4. The Finale Is Home Alone-Inspired
Plenty of other people have alluded to this, but it's something we can all come up with on our own the second that M and Bond hole up in his childhood home and begin setting traps for Silva's impending army. Truly, it is like a violent, frenetic version of Home Alone, though at the end of that film, we don't believe Kevin McCallister ever ended up having his home blown sky high. It's a masterfully-directed action sequence - right up there with Casino Royale's opening Madagascar chase as one of the best - which proves above all else that Sam Mendes' is among the most malleable directors working today, and brings home a fine emotional exclamation point for the film as, well, we'll get to that in a minute...