I'm more than a little perplexed how you can say SPECTRE is Craig's worst when it sets up so many of the things that make rate NO TIME TO DIE so highly. My main problem with SPECTRE and NO TIME TO DIE is that unlike his undying love for Tracy or Vesper, Bond's relationship with Madeleine doesn't feel earned; we're expected to buy into Bond's attachment to Madeleine but it's never explained why. If anything, Madeleine is just about the least interesting of the Craig Bond Girls, and while Craig played off against mature, believable age-appropriate leading ladies in previous installments, his age is showing opposite Seydoux. Indeed, the most effective scene of the story arc involving Madeleine finds her off-screen; the tense and creepy scene in SPECTRE between Bond and Mr. White in which Bond hands the man his gun, all the while promising the despicable White he'll keep his daughter safe, is truly a masterful moment...and we haven't even MET the daughter yet! When we do, there's nothing extraordinary about her that makes us believe THIS is the woman for whom James Bond is going to leave the Secret Service. It's a HUGE flaw given how crucial the genuineness of Bond's final romance factors into the grand finale of the Craig era.
But Spectre has no true energy. The laconic acting, the pacing, the uninterested-looking Bond in the action scenes, the weird 3rd act... it just doesn't work. It felt like Sam Mendes put all his Bond energy into Skyfall and wasn't going to return to direct Spectre until he was promised an ungodly amount of money.
The dynamic with Bond and his daughter in their scenes were some of the greatest moments in the entire franchise in my opinion. So moving especially when you know his life seeing her grow up will never come to be. For a brief moment this cold assassin had some happiness and real personal purpose in his life.
The thing about NTTD that I found impossible to suspend disbelief, was the absurdity of M's incompetence. That just rang so hollow in contrast with everything good about the film.
For me: 1. Casino Royal 2. Skyfall 3. No Time to Die 4. Quantum of Solace 5. Spectre However, I really like QoS and enjoy watching Spectre. They have a few issues but Quantum is such a kickass revenge thriller, so it works for me and Spectre, although a flawed film, is still entertaining to watch.
1.) Casino Royale; 2.) Skyfall; 3.) Quantum; 4.) No Time To Die; 5.) Spectre. I put Quantum higher than most because I love Bond "on fire" with rage and bitterness. The final scene in Russia is one of my favorite scenes from the whole series. I agree it lacks certain things but it has more going for it than the 4 and 5.
That is my Daniel Craig Bond ranking exactly. QoS has moved up to third as Vesper Lynd's death needs resolution and it does there. That and Skyfall after Casino Royale make a great trilogy. And QoS doesn't kill off most of the main characters like No Time To Die.
My ranking; 1. Casino Royale (10/10) 2. Skyfall (10/10) 3. No time to die (8/10) 4. Spectre (3/10) 5. Quantum of solace (2/10). I have no big problems with No time to die. The ending is perfect for the Craig-era. A one-off wich can't be done again.
Totally agree with your thoughts on No Time to Die - strengths and weaknesses! So pleased to see a Bond content creator who enjoyed the film - all the other content creators I know seemed to dislike it, which is totally fine but makes me feel alone in my enjoyment of it! The only point I disagree with you on with NTTD is that I think its cinematography VASTLY outshines Skyfall! NTTD is the much prettier looking film to me.
Casino Royale is a stone cold classic. Craig is absolutely brilliant, never been better, and it's the type of action/acting performance that the likes of the Academy ignore.... stupidly. Similarly for how well Campbell directed.
Great review of the Craig era. Casino Royale was a game changer. Can't see it or Craig ever being topped. My own personal ranking is: CR, QOS, SF, NTTD, SP.
I watched Spectre on DVD and my mum wanted the subtitles on ("why is the music so loud"!?). In the scene in the Spectre meeting whenever the shadowy figure spoke it said 'Blofeld' 😅 so hours later when there was this big revelation the impact was lost somewhat!! 🤦♂️
75% of NTTD is my favorite Bond film of all time. If I could make changes to the script, Bond and Safin would survive, and Safin would be rewritten slightly to make him a young Dr. No. It would reframe the entire Craig era as pseudo-prequel to the entire franchise.
1. Casino Royale 2. Skyfall 3. No Time to Die 4. Quantum of Solace 5. Spectre THANK YOU, finally someone who will defend No Time to Die because of some of backlash come off as a bit shortsighted in places. The ending is not perfect and I agree that there are some polish to it like the villain and the rushed aftermath, but I think it builds upon the Craig films to which I think it was mostly earned.
You're not alone in your No Time To Die love Joe! I'm very much in agreement with your list and thoughts, the only exception being I'd flip Spectre and Quantum of Solace. All the best from here in the UK!
1. Casino Royale - I adore this film. Cinema magic! 2. Quantum of Solace - It's fine. Under the bad editing and shaky cam action scenes there are some really good story elements and the outline of a satisfying character arc. Good ingredients. Just wasn't done cooking. 3. No Time To Die - a deeply flawed film with its heart in the right place. It suffered badly from the damage done by Spectre 4. Skyfall - a hollow shell of a film propped up by pretty cinematography and some good performances! 5. Spectre - a travesty that ruined Craig's run. I still can't comprehend what the writers/director/producers were thinking
Outstanding! When I heard 'The Boss' from New Jersey was back, I knew who they meant! Love this, love the non-conformity to fan consensus with some of the films. Great work Joe. Nice production values too man. Where were you when Hoyte Van Hoytema was spraying everything yellow? Joe D for B26 cinematographer!
Great video, Joe! Even thought I still can't get with NTTD, I love hearing your thoughts on it and your enthusiasm makes me keep giving it another try. It's always a treat to hear you talk about Bond!
I still believe that Safin in NTTD was supposed to be Dr. No, but they backed out of doing it. I feel like that would explain why the villains story is so weak. I feel a lot got cut to remove the Dr. No stuff.
1. Casino Royale 10/10 2. Quantum of Solace 9/10 3. No Time to Die 9/10 4. Skyfall 8/10 5. Spectre 3/10 Can we expect a review of NTTD with Scott in the future?
Same ranking as me. I always thought QoS had much better story elements than Skyfall: a plot based on realistic geopolitical threats (the stolen water plot actually happened in real life), a shadowy cabal of greedy, power hungry millionaires who infiltrate and manipulate governments and other organizations for their own ends - so much better than the goofy James Bond Harassment Society that Spectre turned into. I wish they'd kept this more grounded tone to the films instead of going back to the Roger Moore silliness.
Wow, you have guts to rank Quantum Of Solace over Skyfall, I approve! Here's my ranking: 5. Spectre (Of all 25 Bond films, this is the worst) 4. No Time To Die (had a blast seeing this in cinemas, it's a decent Bond film) 3. Quantum Of Solace (underrated and great!) 2. Casino Royale (Top 10 material, but not as good as...) Skyfall (Masterful)
Another excellent video and rundown Joe. Each movie was exquisitely broken down and analyzed. Was no surprise Casino Royale would remain top of the list. The movie still remains a true gold standard Bond film none of the other films in the Craig era lived up to.
I've watched all the Bond films including the Craig films multiple times with one exception which I saw on the big screen and have yet to watched again. Well with one exception, I have watched the Paloma part a few times. Well filmed, very. Most lackluster villain in the Craig series, unclear what the villain's plan is. PTS is good but the complete change of direction from love to hate in seconds makes you wonder just how stable Bond is. Then there's the plot armor, no explosion has any effect, not at the grave with him standing right in front of it or multiple hand grenades being dropped on him. Based on that he undoubtedly survived the missile explosions. The shootout towards the end reminds me of watching someone playing a first person shooter in god mode. And then there's the fact that they decided to destroy everything that is iconic in the Bond films, SPRCTRE, Blofeld, Leiter and Bond. Bond will be back... I remember a comment made by one of the people in the Bond group I watched it with, "What? A zombie movie?" Baron Samedi could have fun with that. Also the ending pretty much dictates no one from the Craig films will be returning, which is more or less ok with a couple of exception, I would have dearly loved to see Paloma as a returning character and unfortunately this also includes Hinx, which I agree was an awesome henchman character. Oh well, to each his own. Glad to see you back HoS.
I basically agree with this list though I would swap No Time To Die and Skyfall around, Skyfall is better for me as Silva is a much better villain than Safin. If Safin had been a more developed character or if we had seen more of him then I probably would have ranked NTTD higher than Skyfall. I mean he's not terrible and Rami Malek brought a fine performance despite the lack of screentime, it was definitely the most underwhelming moment of the whole film for me. I don't know maybe NTTD will grow on me more sometime in the future. NTTD does make it into my top 10 favourite Bond films though... 1. Casino Royale 2. Skyfall 3. From Russia With Love 4. On Her Majesty's Secret Service 5. Licence to Kill 6. GoldenEye 7. Goldfinger 8. No Time To Die 9. The Living Daylights 10. The Spy Who Loved Me (As you can tell I also really like the Timothy Dalton Bond films)
1. Casino Royale 10/10 2. Skyfall 8/10 3. Spectre 7/10 4. Quantum of Solace 6/10 5. No Time to Die 6/10 I’m a defender of spectre. Yes the third act is convoluted and the plot of everything being connected was dumb but in that movie Craig feels more like bond than most of the others. The movie has a few more of the classic tropes. I personally think it’s the best looking bond movie and the soundtrack is my favorite of the whole franchise. The ending was also a lot more satisfactory than NTTD in my opinion.
Joe apparently has forgotten the "Trench, Sylvia Trench" character (who returned for FRWL). Maud Adams and a few other actors have also returned, though as different characters. Mostly concur with ranking, except for Spectre and Quantum of Solace (the latter places at bottom of my list of all EON 007 films, just below Die Another Day) 🎥
I completely agreed with this ranking; right down to the close tie between "Skyfall", which was so well done, and "No Time to Die", which was also beautifully made. The entire horror movie at the beginning of "No Time" is the best pre-title sequence that I've ever seen in a Bond film, with subtle hints, in the quick passing of a shadow, that a killer is now in the same room as a child! Holy shit!!! That was an intense sequence, incredibly well constructed. The DB-5 scene in the square was equally strong. And many moments had that same level of detail and real suspense. And, I also agree about "Casino Royale" as the best. That's not as controversial, but, as #1 for the entire series, it might be. For decades, my favorites had always been a tie between "Dr. No" and "On her Majesties Secret Service, for very different reasons; "Dr. No" is like an awesome, fun, pulp novel / b-movie, but then "OHMSS" looks like a beautiful cinematic snow globe, and it's a very well made and an exhaustive thriller. Obviously "From Russia With Love" is the leading hardcore contender, and many others will choose "Goldfinger" as the obvious fan favorite. The 007 of my youth was Roger Moore, and I still love him the most because I was little and I think we all knew he was great fun, but none of his movies became my favorite Bond films ("For Your Eyes Only" and "Octopussy" DO come very close!). The "Casino Royale" film (also my first Bond read as a teen), came along in 2006, and knocked everything out of the lead spot for me. As you said, "the stars just aligned perfectly", and it remains an amazing film! It's going to be very, very, hard to beat.
Great video Joe and so good to have you back! I wrestled with 2-4 as well but would have Skyfall ahead of NTTD (can take the death of Felix and maybe the child but killing Bond is still taboo for me) and Spectre ahead of QOS. Are you heading over to London around October? Would be lovely to say hello!
Joe D - not only are you the daddy of a lot of this stuff, but I am totally aligned with you on these choices! NTTD I feel will get better for a lot of people as it ages. Can’t wait for your series ranking, and good to have you back in the seat too! Best wishes, GV
I'm giving a thumbs up for your review of "Spectre" if nothing else. It seemed like their attempt at a cheesy-throwback Bond film, but only proved why the franchise needed to be rebooted in the first place!
Dear Mr. Darlington. If I may politely ask: where is Scott Atkins? I binge-watched with great enjoyment all your "countdown to Bond 25" videos with Mr. Atkins and naturally supposed that it was all leading up to analysis of "No time to die" with him when that film finally appeared. Please bring on the wonderful, insightful and entertaining Scott! You make great double act! Best wishes from Moscow. ❤
Casino Royale and NTTD are Daniel Craig's best performances because in Casino he was out to prove he could do it and NTTD because he was happy that he had finally finished the others had Craig's love hate relationship with the part tarnishing his performance sometimes you could tell he was pissed off doing some scenes and having fun day with others
I'm always surprised when SPECTRE is discussed that no one yet has mentioned why Blowfeld says ''Cuckoo'' to Bond. I'm beginning to wonder if people don't get it. And if I'm not mistaken I think that Blofeld says it again to Bond in NTTD.
Excellent review of the Craig era. I think NTTD will be far more appreciated in time much like OHMSS is today by many when it was excoriated when it first came out. My one problem with Casino Royale that kept me from naming it the best Bond movie of the entire series is the fact that I really hated the Cornel theme song. The score was decent but I always fast forward past the opening credits. Goldfinger and FRWL hold down my top two but Craig fills the rest of my top five with CR, NTTD and SF with OHMSS in the sixth spot.
Agree NTTD is a real James Bond film more than the others for me with Craig closest is the obvious Royal however I'm not overly keen on some of it green screen Craig changing body shape in shots it's a some of its parts,
Great video Joe! Your videos are always cool. Now I agree with your comments on each movie. You make valid points. I enjoyed that. Your brought up things that make sense I never knew. Now as raking goes. Nice raking . It’s makes sense with your comments . I respect your ranking and opinion. Anyway I hope to see more videos my friend! Keep up the great work! 👍🏻
I would switch your 5 and 4. Otherwise I agree with you. Although I suspect NTTD will grow in status, like On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, in time. NTTD has a ghostly quality and an emotional intensity that makes it memorable. If you read Safin as a nonhuman villain, a kind of ghost who can only influence not organise a grand plot, you may appreciate the performance better.
1)Skyfall & No time to die (Equally great visuals and story! Felt deep connection towards bond than from any other movies) 2)casino royale 3)spectre 4)quantum of solace
Summer is finally winding down!! Why would you want that? LOL In all seriousness, thank you for this vid. Love to see these types of vids and see what other fans' thoughts are.
I would still say Skyfall has the edge on No Time to Die...partly because...to quote Diamonds are Forever of all films..."oh my God, you killed James Bond". The powers that be have seriously written themselves into a corner on this one I think partly because all good things come to an end and there's already the question of..."does the world of the 2020s WANT James Bond?" Overall...the Craig era was the first time they overtly tried to reboot the character(previously I'd say The Living Daylights was more of a reboot than Goldeneye - it's hard to buy Dalton as being the same guy that Connery, Lazenby and Moore played simply due to age)...and that makes it hard to compare to other eras to this one. How do you compare Goldeneye or Goldfinger to Casino Royale?
Martin Campbell was the director for golden eye and casino royale both are highly praised by fans it would be interesting if Martin Campbell could do another Gem
I know it's all subjective etc. But to me the Craig era is just one big missed opportunity. CR smashes it out of the park because of the story, the rest of the movies are just an exercise in pulling the good parts out of some pretty weak (sometimes verging on terrible) writing. NTTD is the first time I think I've been actually *bored* in a Bond movie. All they had to do was string together some semi-believable plot arc though the movies, yet with all their highly paid writers all we get is some crap about Blofeld being Bonds half-brother...groan. The movies feel like they are written by people who only have a superficial idea of what makes Bond a great character, no emotional resonance at all (except for CR of course). I shudder to think what might come next if the same people are in charge.
Casino < Skyfall < Quantum < Spectre < No Time to Die So they almost got worse and worse each time. I just wished they had stayed in the same universe that Casino established, where Bond was human, where he gets put through the ringer beaten and bloodied fighting one enemy. Rather than brag about giving him human emotions, meanwhile, with each installment, including skyfall, he becomes more and more like a generic marvel hero who can survive consistently more roger moore type stuff like being on a rooftop when the building disintegrates out from under him. But wait, this life's eating him up inside, and that makes it realistic. Pick a lane, the Dark Knight or Batman 1966. both are cool, but not when you mix them.
And Craig's one liners, man did they suck! In Casino, after he kills the terrorist at the airport, all he has to do is smile deviously, and that was better than any one liner his bond ever had. 'Waste of good scotch', and 'do i look like i give a damn' were his best. "I was in deep water" is not a one liner, its supposed to add insult to injury. Silva should have said "Where's Dilbert, the henchman?" , and Bond would've said "He's in over his head, or he's treading water, or he was on thin ice, now the thin ice is on him." "Doesn't time fly", "changing carriages", all suck. "Your watch blew his mind" had the right idea, but it was weak and badly delivered. - "His eye's in the back of his head", or "that was a real eye opener" are better and I'm not even trying. They should have kept up with the dark comedy, a staple of bond. The second reason for the arc going downhill.
Yes! I totally wanted more of the Casino universe (which we did get with Quantum of Solace, but obviously not as well executed as it should have been). It was really disappointing when they starting veering off into more fantastic and cartoonish territory from Skyfall onwards. Casinoverse Bond was aweseome! Spectreverse Bond sucked!
@@katemara667 Spectre making Blofeld (Austin Powers) his brother tying all the previous films together especially when Skyfall and Silva had nothing to do with Mr. White and Vesper Lynd was bad writing. Quantum was the secret organization now forced to be the subsidiary. It makes Bond look stupid. He had zero clue all three films prior had a force behind them?
Personally, I pretend the last two films don't exist. Saw both at the cinema. I did re-watch Spectre on-demand later to see if was any less awful second time around (opening sequence aside) and it wasn't. Bond and Blofeld grew up together? No. Bond falls in love with Mr. White's daughter? No. The total lack of on-screen chemistry between Craig and Seydoux. The plot point shoe horning to the point of contortion. Scripts and direction that made Christoph Waltz appear laughable instead of shit-your-pants scary ("Cuckoo!"). Whatever the hell Rami Malek was. A credible black, female 00 agent opportunity wasted via a part written for an MTV rap video (alas poor Lashana Lynch). The casual wasting of Monica Bellucci and Ana de Armas. Range Rovers leaping into the air like an episode of The A-Team but without quite its sense of kinetic danger. And so much more. But the movies' biggest sin was making it all seem so dull and pedestrian that I just didn't care - empty, po-faced nonsense. I was so bored during NTTD's back half that I found myself checking my watch - in a Bond film! Good grief. 1. Casino Royale (brilliant movie) 2. Skyfall (good in parts movie, but sows the seeds of 4+5) 3. Quantum of Solace (hire a writer, fire the editor) 4. & 5. - disqualified
1) Skyfall 2) Casino 3)NTTD 4) Quantum 5) Spectre Skyfall is the best to me not just because of the visuals but because it felt the most like a Bond movie out of all of Craigs movies. No Madeline or Spectre focus which I preferred.
Daniel Craig has become my favorite James Bond. I think two of his films are the best in the franchise. I think he has only one stinker so, overall, a pretty good run for Mr. Craig. Here are my rankings: 1. Skyfall (10/10) I love this film! It's my favorite of the Bond franchise. I think Daniel Craig is good, M is great, love the introduction of Moneypenny, Q, Tanner and Ralph Fiennes as the new M, Javier Bardem is one of the best Bond villains ever, love the scrip and the theme song. This film to me does everything right! On its own, I think it's a great film. 2. Casino Royale (10/10) It's a VERY CLOSE second for me in the Craig series and Bond franchise. I think this is Daniel Craig's best performance, Vesper Lyd is one my favorite Bond girls, Le Chiffre is also one of favorite villains and the script is top notch. What makes it second for me is the theme song, don't like it that much, and I think M and the other supporting characters are better and more interesting in Skyfall. On its own, a great film too. 3. Spectre (7/10) I like it more than most people. It's good but not great. What I think it does well is tie itself together w/Skyfall and Casino Royale, which Quantum of Solace fails to do, in my opinion. 4. No Time to Die (6/10) I've only seen it once, but I thought it was kind of a letdown. I'll watch it again on New Year's and see if I change my mind. 5. Quantum of Solace (3/10) It's not good! I tried watching it again on Christmas Day and I couldn't do it! I'm giving it a 3 because the scene w/Daniel Craig hanging from the rope and shooting upward. Great scene! The film kind of ends for me after that!
Great to see you back, sir. Your editing and musical additions are tops of all the content creators. I can't argue with your rationale behind your picks. I'd list mine a bit differently - Casino, Skyfall, Quantum, NTTD, Spectre - but such is life. I'd also say when you look at the 5 together as an "experiment", it'd be easy to argue whether the experiment worked or not or at least was overrated. I tend to think the Craig era, based on it being most current and fresh with many, especially younger fans, gets a pass while older runs, like Rogers, maligned. I think NTTD works as a book end but has a lot wrong with it, probably considering it's continuing the Spectre storylines. Rami was a poor villain, his motivation non existent, the love between Bond and dull Madeleine more plausible but still unrealistic, Blofeld wasted again, the urgency to blow up the island made no sense (just intercept the "buyers"), etc. I'll give you the opening. To me if I ever want to check out NTTD, it's over in 30 min as I have no interest after the pre-titles. Matera stuff definitely great. As for the mini movie in Cuba - yes and no. Paloma is great, the proceedings fun, but it feels it was shot after the fact and shoe horned in. It feels like a commercial, not a movie, and definitely not NTTD. I sense execs knew it was such a downer in the end they needed something to lift spirits earlier. So great, just out of place. The Felix death was certainly handled better but also odd. The films have never captured the novels concept Bond and Felix are friends and look forward to seeing one another. Wright was a terrific Felix but again, it never was apparent they were friends so his return and death something for Bond purists but for an average filmgoer, why would they care? And all of this, plus Bond's demise, is an assumption Bond fans wanted this. Not me. I don't know what Bond fan wants their hero to die, much less Felix or even Blofeld. I'm looking forward to more a return to fun and adventure and Bondian stuff. Not vanity projects by Barbara and Michael and their star. I think they misread the room or just did what they wanted to see. The films made a lot of money, so clearly it worked on some levels. Appreciate your work, sir!
I think my list would be the same as yours. I just found NTTD too contrived. Not even too bothered by the idea of the death scene, just that didn't feel earned in the story. Skyfall and Casino are quite close for me - as I love them both.
@@joemills4603 Quantum is the beneficiary of the last two films imo. I don't think it's great by any means (jerky direction, weak plot, weak villain) but Daniel near his best and solid action. Things got much worse in the final two, I think. Shouldn't be hard to have a solid screenplay.
NTTD has very much grown on me. I enjoyed it well enough in the cinema; but, for me, it improves with repeated viewing. It's garnered a lot of hate from a highly vocal branch of fandom; but I suspect, in the fullness of time, it will 'do an OHMSS', and become much admired - if only because it genuinely dared to be different (while also ticking many of the necessary boxes). I place it 2nd on my list (behind CR,of course). Despite a few plot inconsistencies,I place it slightly higher than Skyfall,as that films storyline makes less sense the more times I watch it! Spectre would be #4 for me. It's watchable enough; but basically alternates between big splurges of action, and dreary character scenes which (in the case of Blofeld) don't even make sense! The direction is occasionally too self-indulgent, as well. QoS is a generally plotless and headache inducing experience for me; edited to destruction. Would that they were ever to release a 'Producers Cut' on Blu-ray! Perhaps,if that ever came to be,I could be persuaded to change my mind.
Casino and NTTD for me can't understand the Madness with Skyfall for me as a James Bond fan of decades I don't see it as even being classed as a Bond film
I think The Craig era was very devisive. That not necessarily a bad thing because it does encourage healthy debate. I think Skyfall is by far Craig's best. It paid homage to the past Bonds, the humour mostly hit the mark & it still retained its hard modern edge. Maybe just maybe the Craig era should've ended there as a three act play. I respect your opinion regarding No time to Die. But I still can't abide with killing Bond. Good to see you back.Keep up the good work.
You're not alone in your love of No Time to Die; hell, I think a lot of the backlash is from a place outside the film and the franchise itself. Oh, and Casino Royale has definitely earned itself a place in Cinematic Valhalla. It's easily one of the GOAT films ever produced. *Edit, 4 months on:* I showed Casino to a friend of mine who had never before been interested in Bond, but let me pick the movie that night. First thing he said was that it was 10/10, the next thing was that he wanted to see the rest of the series! So, of course, that's what we spent the last couple of months doing. My buddy now wants to run out and grab the box set, read the novels whenever he gets the chance, basically a newly minted Bond fan.
It may not be obvious,but NTTD actually vaguely touched on the man with the golden gun..and I think it's deliberate since it was meant to be a last James Bond tribute to what Cubby and Ian Fleming were in terms of James Bond,and Christopher Lee was his(ians) cousin, how more fitting for that to be slotted in as a variable of what villainous acts can be..
I'm more than a little perplexed how you can say SPECTRE is Craig's worst when it sets up so many of the things that make rate NO TIME TO DIE so highly. My main problem with SPECTRE and NO TIME TO DIE is that unlike his undying love for Tracy or Vesper, Bond's relationship with Madeleine doesn't feel earned; we're expected to buy into Bond's attachment to Madeleine but it's never explained why. If anything, Madeleine is just about the least interesting of the Craig Bond Girls, and while Craig played off against mature, believable age-appropriate leading ladies in previous installments, his age is showing opposite Seydoux. Indeed, the most effective scene of the story arc involving Madeleine finds her off-screen; the tense and creepy scene in SPECTRE between Bond and Mr. White in which Bond hands the man his gun, all the while promising the despicable White he'll keep his daughter safe, is truly a masterful moment...and we haven't even MET the daughter yet! When we do, there's nothing extraordinary about her that makes us believe THIS is the woman for whom James Bond is going to leave the Secret Service. It's a HUGE flaw given how crucial the genuineness of Bond's final romance factors into the grand finale of the Craig era.
But Spectre has no true energy. The laconic acting, the pacing, the uninterested-looking Bond in the action scenes, the weird 3rd act... it just doesn't work. It felt like Sam Mendes put all his Bond energy into Skyfall and wasn't going to return to direct Spectre until he was promised an ungodly amount of money.
The dynamic with Bond and his daughter in their scenes were some of the greatest moments in the entire franchise in my opinion. So moving especially when you know his life seeing her grow up will never come to be. For a brief moment this cold assassin had some happiness and real personal purpose in his life.
Why is it so moving when Swann lies to Bond and him being a idiot to believe her.
I have seen NTTD three times. I absolutely love it. Nice to see you like it as well, Joe.
The thing about NTTD that I found impossible to suspend disbelief, was the absurdity of M's incompetence. That just rang so hollow in contrast with everything good about the film.
Think that was the producers admitting there incompetence with NTTD DR NO Wiping out SPECTURE is a cool idea
For me:
1. Casino Royal
2. Skyfall
3. No Time to Die
4. Quantum of Solace
5. Spectre
However, I really like QoS and enjoy watching Spectre. They have a few issues but Quantum is such a kickass revenge thriller, so it works for me and Spectre, although a flawed film, is still entertaining to watch.
Same here on the ranking and enjoyment of watching even the lower ranking films.
1.) Casino Royale; 2.) Skyfall; 3.) Quantum; 4.) No Time To Die; 5.) Spectre. I put Quantum higher than most because I love Bond "on fire" with rage and bitterness. The final scene in Russia is one of my favorite scenes from the whole series. I agree it lacks certain things but it has more going for it than the 4 and 5.
Totally agree! 👍
That is my Daniel Craig Bond ranking exactly. QoS has moved up to third as Vesper Lynd's death needs resolution and it does there. That and Skyfall after Casino Royale make a great trilogy. And QoS doesn't kill off most of the main characters like No Time To Die.
My ranking; 1. Casino Royale (10/10) 2. Skyfall (10/10) 3. No time to die (8/10) 4. Spectre (3/10) 5. Quantum of solace (2/10). I have no big problems with No time to die. The ending is perfect for the Craig-era. A one-off wich can't be done again.
Totally agree with your thoughts on No Time to Die - strengths and weaknesses! So pleased to see a Bond content creator who enjoyed the film - all the other content creators I know seemed to dislike it, which is totally fine but makes me feel alone in my enjoyment of it! The only point I disagree with you on with NTTD is that I think its cinematography VASTLY outshines Skyfall! NTTD is the much prettier looking film to me.
Grief - your production values are incredible. Very well done.
Nothing, NOTHING can compare to Casino Royale and you are so right.
Casino Royale is a stone cold classic. Craig is absolutely brilliant, never been better, and it's the type of action/acting performance that the likes of the Academy ignore.... stupidly. Similarly for how well Campbell directed.
There are plenty of better Bond films
Well, the ''Academy'' is not going to give the top prize to a straight white male, so that's the main reason why Craig's performance was ''ignored''.
Great review of the Craig era. Casino Royale was a game changer. Can't see it or Craig ever being topped. My own personal ranking is: CR, QOS, SF, NTTD, SP.
I watched Spectre on DVD and my mum wanted the subtitles on ("why is the music so loud"!?). In the scene in the Spectre meeting whenever the shadowy figure spoke it said 'Blofeld' 😅 so hours later when there was this big revelation the impact was lost somewhat!! 🤦♂️
75% of NTTD is my favorite Bond film of all time. If I could make changes to the script, Bond and Safin would survive, and Safin would be rewritten slightly to make him a young Dr. No. It would reframe the entire Craig era as pseudo-prequel to the entire franchise.
1. Casino Royale
2. Skyfall
3. No Time to Die
4. Quantum of Solace
5. Spectre
THANK YOU, finally someone who will defend No Time to Die because of some of backlash come off as a bit shortsighted in places. The ending is not perfect and I agree that there are some polish to it like the villain and the rushed aftermath, but I think it builds upon the Craig films to which I think it was mostly earned.
I can't like this video enough. Goosebumps for the entire video. Keep up the great work.
You're not alone in your No Time To Die love Joe! I'm very much in agreement with your list and thoughts, the only exception being I'd flip Spectre and Quantum of Solace. All the best from here in the UK!
1. Casino Royale - I adore this film. Cinema magic!
2. Quantum of Solace - It's fine. Under the bad editing and shaky cam action scenes there are some really good story elements and the outline of a satisfying character arc. Good ingredients. Just wasn't done cooking.
3. No Time To Die - a deeply flawed film with its heart in the right place. It suffered badly from the damage done by Spectre
4. Skyfall - a hollow shell of a film propped up by pretty cinematography and some good performances!
5. Spectre - a travesty that ruined Craig's run. I still can't comprehend what the writers/director/producers were thinking
Thanks for saving me the work of listing mine, Same.
Great stuff - insightful and very enjoyable commentary as always. Looking forward to the big countdown. Thank you!
LOVED him in Layer Cake.
Outstanding! When I heard 'The Boss' from New Jersey was back, I knew who they meant! Love this, love the non-conformity to fan consensus with some of the films. Great work Joe. Nice production values too man. Where were you when Hoyte Van Hoytema was spraying everything yellow? Joe D for B26 cinematographer!
You're the best! Thank you! Miss you brother!!
@@Beingjamesbond likewise! Surely the universe will conspire in our favour to share a few beers sometime soon!!
Awesome video and how the theme follows the pictures of course. Awesome job Joe Darlington !!
For Me here is My ranking
1. Skyfall
2. Casino Royale
3. Specter
4. No Time To Die
5. Quantum Of Solace
Great video, Joe! Even thought I still can't get with NTTD, I love hearing your thoughts on it and your enthusiasm makes me keep giving it another try. It's always a treat to hear you talk about Bond!
NTTD was terrible. Franchise will never recover.
I still believe that Safin in NTTD was supposed to be Dr. No, but they backed out of doing it. I feel like that would explain why the villains story is so weak. I feel a lot got cut to remove the Dr. No stuff.
1. Casino Royale 10/10
2. Quantum of Solace 9/10
3. No Time to Die 9/10
4. Skyfall 8/10
5. Spectre 3/10
Can we expect a review of NTTD with Scott in the future?
Same ranking as me. I always thought QoS had much better story elements than Skyfall: a plot based on realistic geopolitical threats (the stolen water plot actually happened in real life), a shadowy cabal of greedy, power hungry millionaires who infiltrate and manipulate governments and other organizations for their own ends - so much better than the goofy James Bond Harassment Society that Spectre turned into. I wish they'd kept this more grounded tone to the films instead of going back to the Roger Moore silliness.
1. Casino Royale 10/10
2. Quantum of Solace 8/10
3. Skyfall 7/10
4. NTTD 6.5/10
5. Spectre 2/10
Exact same ranking as me 👍
Wow, you have guts to rank Quantum Of Solace over Skyfall, I approve! Here's my ranking:
5. Spectre (Of all 25 Bond films, this is the worst)
4. No Time To Die (had a blast seeing this in cinemas, it's a decent Bond film)
3. Quantum Of Solace (underrated and great!)
2. Casino Royale (Top 10 material, but not as good as...)
Skyfall (Masterful)
Great video. Your ranking of the Craig era matches 100% with my own. Looking forward to your upcoming 25 film ranking.
Good to have you back mate
Excellent as always HOS. It seems a lot of our opinions of NTTD are in alignment which is great to know.
Another excellent video and rundown Joe.
Each movie was exquisitely broken down and analyzed.
Was no surprise Casino Royale would remain top of the list.
The movie still remains a true gold standard Bond film none of the other films in the Craig era lived up to.
I don't understand why you complained about the sepia filter on Spectre, when you put a sepia filter over this whole video lol.
In Daniel Craig era , the mission impossible movies are 1000 times much better in story , in entertainment, in action then
Daniels Bond movies .
Put NTTD at the bottom and that's fine.
NTTD and Spectre were terrible endings for Craig.
From Bad to Worse.
I've watched all the Bond films including the Craig films multiple times with one exception which I saw on the big screen and have yet to watched again. Well with one exception, I have watched the Paloma part a few times. Well filmed, very. Most lackluster villain in the Craig series, unclear what the villain's plan is. PTS is good but the complete change of direction from love to hate in seconds makes you wonder just how stable Bond is. Then there's the plot armor, no explosion has any effect, not at the grave with him standing right in front of it or multiple hand grenades being dropped on him. Based on that he undoubtedly survived the missile explosions. The shootout towards the end reminds me of watching someone playing a first person shooter in god mode. And then there's the fact that they decided to destroy everything that is iconic in the Bond films, SPRCTRE, Blofeld, Leiter and Bond. Bond will be back... I remember a comment made by one of the people in the Bond group I watched it with, "What? A zombie movie?" Baron Samedi could have fun with that. Also the ending pretty much dictates no one from the Craig films will be returning, which is more or less ok with a couple of exception, I would have dearly loved to see Paloma as a returning character and unfortunately this also includes Hinx, which I agree was an awesome henchman character. Oh well, to each his own. Glad to see you back HoS.
Great videos Joe I really enjoy watching these ranking videos...now surely you have to rank the James Bond Actors...
Same exact ranking for me, but I do like Quantum much more than you seem to. Great video breaking down your reasoning.
Could you and Mark do a No Time To Die Review?
Daniel W Craig is James Bond 007
I totally agree with your ranking. ''Casino Royale'' is my favorite James Bond film of all time!!!!
I basically agree with this list though I would swap No Time To Die and Skyfall around, Skyfall is better for me as Silva is a much better villain than Safin. If Safin had been a more developed character or if we had seen more of him then I probably would have ranked NTTD higher than Skyfall. I mean he's not terrible and Rami Malek brought a fine performance despite the lack of screentime, it was definitely the most underwhelming moment of the whole film for me. I don't know maybe NTTD will grow on me more sometime in the future.
NTTD does make it into my top 10 favourite Bond films though...
1. Casino Royale
2. Skyfall
3. From Russia With Love
4. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
5. Licence to Kill
6. GoldenEye
7. Goldfinger
8. No Time To Die
9. The Living Daylights
10. The Spy Who Loved Me
(As you can tell I also really like the Timothy Dalton Bond films)
Casino - Skyfall - NTTD - Spectre - Quantum.
1. Casino Royale 10/10
2. Skyfall 8/10
3. Spectre 7/10
4. Quantum of Solace 6/10
5. No Time to Die 6/10
I’m a defender of spectre. Yes the third act is convoluted and the plot of everything being connected was dumb but in that movie Craig feels more like bond than most of the others. The movie has a few more of the classic tropes. I personally think it’s the best looking bond movie and the soundtrack is my favorite of the whole franchise. The ending was also a lot more satisfactory than NTTD in my opinion.
Bruh, I put Spectre even higher.
I was shocked when I first saw Casino. On a second view I realised it was genius. It is still genius. And it was so true to Ian Fleming.
Joe apparently has forgotten the "Trench, Sylvia Trench" character (who returned for FRWL). Maud Adams and a few other actors have also returned, though as different characters.
Mostly concur with ranking, except for Spectre and Quantum of Solace (the latter places at bottom of my list of all EON 007 films, just below Die Another Day) 🎥
1. Skyfall
2. Casino Royale
3. No Time To Die
4. Quantum Of Solace
5. Spectre
To me, his top 3 are NTTD, casino royale and skyfall which I consider his dark knight trilogy
I completely agreed with this ranking; right down to the close tie between "Skyfall", which was so well done, and "No Time to Die", which was also beautifully made.
The entire horror movie at the beginning of "No Time" is the best pre-title sequence that I've ever seen in a Bond film, with subtle hints, in the quick passing of a shadow, that a killer is now in the same room as a child! Holy shit!!! That was an intense sequence, incredibly well constructed. The DB-5 scene in the square was equally strong. And many moments had that same level of detail and real suspense.
And, I also agree about "Casino Royale" as the best. That's not as controversial, but, as #1 for the entire series, it might be. For decades, my favorites had always been a tie between "Dr. No" and "On her Majesties Secret Service, for very different reasons; "Dr. No" is like an awesome, fun, pulp novel / b-movie, but then "OHMSS" looks like a beautiful cinematic snow globe, and it's a very well made and an exhaustive thriller.
Obviously "From Russia With Love" is the leading hardcore contender, and many others will choose "Goldfinger" as the obvious fan favorite.
The 007 of my youth was Roger Moore, and I still love him the most because I was little and I think we all knew he was great fun, but none of his movies became my favorite Bond films ("For Your Eyes Only" and "Octopussy" DO come very close!).
The "Casino Royale" film (also my first Bond read as a teen), came along in 2006, and knocked everything out of the lead spot for me. As you said, "the stars just aligned perfectly", and it remains an amazing film! It's going to be very, very, hard to beat.
Great video Joe and so good to have you back! I wrestled with 2-4 as well but would have Skyfall ahead of NTTD (can take the death of Felix and maybe the child but killing Bond is still taboo for me) and Spectre ahead of QOS. Are you heading over to London around October? Would be lovely to say hello!
Totally agree with you on Spectre - my least favourite Bond movie - DAD is higher as it has much more entertainment value. Spectre has nothing.
Skyfall and Casino. Bardem brings gravitas as Silva. Such a great villain, so tech savvy, way ahead of Bond. Bond had to use the old ways to beat him.
Joe D - not only are you the daddy of a lot of this stuff, but I am totally aligned with you on these choices! NTTD I feel will get better for a lot of people as it ages. Can’t wait for your series ranking, and good to have you back in the seat too! Best wishes, GV
I'm giving a thumbs up for your review of "Spectre" if nothing else. It seemed like their attempt at a cheesy-throwback Bond film, but only proved why the franchise needed to be rebooted in the first place!
Dear Mr. Darlington. If I may politely ask: where is Scott Atkins? I binge-watched with great enjoyment all your "countdown to Bond 25" videos with Mr. Atkins and naturally supposed that it was all leading up to analysis of "No time to die" with him when that film finally appeared. Please bring on the wonderful, insightful and entertaining Scott! You make great double act! Best wishes from Moscow. ❤
James Bond & vesper
Casino Royale and NTTD are Daniel Craig's best performances because in Casino he was out to prove he could do it and NTTD because he was happy that he had finally finished the others had Craig's love hate relationship with the part tarnishing his performance sometimes you could tell he was pissed off doing some scenes and having fun day with others
I'm always surprised when SPECTRE is discussed that no one yet has mentioned why Blowfeld says ''Cuckoo'' to Bond. I'm beginning to wonder if people don't get it. And if I'm not mistaken I think that Blofeld says it again to Bond in NTTD.
1- Skyfall
2- Casino Royale
3- Spectre
4- No Time to Die
5- Quantum of Solace
Fantastic video, Joe! Well presented arguments! I only have your #2 and #3 swapped on my list of the Craigs, otherwise we're in allignment!
Excellent review of the Craig era. I think NTTD will be far more appreciated in time much like OHMSS is today by many when it was excoriated when it first came out. My one problem with Casino Royale that kept me from naming it the best Bond movie of the entire series is the fact that I really hated the Cornel theme song. The score was decent but I always fast forward past the opening credits. Goldfinger and FRWL hold down my top two but Craig fills the rest of my top five with CR, NTTD and SF with OHMSS in the sixth spot.
Agree NTTD is a real James Bond film more than the others for me with Craig closest is the obvious Royal however I'm not overly keen on some of it green screen Craig changing body shape in shots it's a some of its parts,
OHMSS wasnt feminist deconstruction
The political correct news of NTTD wont age well
Great video Joe! Your videos are always cool. Now I agree with your comments on each movie. You make valid points. I enjoyed that. Your brought up things that make sense I never knew. Now as raking goes. Nice raking . It’s makes sense with your comments . I respect your ranking and opinion. Anyway I hope to see more videos my friend! Keep up the great work! 👍🏻
I would switch your 5 and 4. Otherwise I agree with you. Although I suspect NTTD will grow in status, like On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, in time. NTTD has a ghostly quality and an emotional intensity that makes it memorable. If you read Safin as a nonhuman villain, a kind of ghost who can only influence not organise a grand plot, you may appreciate the performance better.
Here is my ranking
5. Quantum of Solace
4. No Time To Die
3. Specter
2. Casino Royale
1. Skyfall
I like this retro sunset filter
good to see you back, Joe!
For me Best to worst:-
Casino Royale
Skyfall
No time to die
Spectre
Quantum of Solace
1)Skyfall & No time to die (Equally great visuals and story! Felt deep connection towards bond than from any other movies)
2)casino royale
3)spectre
4)quantum of solace
Casino Royals, Skyfall, Quantum of Solace, No Time to Die, Spectre.
1. Casino
2. Skyfall
3. Quantum
4. NTTD
5. Spectre
Casino Royale
Skyfall
Quantum
Spectre
No Time To Die
Summer is finally winding down!! Why would you want that? LOL In all seriousness, thank you for this vid. Love to see these types of vids and see what other fans' thoughts are.
For me, it's 1) Skyfall 2) Casino 3) NTTD 4) Spectre 5) Qos. I really wonder what type of film Quantum could have been if not for the WGA strike.
I would still say Skyfall has the edge on No Time to Die...partly because...to quote Diamonds are Forever of all films..."oh my God, you killed James Bond". The powers that be have seriously written themselves into a corner on this one I think partly because all good things come to an end and there's already the question of..."does the world of the 2020s WANT James Bond?"
Overall...the Craig era was the first time they overtly tried to reboot the character(previously I'd say The Living Daylights was more of a reboot than Goldeneye - it's hard to buy Dalton as being the same guy that Connery, Lazenby and Moore played simply due to age)...and that makes it hard to compare to other eras to this one. How do you compare Goldeneye or Goldfinger to Casino Royale?
Great work HOS.
Martin Campbell was the director for golden eye and casino royale both are highly praised by fans it would be interesting if Martin Campbell could do another Gem
I know it's all subjective etc. But to me the Craig era is just one big missed opportunity. CR smashes it out of the park because of the story, the rest of the movies are just an exercise in pulling the good parts out of some pretty weak (sometimes verging on terrible) writing. NTTD is the first time I think I've been actually *bored* in a Bond movie. All they had to do was string together some semi-believable plot arc though the movies, yet with all their highly paid writers all we get is some crap about Blofeld being Bonds half-brother...groan. The movies feel like they are written by people who only have a superficial idea of what makes Bond a great character, no emotional resonance at all (except for CR of course). I shudder to think what might come next if the same people are in charge.
Mine:
1. Casino Royale.
2. Skyfall.
3. No Time to Die.
4. Quantum of Solace.
5. Spectre.
Casino < Skyfall < Quantum < Spectre < No Time to Die
So they almost got worse and worse each time. I just wished they had stayed in the same universe that Casino established, where Bond was human, where he gets put through the ringer beaten and bloodied fighting one enemy. Rather than brag about giving him human emotions, meanwhile, with each installment, including skyfall, he becomes more and more like a generic marvel hero who can survive consistently more roger moore type stuff like being on a rooftop when the building disintegrates out from under him. But wait, this life's eating him up inside, and that makes it realistic. Pick a lane, the Dark Knight or Batman 1966. both are cool, but not when you mix them.
And Craig's one liners, man did they suck!
In Casino, after he kills the terrorist at the airport, all he has to do is smile deviously, and that was better than any one liner his bond ever had.
'Waste of good scotch', and 'do i look like i give a damn' were his best.
"I was in deep water" is not a one liner, its supposed to add insult to injury. Silva should have said "Where's Dilbert, the henchman?" , and Bond would've said "He's in over his head, or he's treading water, or he was on thin ice, now the thin ice is on him." "Doesn't time fly", "changing carriages", all suck. "Your watch blew his mind" had the right idea, but it was weak and badly delivered. - "His eye's in the back of his head", or "that was a real eye opener" are better and I'm not even trying.
They should have kept up with the dark comedy, a staple of bond. The second reason for the arc going downhill.
Yes! I totally wanted more of the Casino universe (which we did get with Quantum of Solace, but obviously not as well executed as it should have been). It was really disappointing when they starting veering off into more fantastic and cartoonish territory from Skyfall onwards. Casinoverse Bond was aweseome! Spectreverse Bond sucked!
@@katemara667 Spectre making Blofeld (Austin Powers) his brother tying all the previous films together especially when Skyfall and Silva had nothing to do with Mr. White and Vesper Lynd was bad writing. Quantum was the secret organization now forced to be the subsidiary. It makes Bond look stupid. He had zero clue all three films prior had a force behind them?
1. Casino Royale
2. Skyfall
3. You Can
4. Have The
5. Other Three
5. quantum of solace
4. casino royale
3. no time to die
2. skyfall
1. spectre
my ranking
1 casino royale
2 quantum of solace
3 skyfall
4 no time to die
5 specter
I totally agree! Fantastic ranking.
Personally, I pretend the last two films don't exist. Saw both at the cinema. I did re-watch Spectre on-demand later to see if was any less awful second time around (opening sequence aside) and it wasn't. Bond and Blofeld grew up together? No. Bond falls in love with Mr. White's daughter? No. The total lack of on-screen chemistry between Craig and Seydoux. The plot point shoe horning to the point of contortion. Scripts and direction that made Christoph Waltz appear laughable instead of shit-your-pants scary ("Cuckoo!"). Whatever the hell Rami Malek was. A credible black, female 00 agent opportunity wasted via a part written for an MTV rap video (alas poor Lashana Lynch). The casual wasting of Monica Bellucci and Ana de Armas. Range Rovers leaping into the air like an episode of The A-Team but without quite its sense of kinetic danger. And so much more. But the movies' biggest sin was making it all seem so dull and pedestrian that I just didn't care - empty, po-faced nonsense. I was so bored during NTTD's back half that I found myself checking my watch - in a Bond film! Good grief.
1. Casino Royale (brilliant movie)
2. Skyfall (good in parts movie, but sows the seeds of 4+5)
3. Quantum of Solace (hire a writer, fire the editor)
4. & 5. - disqualified
1) Skyfall
2) Casino
3)NTTD
4) Quantum
5) Spectre
Skyfall is the best to me not just because of the visuals but because it felt the most like a Bond movie out of all of Craigs movies. No Madeline or Spectre focus which I preferred.
Great stuff, as always, & many thanks :)
Totally with you, EXCEPT I'd reverse the bottom two; at least Spectre is fun in places!!
Both of the best films look like they came from Nolan's Dark Knight series. CR and Skyfall
Daniel Craig has become my favorite James Bond. I think two of his films are the best in the franchise. I think he has only one stinker so, overall, a pretty good run for Mr. Craig. Here are my rankings:
1. Skyfall (10/10) I love this film! It's my favorite of the Bond franchise. I think Daniel Craig is good, M is great, love the introduction of Moneypenny, Q, Tanner and Ralph Fiennes as the new M, Javier Bardem is one of the best Bond villains ever, love the scrip and the theme song. This film to me does everything right! On its own, I think it's a great film.
2. Casino Royale (10/10) It's a VERY CLOSE second for me in the Craig series and Bond franchise. I think this is Daniel Craig's best performance, Vesper Lyd is one my favorite Bond girls, Le Chiffre is also one of favorite villains and the script is top notch. What makes it second for me is the theme song, don't like it that much, and I think M and the other supporting characters are better and more interesting in Skyfall. On its own, a great film too.
3. Spectre (7/10) I like it more than most people. It's good but not great. What I think it does well is tie itself together w/Skyfall and Casino Royale, which Quantum of Solace fails to do, in my opinion.
4. No Time to Die (6/10) I've only seen it once, but I thought it was kind of a letdown. I'll watch it again on New Year's and see if I change my mind.
5. Quantum of Solace (3/10) It's not good! I tried watching it again on Christmas Day and I couldn't do it! I'm giving it a 3 because the scene w/Daniel Craig hanging from the rope and shooting upward. Great scene! The film kind of ends for me after that!
For me this is the easiest bond to rank (outside of lazenby obv). (1-casino 2-skyfall 3-NTD 4-Spec 5-QOS). Yup, even dalton
Great to see you back, sir. Your editing and musical additions are tops of all the content creators.
I can't argue with your rationale behind your picks. I'd list mine a bit differently - Casino, Skyfall, Quantum, NTTD, Spectre - but such is life. I'd also say when you look at the 5 together as an "experiment", it'd be easy to argue whether the experiment worked or not or at least was overrated. I tend to think the Craig era, based on it being most current and fresh with many, especially younger fans, gets a pass while older runs, like Rogers, maligned.
I think NTTD works as a book end but has a lot wrong with it, probably considering it's continuing the Spectre storylines. Rami was a poor villain, his motivation non existent, the love between Bond and dull Madeleine more plausible but still unrealistic, Blofeld wasted again, the urgency to blow up the island made no sense (just intercept the "buyers"), etc.
I'll give you the opening. To me if I ever want to check out NTTD, it's over in 30 min as I have no interest after the pre-titles. Matera stuff definitely great. As for the mini movie in Cuba - yes and no. Paloma is great, the proceedings fun, but it feels it was shot after the fact and shoe horned in. It feels like a commercial, not a movie, and definitely not NTTD. I sense execs knew it was such a downer in the end they needed something to lift spirits earlier. So great, just out of place.
The Felix death was certainly handled better but also odd. The films have never captured the novels concept Bond and Felix are friends and look forward to seeing one another. Wright was a terrific Felix but again, it never was apparent they were friends so his return and death something for Bond purists but for an average filmgoer, why would they care? And all of this, plus Bond's demise, is an assumption Bond fans wanted this. Not me. I don't know what Bond fan wants their hero to die, much less Felix or even Blofeld.
I'm looking forward to more a return to fun and adventure and Bondian stuff. Not vanity projects by Barbara and Michael and their star. I think they misread the room or just did what they wanted to see. The films made a lot of money, so clearly it worked on some levels.
Appreciate your work, sir!
I think my list would be the same as yours. I just found NTTD too contrived. Not even too bothered by the idea of the death scene, just that didn't feel earned in the story. Skyfall and Casino are quite close for me - as I love them both.
@@joemills4603 Quantum is the beneficiary of the last two films imo. I don't think it's great by any means (jerky direction, weak plot, weak villain) but Daniel near his best and solid action. Things got much worse in the final two, I think. Shouldn't be hard to have a solid screenplay.
NTTD has very much grown on me. I enjoyed it well enough in the cinema; but, for me, it improves with repeated viewing. It's garnered a lot of hate from a highly vocal branch of fandom; but I suspect, in the fullness of time, it will 'do an OHMSS', and become much admired - if only because it genuinely dared to be different (while also ticking many of the necessary boxes).
I place it 2nd on my list (behind CR,of course). Despite a few plot inconsistencies,I place it slightly higher than Skyfall,as that films storyline makes less sense the more times I watch it!
Spectre would be #4 for me. It's watchable enough; but basically alternates between big splurges of action, and dreary character scenes which (in the case of Blofeld) don't even make sense! The direction is occasionally too self-indulgent, as well.
QoS is a generally plotless and headache inducing experience for me; edited to destruction. Would that they were ever to release a 'Producers Cut' on Blu-ray! Perhaps,if that ever came to be,I could be persuaded to change my mind.
1 casino
2 skyfall
3 quantum
4 no time...
5 spectre
For me:
1. Spectre
2. Skyfall
3. No time to die
4. Casino Royal
5. Quantum of Solace
Daniel Craig is my James Bond
Great video agree with your ranking although Im wondering if I'd swap NTTD and Casino Royale. NTTD might just beat it for me.
Casino Royale & Skyfall were brilliant. Everything else should be erased forever.
Casino and NTTD for me can't understand the Madness with Skyfall for me as a James Bond fan of decades I don't see it as even being classed as a Bond film
I think The Craig era was very devisive. That not necessarily a bad thing because it does encourage healthy debate. I think Skyfall is by far Craig's best. It paid homage to the past Bonds, the humour mostly hit the mark & it still retained its hard modern edge. Maybe just maybe the Craig era should've ended there as a three act play. I respect your opinion regarding No time to Die. But I still can't abide with killing Bond. Good to see you back.Keep up the good work.
1) CR
2) SF
3) NTTD
4) QoS
5) Spectre
Joe is Back!
You're not alone in your love of No Time to Die; hell, I think a lot of the backlash is from a place outside the film and the franchise itself.
Oh, and Casino Royale has definitely earned itself a place in Cinematic Valhalla. It's easily one of the GOAT films ever produced.
*Edit, 4 months on:* I showed Casino to a friend of mine who had never before been interested in Bond, but let me pick the movie that night. First thing he said was that it was 10/10, the next thing was that he wanted to see the rest of the series! So, of course, that's what we spent the last couple of months doing. My buddy now wants to run out and grab the box set, read the novels whenever he gets the chance, basically a newly minted Bond fan.
It may not be obvious,but NTTD actually vaguely touched on the man with the golden gun..and I think it's deliberate since it was meant to be a last James Bond tribute to what Cubby and Ian Fleming were in terms of James Bond,and Christopher Lee was his(ians) cousin, how more fitting for that to be slotted in as a variable of what villainous acts can be..