Critics purr as Bond returns in Skyfall

LONDON (AFP) - The new Bond film ‘Skyfall’ has its world premiere on Tuesday with critics declaring it one of the finest movies in the British spy’s 50 years on the silver screen. Daniel Craig, in his third outing as 007, will walk up the red carpet at the Royal Albert Hall in London along with the film’s other stars for the screening in the presence of heir to the throne Prince Charles. In “Skyfall”, directed by Oscar winner Sam Mendes, Britain’s foreign intelligence agency MI6 comes under attack, leaving Bond to hunt down the threat. There is far more prominent role than normal for Judi Dench as Bond’s controller “M” while Spanish star Javier Bardem brings malice to the role of Bond’s latest nemesis Raoul Silva. Other luminaries include Ralph Fiennes and Ben Whishaw, playing a younger version of Bond’s gadgets man “Q” than his predecessors Desmond Llewelyn and John Cleese. The 23rd Bond film opens with a spectacular scene in an Istanbul market but returns to home ground with a terror attack in London. Craig said in one interview ahead of the film’s release that the directors were conscious of the need to show sensitivity, as London was the scene of Al-Qaeda bombings in 2005 in which 52 people were killed.