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Quantum of Solace - borderline masterpiece. I still consider this to be Craig's best performance.
Skyfall - I like the film and I appreciate it but it's not a favorite of mine. Get rid of the references to Bond being old, cut out the sillier moments, put the gunbarrel at the beginning, and it would've been a perfect ending to the "Craig trilogy". Craig is still good but he doesn't really have the intensity he had in his first two films.
Spectre - It's no secret that I STRONGLY dislike this film. It has its moments but as a whole, I think it pretty much killed the Craig era from a storytelling perspective. I have high hopes for NTTD though. Craig isn't bad but he seems to lack any passion for the role at this point. He reminds me of Connery in YOLT.
This is the post which better illustrates my own feelings. Even if I do like Daniel Craig and have loved his tenure. That being said, I'm afraid this Bond we love, @thedove, won't exist anymore, ever. That fear even makes me want Craig to do another one. Because who knows what comes next? We may never recognise our beloved Bond again. One thing I feel is that Pierce was Bond in GE and not in any of his other films, and Daniel was Bond in CR and again, in the same fashion, he wasn't quite the same character in his other films, arch or no arch. They all seem to lose consistency from the get go. Anyway, really enjoyed your post.
Exactly my thoughts.
Thought we did see a glimpse of that side of Bond in QOS however, which, partly because of that, I still consider his best Bond performance.
I am at the point when Craig leaves the role I won't miss him mainly because the forced through line in his films has become tiresome. The film series needs a fresh start and I want the return of stand alone films.
Credit where credit is due Craig did help revitalise the film series.
CR has always been my #1 Bond film. It rebooted the franchise exactly the way it needed to after DAD. Craig's performance in it is my all-time favorite Bond performance by any of the actors. The only problem I've ever had with CR is that the bar was set too high from the start!
QOS started off as one of my favorite Bond films, went downhill for a while, but lately has been really awesome for me and usually places at about #12. Craig himself again is terrific, and I think it's a super rewatchable entry. Not quite as fantastic or consistent as CR, but still a really good Bond film; lots of good action and great moments.
SF is a modern Bond classic, like CR but in its own unique way. It's never left my Top 5 and is currently #5. Craig's Bond is a little different from the CR/QOS portrayal, but still great. He manages to be a little lighter while still not going overboard. Silva is one of the series' very best villains and my favorite of the Craig era.
SP is the misstep of the era. Though I loved it when it first came out, it has gradually gone down and down until it has languished in my bottom 5 for a long time now. The retcon ideas were not good, and Craig's performance got a little too silly in spots for his Bond. Despite the many flaws, the first two thirds of the film are okay enough (save for the ill-advised retcons), but it gets really rough in the final third after the train fight.
NTTD presents a great opportunity to send off Craig on the high he deserves. There's no telling how good or bad it will be yet, but I'm staying cautiously optimistic about it. It certainly will have a big impact on the overall era; if it's SP-level, the era becomes a mixed bag (leaning a little positive), but if it's QOS-level or higher then the era will count as a massive success to me. CR + QOS + SF already do secure Craig's legacy as a great James Bond for me, but it would be greatly boosted still by another great entry.
Agreed. Casino Royale was the perfect modern interpretation of the Fleming source material. Nothing that followed has even come close in comparison, IMO. Hopefully No Time To Die will be a return to form.
I strongly remember watching all the behind the scenes stuff on telly about Die Another Day and then getting it on tape and being so disheartened with it, the only good thing out of it for me was my crush that begun on Rosamund Pike.
But I will always credit that movie with motivating me to read all the Fleming novels and going back to watch the best films of the series. Then 2005 rolls around and I'm fully behind Daniel being cast, I thought after DAD it needed something new and fresh and he was it (plus he was a Liverpool fan and grew up 10 minutes down the road from me)
I strongly remember watching the news all the time in 2006 for anything Bond or anything about the new film and then in the middle of summer 2006 my Mum passed away.. and in all honesty I forgot all about the new film coming later that year, I can't remember seeing any of the trailers for it.
Anyway I remember going to Anfield to watch Liverpool vs Man City in November that year and my Granddad gave me an envelope that morning and said don't open it till after the match. It was tickets to go see Casino Royale that night.
So I went and honestly I didn't expect to be blown away but my word, what a film. It was the first time I'd been to the cinema since my Mum's death and I remember being on cloud 9 chatting about how much I loved the film with my Dad and how I couldn't believe they'd made such a fantastic film and how great Daniel was as Bond.
From that first viewing on I remember thinking I don't envy the guy who has to follow him, because Daniel Craig is James Bond. I remember watching Casino with my Granddad once and him saying "bloody hell I never thought anyone could be Bond after Connery but he's done it"
The moment I saw Craig raise a glass to those bodyguards in Skyfall, I thought to myself I'm witnessing what my Granddad did in the 60's with Connery. A truly magical era in Bond history.
Sorry for the long post, it just sort of sums up how I felt about Craig being cast and him being James Bond. I will be truly devastated to see him go
+1
I couldn't have said it better myself, @thedove. CR remains one of the best Bond films on the basis that it followed Fleming and I really enjoy Craig's portrayal in it. It's his best performance in the role, IMO. Following the dire TND, TWINE and DAD it reinvigorated my fandom in Bond. However, everything that has followed CR hasn't captured me and I fear that while NTTD may be a good film when it's all said and done, it's ties to SP will stop it from ever being a classic Bond entry. QOS was a great idea, poorly executed and the Mendes duo really don't wash with me, particularly the latter. You'd think that following the finale of Skyfall with Bond entering the classic office to meet M, that would've signalled a return to form, but Spectre really threw the baby out with the bathwater. I'm all for character development, but I feel that Craig's tenure over complicated what could've been an amazing era in Bond history with too much focus around an ongoing character arch. CR and QOS are linked, SF and SP are linked and now we're getting a film that supposedly ties in all of these instalments. I much preferred the days of Connery where they were individuals missions against the same common enemy, but the films were in no way tied to one another outside of organization and Blofeld. I hope that the next set of films stick to a more traditional formula.
My father passed away 10 months before CR was released. That was a gut punch for me. This is the man who introduced me to 007, and, although Moore was Bond while I was growing up, we were brought up in a passionately Connery-centric household (I was 12 when Dalton was cast and we enjoyed him, but no one held a candle to Connery)...
So when CR was released it was bittersweet. I was swept away by Craig's performance, and the first thing I said to my wife (after all the holy ****s!), was: my Dad woulda loved this film and he woulda loved Craig. I was quite emotional that I couldn't share this with him-- I couldn't share what I consider the proper heir apparent to Connery.
And since CR, my passion for Craig only grows. Three out of four films have been excellent. He could have walked for B25 (the man has enough money to live jobless for two or three more lifetimes), but he came back which, to me, was a ballsy move-- if the film bombed, his era and his legacy in the role would be tainted. However, like with CR, if all the elements came together for this Swan(n) Song, then he cements his era and his legacy in the Bond history. Quite a ballsy and risky move on his part (but from everything they keep revealing, it really does look like he's all in (and the team around him as well)).
Big shoes to fill, indeed. I too am devastated this is his last. I'm just trying to live in the moment and enjoy every snippet until I can see the finished work in the cinema (and then I will hold vigil and privately mourn the passing of the Craig Era, lol).
I would echo both of you, I do love Craig in the role and like @peter will miss Craig immensely, although all good things come to an end.
I won't say that everything has been a resounding success because that would be a lie and yes as I don't make a secret of it a particular entry left me bitter and disappointed.
Though no Bond has a perfect run through, all the long running ones, Connery, Moore & Brosnan (even if you adore that era I don't) you can't say they aren't without a few blips.
So despite my rather violent reaction to SPECTRE DC has had a bloody good run in my eyes. From the moment he appeared on the screen I knew he'd arrived, the best introduction since Connery appeared and gave us those immortal words at the casino table.
Though I feel he is going at the right time like @peter it is going to be a bitter pill to swallow. I can't see myself at the moment embracing the next guy quite as much, he has a lot up hill climbing to do to convince me.
Craig for my eyes has stamped something on the character that won't be forgotten (he won't just become the next, despite the wishful thinking of his detractors).
Like i said before, he has changed the way the character is played and he has changed the demographic of the type of actor that would want to play Bond.
All those people that are touted aren't wanting the role because of what Moore and Brosnan did with it, they are looking at that role and seeing the potential because what Daniel Craig bought to it.
Craig has kind of given the actor that wants to step into the role the next time the ability to have their cake and eat it and by that I mean.
That they can fulfil their childhood dream to wear the tux, brandish the Walther PPK and inhabit the world of James Bond 007 but now they can also play Bond as more of human being.
Whereas other actors have kind of hinted at this Craig (whether you like it or not) has added layers to the role that makes it a very enticing proposition.
Hardy, Turner etc aren't courting the role to play the part like a one dimensional suave playboy, they are wanting the chance to inhabit the character because it has something to get your teeth into as well as making you look like one of the coolest iconic cinema characters of all time.
I'll be very surprised if the next actor doesn't court the role with just the idea of playing Bond of old, they will want that have your cake and eat it way and that may well end of being a turn off for some.
All eras won't please everyone, I personally can't understand why anyone would want to relive the Brosnan era in their own homes (my copies of his films bar GE are gathering dust).
Though that is most likely the case for some with Craig, Moore or even Connery, it takes a right diverse, strange bunch to make up the Bond fan base and what is one mans poison is another's delight.
We'll see what happens come the next reiteration of this character we love but this guy has changed things and I think we need accept it rather than denying that it won't make a difference going forward.
Thank you Mr Craig it has been a pleasure and a privilege knowing you for the last 15 years.
Thanks @peter you too mate and @Shardlake totally agree mate
I was sold on Craig from the release of that first promo shot of him back in 2005. I remember thinking, "this guy looks exactly like the James Bond I picture" and I couldn't wait for the film. Not only did I finally get to witness a new Bond, but the icing on the cake was also getting to see a Fleming story adapted for the big screen.
Casino Royale both lived up to and surpassed expectations. At that moment in time I remember thinking that what I was feeling must have been what it was like to see Connery on the big screen back in the sixties. At the very least, that was the closest I was ever going to get. Craig nailed it from the get-go.
Never did I think he'd still be Bond fifteen years later. I'm thrilled that we get to see one more film out of him, but all good things must come to an end. He's already been Bond longer than I expected. I was pretty bummed out thinking SPECTRE was going to be his last - despite being a fan of that film, I feel like the incompleteness surrounding the whole situation may have been harder to swallow. He deserved a better end to his tenure.
It goes without saying that he is my favourite Bond.
He's not my favourite Bond because by now I don't have a favourite, it's like growing up and, suddenly, saying you have a best friend just sounds silly. I like all of them. All of the Bond actors.
Of course Connery's the man. Always will be. But Craig will have left through the big door, not the small one, like Sean did. If he'd left by TB, he'd have no faults in my eyes. Craig will be lucky that way, leaving us wanting more. I respect that immensely.
I'll miss his fashion style, his intake on the character, the talent he brought along, his "no-shit" attitude, his bravado, his courage and commitment to making it look real. I'll miss him.
Also, lol about his fashion style. He was probably the worst dressed of all the Bonds starting with SKYFALL and those ill-fitting suits.
Quantum of Solace came out and I was disappointed, but my opinion on Craig didn’t change. In fact, looking back on it, Quantum of Solace is in my top 10 Bond films and I’d go as far as to say he’s more refined and Bondian here. But it was Skyfall that really sealed the belief in me that “Yep, Daniel Craig has reached the zenith of Bond perfection.” Here, he was ruthless like Connery, suave and debonair like Moore and Brosnan, with the danger and rugged professionalism that Dalton brought to the role. Above all, I appreciated Craig adding his emotional weight and gravitas to this film in particular, as it displays why he was chosen to play Bond in the first place: the man can act when the moments call for it. Take the scenes with he and M at her home, the “enjoying death” scenes after the titles, or the superb banter with characters like Moneypenny, Silva, or Severine... Wow. He’s emotional, but it’s never overdone.
However, the less said about Spectre the better, as I felt back then - and still do feel - that he was slumming it here in this entry; for some reason, everything from his wardrobe to the way he moved just felt...off. You can tell Craig’s on autopilot here (or perhaps failing to channel Moore’s devil-may-care attitude when under pressure).
When all’s said and done, though, Daniel Craig (for me) ranks right up there with my favorites - Connery, Dalton, and Brosnan. Craig’s interpretation of James Bond kickstarted my interest in the character, which had laid dormant for years after Pierce left the franchise. With No Time To Die just around the corner, there’s a sense of excitement and sadness due to this being his last outing. But I can say that one day I’ll look back on the Daniel Craig era, maybe 20-30 more years down the line, and I’ll still be saying: “Man....Daniel Craig IS James Bond.”
Sorry, but I thought his work in SF was little more than a series of poses. I don't know what happened to him in the four years after QOS, but (to me, at least) all of the freshness was gone, replaced by someone playing an icon rather than a character. And yeah, I know he gets emotional at times, but it all just seems so canned.
Yes pray tell do say @Escalus5 what you mean by this?