With the news today that the next Bond film will be called Spectre I thought for a moment about what I really liked about Skyfall, Sam Mendes’ franchise reset.  After trying and failing to rewatch the old films (so bad that it seems strange that Roger Moore’s Bond didn’t have a robot companion), the muddled Casino Royale (2006) (‘the world has changed Bond, now go play cards against this foreigner’) and the so dreadful we’ll throw in cheap rape threat Something of Boris (2008), Skyfall was a breath of fresh air that got more and more basic until we’re left with a knife in the back.  Plus Daniel Craig is the best Bond there’s ever been.

The only problem with Skyfall are the ‘women, know your place’ subplots that see Moneypenny go from field agent to secretary and M become ‘im after a cautionary tale about how dangerous mummy can be when she tries to be daddy. Still, I suppose it’s a step up from being slapped and/or molested so ‘how far we’ve come’ etc.

Despite this I’m still excited by the fact that the next film is called Spectre.  I think it’s because when I was little I was allowed to watch to the end if I got into my pyjamas and did my teeth during one of the later ad breaks.  That’s the power of nostalgia.