 007 cards that any Bond director has to play. Now he’s properly able to get stuck into a more punchy, more unified mix of action, emotion and story that climaxes in a fittingly isolated and lonely final showdown between Bond and his latest nemesis.

Daily Mail (5 av 5 stjerner):

Mendes has done a marvelous job and Craig is superb — looking super cool in a Tom Ford suit– as a Bond who’s still looking suave after 50 years giving pleasure to all. (…) Great actress that she is the dynamic Dame still knows how to raise a laugh or two even though M’s in a thundering mood .(…) Two new operatives, played by Naomie Harris and Ben Wishaw, help 007 tool up to get after the bad guys and I have to tell you that Bardem turns Silva into one helluva Mr. Bad-ass.

Screen:

It’s said that Connery and Moore didn’t hit their peak as Bond until their third entries (…) Craig also seems to benefit from a third stab that puts all the elements, old and new, in perfect place.  At this rate, it seems likely the series will continue indefinitely.

The Playlist (B+):

Best of all is the bad guy. Javier Bardem was always a tantalizing choice to play a Bond villain, and his Silva is a terrific creation, and certainly the most memorable villain in the series in decades. There are too many fun surprises to the character to give away here, but rest assured that Silva — who again, owes more than a little to a Nolan character, namely Heath Ledger’s Joker — hits the center of the funny/strange/scary Venn Diagram beautifully, with the actor making some bold choices that payed off with a huge reaction from the audience in London tonight.

Javel, så får vi i balansens navn også ta med The Guardian, som er noe mer lunkne i sin anmeldelse (men likevel gir tre av fem stjerner):

How best to celebrate 50 golden years of the James Bond film franchise? Skyfall thinks it knows how: by laying out the bunting and putting on a show; by booking a delicious villain in Javier Bardem’s high-camp terrorist and arranging a glorious globe-hopping jaunt for the revellers. All of which works terrifically well up to a point. Except that Skyfall then falls prey to a common failing of many 50th birthday bashes: it allows sentimentality to cloud its judgment and loosen its tongue. In so doing, it risks blowing James Bond’s cover for good.

Her er noen av de blodferske reaksjonene fra Twitter:

 

Og, om ikke du allerede nå ligger på gulvet og rister av forventning – her er et helt ferskt klipp fra filmen:

«Skyfall» har ordinær norgespremiere 26. oktober.