In 2005, when news broke that Chester-born actor Daniel Craig will play cinema’s most famous secret agent, many fans were left puzzled. A blonde Bond?
However, once Casino Royale came out the following year and not only generated over $600 million at the box office but became the best-reviewed movie in the series, everyone knew that MGM and Eon Productions had made the correct choice. Nowadays, it doesn’t seem strange that the fictional MI6 agent has blonde hair and blue eyes, despite the 2005 outcry.
In anticipation of the twenty-fifth installment of the spy franchise, No Time to Die, we rank the best to worst entries in the Bond series starring Daniel Craig.
Casino Royale
Directed by returning Martin Campbell, who helmed GoldenEye, Casino Royale is the silver screen adaptation of the first Ian Fleming novel featuring the legendary character. The book of the same name, published in 1953, paved the way for eleven subsequent books, two short stories, and the movie franchise.
Casino Royale was also the first film in the series to star Daniel Craig, and it proved to be a smash hit, receiving an overwhelmingly positive critical response. In most people’s eyes, it is even better than Goldfinger. Its most-talked-about scene is the casino duel between Bond and Le Chiffre, played by Mads Mikkelsen. Today, if you want to test your luck at a casino, you do not have to visit Monte Carlo. You can do it online at UK casinos regulated by the UKGC.
Skyfall
Skyfall was the third edition in the Craig’s Bond saga, and according to most, quality-wise, it only slightly trails Casino Royale. It is by far the most commercially successful entry in the series, grossing $1.1 billion. Javier Bardem plays the unforgettable villain Raoul Silva, and British acting royalty Albert Finney makes an appearance as Kincade, the gamekeeper of the Skyfall estate.
Spectre
Following the success of Skyfall, Sam Mendes, who directed it, came back for its 2015 sequel titled Spectre. While it did not live up to its predecessor, Spectre received a decent critical reception and generated over $880 million in sold theater tickets.It marked the first time that the criminal organization Spectre and its leader Blofeld make an appearance in the franchise since Diamonds Are Forever. In the 1971 film, Charles Gray played the Blofeld character, while here, Quentin Tarantino’s favorite Christoph Waltz portrays the role.
Quantum of Solace
Post-Casino Royale, everyone had spy fever and was eagerly awaiting the next sequel to hit cinemas. It happened two years later, with German filmmaker Marc Forster at the wheel.
Flying high of a string of stunning movies and armed with a script co-written by Oscar-winner Paul Haggis, everyone thought that Quantum of Solace would match Casino Royale’s intensity and style.
However, sadly, it failed to impress. It still pulled in close to $590 million, but it got critically panned as a forgettable affair. The film co-starred Olga Kurylenko, Gemma Arterton, Mathieu Amalric, and Jeffrey Wright.