Roger Ebert thought Goldfinger was the Bond masterpiece. I've had my own issues with Bond over the years and I have to say, from my own perspective the Craig films resolved pretty much every issue I'd had with them. The opening sequences for both Royale and Skyfall rank with me among the greatest openings for any film in the 21st century. You can debate whether they work as Bond openings but for me they are everything I look for in a sequence.

I also think, for what it's worth, Sam Mendes may have been the best director for a Bond film certainly in terms for Skyfall. He is that rare director who can work brilliant both in kitchen sink drama (Revolutionary Road) and dark action movie (Road to Perdition is one of my favorite films) Skyfall may be the best directed film in the Bond franchise (I'm welcome to hearing your opinions for alternatives0 and for that reason it works for me in ways some of the other movies just don't.