Has and/or is the Daniel Craig era living up to your expectations

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  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    Posts: 13,384
    Me too.
  • JohnHammond73JohnHammond73 Lancashire, UK
    Posts: 4,151
    Craig has been great and he has proved himself to be a worthy Bond. Ok, so QOS was a blip but other Bond's had a blip at some point (some more than others I guess). Fingers crossed he'll do another.
  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    edited November 2015 Posts: 9,117
    suavejmf wrote: »

    Craig is the best Bond since Connery

    Is Connery really that untouchable? Plenty of people seem happy to say Craig is the best Bond since him but no one yet prepared to say hes actually better.

    Until now.

    Thats right people I think Dan may well be the best Bond of all!!

    Sean was perfect in DN and FRWL and pretty close to perfect in GF. From TB on he started coasting and while still good in TB got progressively worse in YOLT and DAF. Furthermore fhe only plays Fleming's Bond for about 2 1/2 films. From when he arrives in Kentucky in GF he is more and more just Sean Connery not Bond.

    In CR Dan gave us probably the best rendition of Fleming's Bond yet seen on film and he has maintained an astonishing level of consistency across 4 film. Despite them all being flawed to a greater or lesser degree he never waivers.

    Dalton probably equalled him in Fleming terms in TLD but he didnt have the swagger and confidence of Dan and to be a successful Bond you have to be able to toss off a one liner and there is no comparison between the delivery of 'salt corrosion' and 'That last hand nearly killed me'.

    If you swap the scripts around and give Dan the first 4 films and Sean the 4 Craig era films this would not even be a debate.

    A 5th film at the same level he has displayed so far should secure his legacy as best ever.
  • No, it has not live up to my expectations. I think CR is a great bond film, but afterwards they took the series in the wrong direction. Introducing an 'all powerful, all knowing' organization was a distinctly lazy and unimaginative direction to take, made to look even sillier when they got the rights to Spectre. Bond should have just gone on to do stand alone, 'normal' missions. As has been pointed out, the plot devices of going rogue and a shambolic service has been way overused. I could say a lot more and I may do later but I don't want to be OTT with criticism. My criticism of these films is because I am contrasting them with the superior CR.
  • Posts: 1,068
    It's a brave statement to share in such a spot as here @TheWizardOfIce but I feel DC is a far more appealing watchable likeable Bond for me too.

    I've seen SC Bonds too many times and have tired of them - ok this is easier to admit having been a Moore newbie from TSWLM onwards. I don't need to have a Fleming Bond the way others do and pick up on with SC's films. I can see where Moores films got it all wrong the way I do for SC films do. FOR ME!!

    DC, in CR, QOS and especially SP has really fired up my enthusiasm for the whole of Bond once more - something that took a knock with my personal disillusionment with SF and the ever dipping PB years.

    I ache for that conclusion DC film that SP has set up so nicely
  • Posts: 1,098
    I think the DC era has been very good........with the exception of QOS which was a truly awful film (though through no fault of Craig himself)!
  • SirHilaryBraySirHilaryBray Scotland
    edited November 2015 Posts: 2,138
    Craig could have taken Seans crown had there been more Fleming novels to put on screen after CR. Sean had the benefit of 1. Having Fleming alive having input for the 1st few films and more importantly 2. Nobody wrote Bond story's or dialogue like Fleming.
  • @TheWizardOfIce

    I like your comparison between Craig and Dalton but I think it's a bit unfair to compare one quote and conclude he can pull off the one liners better. Salt corrosion was a bad line to begin with, and Craig's had some clunky deliveries as well. I really like Dalton's 'don't you want to know why'? I can't imagine Craig saying this with as much menace.

    Dalton convinces me he's a mi6 spy more than Craig. He's more sophisticated (Dalton's theatre background helps here), and I know this is the scripts but Craig's bond too often comes across as simply a brute, a muscle for hire. For example, can we imagine Craig's Bond ingratiating his way into Sanchez's trust?
  • O6GO6G
    Posts: 80
    RC7 wrote: »
    So much fucking negativity on this forum.
    I feel so saddened by the fact that the only seemingly good internet forum for James Bond is ridden with elitist old passive agressive dinosaurs. Everyone takes a jab at me when I post something. No matter what. Bizarre really.

  • It's called discussion mate.
  • Posts: 582
    NicNac wrote: »
    The only disappointment with Craig's tenure (for me) was the 4 year delay between QOS and SF where he aged from new 00 to seasoned veteran and we saw none of it happen. I simply wish that SP had been his 5th film and we saw another adventure between the two films I mentioned.

    Otherwise I think he has been terrific. CR was sumptuous and so elegant and romantic. But it suffered from multiple endings.
    QOS was enjoyable enough, but was never allowed to breath.
    SF I loved regardless of negative reviews on here. It was pacey and daring and larger than life.
    SP is just a blast.

    Overall his 4 have given us more than we could have hoped for, because let's face it back in 2005 our 'expectations' were at best worrying and at worst shot to ribbons. I knew Craig's work and was already a fan of his in 2005, but like others I did have my reservations about him being Bond after he was announced. Then I saw Layer Cake.....

    So, yes he has lived up to, exceeded and blown out of the water my expectations. Here's to a 5th.

    I quite agree. I think my initial comment may have been taken more negatively than it was intended. For me DC is the best Bond and all 4 films are great in my opinion. I guess what I meant is that DC era isn't 10s across the board, but whatever is. Frankly I don't think CR will ever be topped, and to be honest I'm quite content if it never is. Ironically what I really like about SP is that it's a bit of lighter shade to the darks of the DC era. Umberto Eco once wrote that people like the Bond films because it's essentially like the old bedtime read, you want the same story but with some differences. I actually really like SP because it isn't Casino Royale. Just as I will happily sit and watch TND and then watch Moonraker. or OHMSS.Or FRWL. Or even ... Die Another Day! I love these movies.
  • I don't see how anyone can get past the massive plot holes in skyfall. Its an emperor's clothes film.
  • Posts: 582
    I don't see how anyone can get past the massive plot holes in skyfall. Its an emperor's clothes film.

    Yeah it has plotholes, and I was there with everyone pointing them out and wishing for better scripting. But it's still such a good Bond film. I honestly like them all, and I'm the first to descry the like of Die Another Day. It's Bond ... James Bond and I've been a massive fan of his since the summer of 1997. I started this debate, and let's keep it going, and to those who have picked up on the negativity, sorry if I started that, let's not forget that we all like Bond, even Die Another Day is fun when you take it on its own terms, but let's keep the discussion going, because we're Bond fans -we make lists of our favourite Bonds, we think about whether Dalton or Craig was really more Fleming, we love and/or hate the Roger Moore sight gags - we're Bond fans.

  • Posts: 582
    Okay - I draw the line at CR '67 and NSNA though - non-EoN trash!
  • SirHilaryBraySirHilaryBray Scotland
    Posts: 2,138
    O6G wrote: »
    RC7 wrote: »
    So much fucking negativity on this forum.
    I feel so saddened by the fact that the only seemingly good internet forum for James Bond is ridden with elitist old passive agressive dinosaurs. Everyone takes a jab at me when I post something. No matter what. Bizarre really.

    Relics of the cold war =))
  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 on fb and ajb
    edited November 2015 Posts: 9,020
    It's no secret I'm not the most avid fan of Daniel Craig and up to SF he ranked behind Dalton, Moore, Brosnan and Connery in my list.
    Which doesn't mean I dislike him, otherwise I would have to dislike Lazenby too which I certainly don't.

    I had no expectations at all before Casino Royale. I was just glad that after 4 years there was a new Bond movie (having to endure the 6 year gap between LTK and GE was enough torture).

    After CR I was walking on clouds for weeks, like I was after GE and TLD.

    QOS strangely didn't disappoint me at all in 2008, I sure was near an epileptic fit after the PTS but Olga Kurylenko made good for that within 2 seconds and I left the cinema very excited and happy.

    Skyfall on the other hand left me very disappointed, even more than TWINE did in 1999.
    It was only with Skyfall that I became very critical of the current era and of Craig as an actor.

    Today I rate QOS much lower than I would have in 2008 and Skyfall higher than I did in 2012.

    I can't really talk about Spectre without spoiling so I just don't.

    After 4 movies I consider this era as successful as the Brosnan, Dalton, Moore or Connery era.
    SP has "saved" this era from being a disappointment for me.

    I will never feel though that Craig is on the same level as Connery. That I find delusional, I can't put it more mildly. But don't be upset, it's just how I feel and I won't lie about it.

    I really, really want a fifth movie with Craig now. If EON hasn't lost all its marbles, they will quickly take a new crew under contract, new director, new composer, new script-writers. Craig already is under contract if I'm not mistaken, so that shouldn't be a problem. And of course, keep M, Q, and Moneypenny!
  • mcdonbbmcdonbb deep in the Heart of Texas
    Posts: 4,116
    O6G wrote: »
    RC7 wrote: »
    So much fucking negativity on this forum.
    I feel so saddened by the fact that the only seemingly good internet forum for James Bond is ridden with elitist old passive agressive dinosaurs. Everyone takes a jab at me when I post something. No matter what. Bizarre really.

    We get worked up ...then we backtrack and calm down after our meds kick in.

    Keep enjoying.

  • O6GO6G
    Posts: 80
    It's called discussion mate.
    Theres a difference between being a passive agressive asshole and discussing something. Ever since I started checking the internet for Bond related stuff, it seems like the fanbase for Bond is full of elderly people (no offense, its not your fault) that are for the lack of a better word; cunts. Which is really sad because it kind of ruins my experience with james bond. Its my own fault though really, i dont have to come here.
  • @O6G I don't see how reading other people's points of view mars your viewing of Bond. .
    If you see strong criticism, that shows people are passionate just as much as those who give strong praise. As long as people's posts are well considered, which is mostly what I've seen here, I don't have a problem whether the post is positive or negative.
  • O6GO6G
    Posts: 80
    @O6G I don't see how reading other people's points of view mars your viewing of Bond. .
    If you see strong criticism, that shows people are passionate just as much as those who give strong praise. As long as people's posts are well considered, which is mostly what I've seen here, I don't have a problem whether the post is positive or negative.
    You arent understanding what im talking about. and it doesnt really matter. pointless
  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    Posts: 9,117
    I trust the Ian Fleming Manouevre hasn't gone out of fashion during my sabbatical??
  • Posts: 582
    @O6G I don't see how reading other people's points of view mars your viewing of Bond. .
    If you see strong criticism, that shows people are passionate just as much as those who give strong praise. As long as people's posts are well considered, which is mostly what I've seen here, I don't have a problem whether the post is positive or negative.

    If this was a Facebook post, i'd 'like' it :)
  • Thank you tigers99
  • edited November 2015 Posts: 832
    It has surpassed my expectations. I was nervous about craig's casting and even after loving CR never expected craig to become the next sean or roger. That being said it certainly has not been without flaws and if I had more confidence from the beginning may have been disappointed
  • ForYourEyesOnlyForYourEyesOnly In the untained cradle of the heavens
    Posts: 1,984
    Craig is the best Bond actor, IMO, but Connery is probably a better Bond. Of course, that could just be because I'm not interested in forcing a Fleming's portrayal from every actor, which is why I like them all equally except Lazenby.
  • Craig is the best Bond actor, IMO, but Connery is probably a better Bond. Of course, that could just be because I'm not interested in forcing a Fleming's portrayal from every actor, which is why I like them all equally except Lazenby.

    I thought Lazenby did an excellent job. I think for so many years (even today) casual fans were unaware of the Hilary Bray dubbing that they lay the fault of those scenes to Lazenby. And when you look at other scenes imo he does a very fine job of portraying a worldly English gentlemen who can land a punch and woo a women. A much better Bond than Craig and Moore.

  • ForYourEyesOnlyForYourEyesOnly In the untained cradle of the heavens
    Posts: 1,984
    He's not "bad", but his acting inexperience definitely shows in his line delivery, except in the final scene where he's superb.

    That being said, I'd say its stretching to rank him as "much better" than Craig and Moore, who were both pivotal to the survival of the Bond series.
  • SirHilaryBraySirHilaryBray Scotland
    edited November 2015 Posts: 2,138
    Craig is the best Bond actor, IMO, but Connery is probably a better Bond. Of course, that could just be because I'm not interested in forcing a Fleming's portrayal from every actor, which is why I like them all equally except Lazenby.

    I thought Lazenby did an excellent job. I think for so many years (even today) casual fans were unaware of the Hilary Bray dubbing that they lay the fault of those scenes to Lazenby. And when you look at other scenes imo he does a very fine job of portraying a worldly English gentlemen who can land a punch and woo a women. A much better Bond than Craig and Moore.

    Next you will be telling us Caroline Bliss was a better Moneypenny than Lois Maxwell or that Robert Brown is better than Bernard Lee. You need your head checked if you think Lazenby was a better Bond or Actor than Sean or Dan. BTW Bond is Scottish.
  • Thunderball007Thunderball007 United States
    edited November 2015 Posts: 306
    Tuulia wrote: »
    mcdonbb wrote: »
    plan on a $40 tub of popcorn and $12 coke and my favorite seat.

    ...and pray my bladder last the full 150 minutes.

    Are you serious about the prices? That's surely ridiculously overpriced no matter how big the portions are. As for the bladder, unless one has some medical condition (I hope you don't, and I'm sorry if you do) that should not be a problem and you can influence it yourself, no need to pray. ;)

    I never drink lots before going to movies and never take a drink along (I can't even imagine why I would) and don't have problems bladder-wise even with longer movies. I had dinner and a couple of glasses of water with it right before I went to see Spectre and was perfectly fine. I did, however, skip the coffee I'd have liked after the meal - simple common sense, I know how coffee works...
    FourDot wrote: »
    I'd say it's the most intriguing tenure and probably the most important since the 60s. Each of the films has a totally distinct flavour - I would say that in future when doing a Bond marathon it wouldn't be an eye-rolling chore in the way that late Moore/post GE Brozzer is. Even QoS is enhanced by this latest film so I think it's a real triumph overall.

    I mostly agree with op and this. CR was and continues to be my fave, so in a way the answer to the original question would be "no", yet the overall view I have of this era is very positive.


    Comedy gold here! :))

    Anyway, for me, the Daniel Craig era of James Bond is spectacularly entertaining! :D
  • ForYourEyesOnlyForYourEyesOnly In the untained cradle of the heavens
    Posts: 1,984

    Next you will be telling us Caroline Bliss was a better Moneypenny than Lois Maxwell or that Robert Brown is better than Bernard Lee. You need your head checked if you think Lazenby was a better Bond or Actor than Sean or Dan. BTW Bond is Scottish.

    He said Moore, not Connery.
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