Craig's tenure has Bond has arguably been the most successful and well-reputed since Connery's. The other actors were very good but there were always major problems. Brosnan was a great Bond but he was hampered by too many awful scripts and mediocre directors. Dalton established the new dark gritty Bond, but the public was not ready for it yet and there was a 6 year lawsuit which stifled his tenure. Moore had some great outings as the charming funny Bond, but the quality of his films varied a lot. Craig did establish Bond as dangerous, sexy and entertaining.
Casino Royale in '06, was a strong promise for the Craig Era. It provided a good foundation but, 10 years later, I don't think it's a promise that was lived up to. At that moment, the Bond franchise transformed from comic book to an actual story with characters, great acting, refinement and nearly flawless directing. Quantum of Solace was rushed and very rough around the edges due to a writer's strike, but I loved its sense of minimalism, unique directing, fast pace questioning the series cliche tropes and it's political themes. Skyfall attempted to reconcile the fantasy action movie with the serious backstory, and I'm convinced that Craig's stellar acting could've turned that grandiose Batman clone into a very good movie. However, Spectre is the point where it collapses. At this point, the series went full circle and we're back at Tomorrow Never Dies again: at that good but not great territory. The biggest concern is that Spectre will spawn a trilogy based on a forgettable plot that ripped off Austin Powers.
As his 5th movie comes around, this will determine whether he can provide a 3rd epic Bond film, or if he will end up old and tired like some of the other actors. None of my complaints on Craig's era have been about his remarkable performance, but largely MGM's decision to use weak plots and throw massive budgets to cover the problem.
Casino Royale in '06, was a strong promise for the Craig Era. It provided a good foundation but, 10 years later, I don't think it's a promise that was lived up to. At that moment, the Bond franchise transformed from comic book to an actual story with characters, great acting, refinement and nearly flawless directing. Quantum of Solace was rushed and very rough around the edges due to a writer's strike, but I loved its sense of minimalism, unique directing, fast pace questioning the series cliche tropes and it's political themes. Skyfall attempted to reconcile the fantasy action movie with the serious backstory, and I'm convinced that Craig's stellar acting could've turned that grandiose Batman clone into a very good movie. However, Spectre is the point where it collapses. At this point, the series went full circle and we're back at Tomorrow Never Dies again: at that good but not great territory. The biggest concern is that Spectre will spawn a trilogy based on a forgettable plot that ripped off Austin Powers.
As his 5th movie comes around, this will determine whether he can provide a 3rd epic Bond film, or if he will end up old and tired like some of the other actors. None of my complaints on Craig's era have been about his remarkable performance, but largely MGM's decision to use weak plots and throw massive budgets to cover the problem.