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Daniel Craig Era in Retrospect:What does he mean to you.
Eric_007
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Hello fellow agents.
The day I've feard since 2008 when I was 13 has come. I'm 21 now and Daniel Craig is doing his last Bond film. Never thought the day would come. However i wanted to express how grateful I am to have gotten Craig as Bond. He's been so relatable and the best bond ever. From getting his 007 Licence as a Raw Agent in CASINO ROYALE to Taking Vengence on Dominic Greene And QUANTUM to find his SOLACE for Vespers Death. To SKYFALL and faceing M's past in order to save the future all the way to SPECTRE and Finding new Love in Madeline Swan the daughter of Mr.White while Confronting Blofeld who caused all his pain. It truly has been a journey with Craigs Bond. Spectre left me so happy and satisfied that i was okay if it was his last one but i wouldn't mind another. NO TIME TO DIE releases April 2020 and it will be the end of an era...maybe even Bond. In Retrospect I'm just thankful to have experienced a Bond I could relate too and grow up with. I'll be sure to tell my kids one day. In Retrospect how do you see The Daniel Craig Era?
The day I've feard since 2008 when I was 13 has come. I'm 21 now and Daniel Craig is doing his last Bond film. Never thought the day would come. However i wanted to express how grateful I am to have gotten Craig as Bond. He's been so relatable and the best bond ever. From getting his 007 Licence as a Raw Agent in CASINO ROYALE to Taking Vengence on Dominic Greene And QUANTUM to find his SOLACE for Vespers Death. To SKYFALL and faceing M's past in order to save the future all the way to SPECTRE and Finding new Love in Madeline Swan the daughter of Mr.White while Confronting Blofeld who caused all his pain. It truly has been a journey with Craigs Bond. Spectre left me so happy and satisfied that i was okay if it was his last one but i wouldn't mind another. NO TIME TO DIE releases April 2020 and it will be the end of an era...maybe even Bond. In Retrospect I'm just thankful to have experienced a Bond I could relate too and grow up with. I'll be sure to tell my kids one day. In Retrospect how do you see The Daniel Craig Era?
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Comments
I thought everything was going so well. When Die Another Day came out I knew Brosnan wasn't getting any younger and the end for him as Bond was probably in sight... but I still thought at the time he had one more in him. And to this day I'll always say that - Brosnan did have one more in him - and it could've been his classic.
When Casino Royale and Daniel Craig were announced I was dead against the idea. I really couldn't see past Brosnan. Also - I hated the idea they were wiping out previous continuity. But - there was nothing I could do about it - so I just went and saw the film.
And I liked it. Didn't love it, but liked it. And I actually liked Quantum Of Solace too. Then a few years passed - four I think - where no Bond film was made. 50th Anniversary came out and Skyfall was released.
And that's when I FINALLY jumped aboard the Daniel Craig train. That's when the whole concept of him, the reboot and everything finally won me over.
And I even enjoyed Spectre - and I think I'm one the few round these parts that did.
And I look at Casino Royale and Quantum Of Solace more fondly than I did too.
It took me a while but I'm there. I can't wait for Craig's new movie and I'll be sad to see him go.
Casino Royale is brilliant and suited Craig just fine. Tbh I couldn't see Brosnan pulling off Bond in CR like Craig did. Craig has that masculine quality Brosnan lacks.
I was on the fence with Craig up until Skyfall, like I think many others were. Skyfall is absolutely brilliant in that it's a film which reintroduced some of the more outlandish elements of previous films prior to Craig's era but also retaining the gritty tone that is now hallmarks of his film series. Brosnans films were aimless and didn't have any sort of arc whatsoever. Even Moore and Connery had sort of loose threads running through their films and the characters at least showed signs of growth over number of films but with Brosnan it's all a bit tired and on autopilot from TND onward.
Yeah - that's a fair cop. Brosnan's era is one of missed opportunities. Goldeneye is his only true great Bond movie.
Wouldn't it have been awesome if Teri Hatcher's character Paris Carver was Sylvia Trench?
Writes itself doesn't it?
Like all of them or not, the filmmakers have been pushing the boundaries of what a Bond film can be with Craig... just wish they could have shown the same kind of faith in Brosnan.
Oh well.
Devastated.
A lot has to do with visuals. It's how I see James Bond in my mind's eye - he looks nothing like Craig, so I can't get past the inconsistencies.
Interesting view. Which makes me wonder what your thoughts are on those who suggest Bond should be a woman or of a different nationality, especially in light of Brosnan just suggesting Bond should be a woman.
I was a Connery fan first. Then, a Fleming's Bond fan. After that, I learned to love Roger and I couldn't help but like Lazenby - he did star in my favourite Bond film after all. I was a Dalton fan, a Brosnan fan, and when Craig took the role, I was in need of some awakening punch of sorts, a return to that macho brutal Bond Connery and the Bond from the novels encapsulated so well. And, despite hating the fact that he was blonde, I loved him in CR. I liked QOS a lot. I still wear my 2008 PO everyday, for the last 11 years. Adored SF, was disappointed with SP, and am very much awaiting with anticipation for NTTD.
In the meantime, I've had my share of novels written and some to some success, and I've built another career with even more success. I also happily married a girl more beautiful than Domino Vitali. So, there ya have it, the Craig era, for me. Good years, with a good actor and quality films all around.
Oh, and since I've been around Mi6, CBn and AJB007 since the beginning, heck, since 1999 maybe? (I have no ideia) I must say it's been a blast to follow the productions here with most of you guys and girls.
Cheers
It took until 2006 when finally a Bond movie came out that matches those „magic 4“ Bond movies I described - Casino Royale. To me, Craig‘s first 3 are all „up there“ together with DN, FRWL, GF and TB. I can repeatedly watch them and never feel bored.
It‘s just SP that for the most part I simply want to forget and most likely will never watch again. To me, it ain‘t even „good bad“ like MR is (to me). Some really great scenes and (besides Blofeld and Denbigh) really good characters ... good visuals ... but ruined by that fiasco of a script.
So, the Craig era means a lot to me - it made me an even bigger Bond fan than I was and Craig‘s Bond reached me differently than Connery‘s but both are, to me, in their different ways „perfect“.
With Craig most likely leaving after NTTD I think I won‘t be reached by Bond again this much like I was 2 times - once as a kid with Connery, once as an adult with Craig. Until I die I will go and see every new Bond movie but I am sure my all-time-favorite actors in the role will remain Connery and Craig.
What people need to understand, is when you say "I don't want a woman Bond, and I don't want an American Bond, and I don't want a black Bond", it's not the same as saying "I don't want a black newsreader on the TV" or "I don't want to see a woman dentist". Playing a recognised classic literary character automatically carries a responsibility to pay homage to the author's creation. Especially in this case, where his masculinity and Englishness are pivotal to the character.
Indeed; in 2008 he was older than me and now he's younger than me :))
I have never been Daniel Craig's biggest fan. What I will say though, is that he was the right Bond at the right time. The action/adventure films that captured the zeitgeist during his early era where the likes of Bourne and The Dark Knight Trilogy. Craig's Bond fits well in this company.
I think tastes in general are trending towards lighter fare now, so Craig is probably leaving at the right time.
I am a huge fan of Craig and his films. Like with you, he was the Bond I grew up with. However, in retrospect, I can't help feeling there was potential for more than what we got. Casino Royale was such an outstanding succes on so many levels. It rebooted and rejuvenated Bond in a way that created so much enthusiasm for what to come. Bond felt fresh again and had transitoned perfectly into the 21st century. Quantum of Solace was more flawed and less polished, but still a promising continuation, following in the same style.
Then Skyfall came. And don't get me wrong, I love the film in itself. But in the context of Craig's era and character arc, it created problems. I have never cared much for continuation in Bond, and accepting that we have now suddenly gone from a rough and young rookie agent just starting out on his spy career, to an old and seasoned veteran is not a big issue in itself. The problem is that it created a sense of loss and unfulfilment. Because I really wanted to vitness that transformaion! Starting fresh with a young Bond gave so many interesting possibilities. I wanted to take part in young Craig's adventures, watch him get new experiences, see him mature like a fine wine. Instead we are just told that he is old and experienced now, and potentially interesting and fascinating chapters in the story of Craig's Bond are simply erased and discarded just like that. In the context of celebrating 50 years of Bond, Skyfall hit the bullseye. In the context of the new arc that was established, it should have been Craig's last film with many interesting stories inbetween.
And the problem is that it is basically impossible to undo. You can't simply return back to square one. In some ways Spectre tried to do that. I am certainly not one of the films biggest detractors, but I think this is the film's biggest sin: Trying to tie Craig's films together in such a contrived, plainly unsuccesful way. It makes the era look even more confused and strengthens the sense of loss I previously have described.
This post should not be interpreted overly dramatic though. I am not saying that Craig's Bond is ruined or anything. No Time To Die will have a huge say on how I will finaly come to rate his era, however. If Craig can finish on a high with another great film and strong performance, I will most likely deem his Bond an undisputed triumph and rank him up there with Connery as the quintessential Bond. If not, I will probably conclude his tenure was one of unfulfilment, the promised modern "Silver Age" of Bond we should have had but didn't get.
In SP he seemed to shift his stance a little, and as a result I didn't buy in to his performance.
Will he be more CR or more SP when the new film hits the screens?
Lazenby quit. Brosnan got unlucky with horrendous scripts and directors after Goldeneye. And he got denied a 5th film. Dalton got unlucky with the long lawsuit after just the 2nd film.
My favourite James Bond film ever, featuring my favourite performance of Craig's. I saw this film when I was 17, and by this point had fully realised my passion for filmmaking and was following the industry like a hawk. This film fully solidified Craig as my favourite Bond, and fully introduced me properly to Roger Deakins.
Anyway, while I definitely grew up with Brosnan, I always loved the other characters more, like Xenia Onatopp, Elektra, Renard, and even Miranda Frost. Way more interesting to me, but Craig is my Bond because he was the first James Bond that I acknowledged fully while growing up, so while I always enjoy knowing I was born 12 days after the release of Goldeneye for some reason, Daniel Craig is James Bond to me, and will be sad to see his run end whenever that may be.
Agreed!
When CR came out and I had the chance to see it, I was left with a feeling that they might be onto something with Craig, but I was never left with a proper "Bond feeling" by him and the film itself – it felt more like a promise of something to come (especially with the Lake Como ending). Fast forward to 2009 and watching QOS (I didn't get the chance to see it before the home media release), I was left with a sense of indifference – partly towards Craig's performance, partly with the direction they took with the film. It was still an interesting film in some ways though. There are parts I really like, and an "untraditional" Bond film isn't necessarily a negative in itself.
The first two films left my opinion of Craig "on hold", as I wasn't particularly won over with him, nor hugely disappointed. By 2012 I had high hopes for SF and a Mendes Bond film – a big name director! I really hoped this would be the film where Craig really grew enough into the role so that I could hopefully get on board with his portrayal. Unfortunately, it didn't happen. I could definitely see the strengths of the actor on display, yet I was left cold. I've tried to pin down why I felt this way watching the film in the years after the release, and I'm still no closer to an definitive answer. It just doesn't work for me.
Even though the team of Craig/Mendes didn't win me over with SF, I was still really excited with what SP might be, for many reasons, but yet again I was left disappointed – this time more than ever before. I found's Craig performance lacking (one of the worst of the series, IMO), and the film… well, I can't watch it in one viewing. It's that bad.
So, what do I think of the Craig era and Craig as Bond? I've never been won over by him and his portrayal, unlike those before him. His films leave me cold even though there are some positives to mention. For that reason he's not a favourite of mine. Unfortunately.
Concise and spot on. +1!
Just shows how much the opinions of the various actors differs. I absolutely love Brosnan as Bond for example, and I think it's a great shame he didn't get to do another film after DAD.
The shame concerning Brosnan is not so much that he never got a fifth, in my opinion at least, but that he never got another GoldenEye. Brosnan deserved his FRWL or OHMSS or FYEO. A serious, naturalistic Bond would have played much more to his strengths. He 'got' GE completely, he understood that film and made it work. Right from the getgo, Brosnan showed that he could be a serious Bond who can throw a punch and drop a funny line without smirking like Tom Cruise in M:I 2. It was the ideal cocktail, the perfect blend of charming, cool and dangerous. He was ready for it. Connery versus Dent; Connery versus Grant. Brosnan could have made it happen in the '90s. Instead, they whipped this man into a Rambo-Bond-versus-stealth-boats scenario. The sad part is that Brosnan never asked for that. It just happened and they trapped him. Every Brosnan Bond after GE gave him an edgy start but ended in a place of madness.
Very true re. the films following GE. He was a "victim" of some films that didn't work as well as they could have – especially since GE was in many ways a great film for him to start with. I do like TWINE though, even though many here on the forum seem to hate it.
This is so true. He didn't even feel like the same character from that film onwards. His Thomas Crown was much more on par with his GE Bond.
SF sold me on Craig and his chops as an actor. Then SP...such a wasted opportunity. None of it Craig's fault but it was brutal to show horn Blofeld in the way they did and I am not even sure why they felt the need to do it.
Craig's Bond fights and you believe it's him. He has a confidence and a cool about him. He looks like he's thinking of all his day.
The drawbacks of Craig's portrayal come to the character we've received. While this harkens to Connery's Bond this Bond has none of the sophistication or our man. He doesn't seem to know his wines and on occasion doesn't care how his martini is made. He clubs and batters his way to the villain. This Bond doesn't really use his smarts or his detective skills. I can't see Craig's Bond saying "red wine with fish. That should have told me something."
This character is neutered and his ability to seduce the women he comes into contact with are gone. There was a flash with Strawberry Fields but otherwise this Bond doesn't seduce women so much as conquests them. Boldly walking into showers, taking his woman after a train fight. This Bond doesn't really have any romance within him.
This Bond has had a character arc of some description. But where's the man that knows all (except about diamonds), a man who orders the right wines with the right food? Where's our man that flirts with women? Where's the man who would charm and double speak with the villain. Both knowing what each other was talking about while other listening in would see another meaning. Think Largo and Bond gambling, Drax and Bond at the pheasant hunt. The villains have lost their colour during this Craig era. Ask a non Bond fan to list some villains and chances are it's going to be Goldfinger, Dr No, and others from a time when the bad guys had more too them then a personal angle with Bond.
Overall I have enjoyed Craig's portrayal of Bond but I am looking forward to another actor taking a different tack with the character.