Chuck Dowling’s review published on Letterboxd:
My second viewing of SKYFALL pretty much confirmed everything I initially thought: It is a great action/thriller. However it is only a good Bond movie.
There's so much to love about SKYFALL if you love movies. Competent action, legitimate stunts, great music, and of course the cinematography is freaking GORGEOUS (do not ignore Roger Deakins, Academy members). It is an action movie the likes of which we have not seen in a very long time.
But as far as 007 movies go? I like gadgets, and this movie tells me to basically fuck off for liking the exploding pens of the past. I like gun barrel sequences and Bond themes, however this movie avoids them like the plague. And I like a good Bond villain. While Javier Bardem is brilliant in this, he's also barely in this.
So you should definitely see SKYFALL, and you don't have to be a Bond fan to enjoy it. Because it doesn't enjoy you being a Bond fan.