For years, Bond has been woefully out of date. What we've had is a big explosion, a couple of one liners and a smirking Remington Steele destroying the legacy of Britain's greatest spy. With the growth of the Mission Impossible and Bourne franchises, it seemed that Ian Fleming's icon had had his day. Stand up and take a bow Daniel Craig, giving Bond his most savage veneer since The Living Daylights and keeping the quips to a minimum and the action as intense and electrifying as any big action film of recent years.

For the first few minutes, you have to forget everything you think you know as the story is right back at the start. No Moore smirking, no Brosnan pantomime, just an insane free running sequence where you actually believe Bond could die mere minutes into his first adventure. He doesn't of course, but here Craig has set up his stall and shown that if you're looking for big set pieces he can provide them. Soon though, the emphasis shifts and we're looking at a more human (and more savage) Bond than has ever been shown before. His relationship with the beautiful but forthright Vesper is played out in tandem with his Poker battles with a classic scarred Bond villain.

To say more about how these two storylines play out would ruin some of the greatest twists in James Bond history but trust us, there is more emotion and excitement in these two hours than we've seen in the last decade of cartoon Bonds. For the first time in years, as Chris Cornell's excellent theme plays out and the credits tell us 'JAMES BOND WILL RETURN', we cannot wait to see where the series goes next. Well done, Mr Craig, hello Mr Bond.