NEW YORK: Makers of the new James Bond movie "Skyfall" have striven to combine the old-school values that made 007 such a success over the last 50 years with enough modern mores to keep the silver screen's favourite super spy relevant in a post-Cold War world.

The 23rd official Bond film, which has its royal world premiere in London on Tuesday, brings together Daniel Craig on his third outing on Her Majesty's secret service with British director Sam Mendes making his franchise debut.

The plot also puts veteran actress Judi Dench, 77, at the heart of the action as Bond's superior M, and introduces Spanish Oscar-winner Javier Bardem as an uncharacteristically flamboyant villain complete with dyed blond hair.

Marking 50 years after the first Bond film "Dr. No" premiered on London in 1962, Skyfall pays homage to Bond's gadgets, his taste in fast cars and beautiful women and introduces enough humour to lighten the tone.

But it also seeks to show why the modern Bond is still relevant in a world where technology is as important to international spy networks as human beings.

"He was a product of his time and we live in a different time and I hope this movie reflects the time we live in," Mendes told reporters at a recent publicity briefing.

He said the film served to answer questions about the relevance of Britain's foreign intelligence agency (MI6) and the Bond character now that the Cold War is over.

"We are talking about old values, which is what the movie argues for -- honor, trust, friendship, courage -- and in a way it is deeply old fashioned in its values," Mendes said.

"Bond is very much within the old camp, which is that you have got to go and look people in the eye and ask them questions directly. And there we have the clash of the worlds," Craig said.

In Skyfall, which features a new theme song performed by Adele, Bond travels between Istanbul, Shanghai and London as his loyalty to M is tested when her past comes back to haunt her, while MI6 comes under attack from an unknown threat.

Craig as the modern Bond gives the audience snippets of vulnerability that counter the all-knowing cockiness of past Bonds. In Skyfall, he quickly learns he is dispensable, growing older and forced to face the ghosts of his childhood.

"He is a complicated character and that is worth looking at," the 44-year-old Craig said, adding that even after his first Bond outing, "Casino Royale", and then "Quantum of Solace", released four years ago, he was still discovering the layers of Bond.

"I try to sort of hint at it, as opposed to exploring it."

Bond's famed smooth charm, and his willingness to use women for personal gratification have earned him his fair share of critics over the years. But fans will still recognize the Bond of old, Craig said.

"Women are there to satisfy him, I think he still believes that. But if we put strong women in front of him, then there is going to be some friction.

"But I kind of have to cling onto his chauvinism a bit, because I think it makes things more interesting."

Audiences can't "be too PC about it," said Craig, "It's a gag. Everybody has got the gag for this long. We understand the gag. It's about making sparks, you want sparks. Death is sexy. Danger is sexy. It's all about getting those elements into it."