Daniel Craig’s ‘James Bond’ Movies Ranked from Worst to Best

Now that arguably the greatest Bond of them all has finished his reign, let’s look back at his five movies and rank them starting from worst to best. Here are Daniel Craig’s James Bond movies ranked from worst to best.

(spoilers ahead)

Number Five – Quantum of Solace

After a very satisfactory reboot of the Bond franchise, Quantum of Solace left us feeling a bit empty inside. Unlike the highest moments of Craig’s Bond that leave an indelible impression, Solace is somewhat lackluster. In fact, it’s hard to recall what this movie is really about at all, other than something to do with learning more about the people who hired Vesper and something to do with her backstory.

It’s hard though to follow up on a powerhouse movie like Casino Royale, however. So maybe we should forgive them for this one. It is, after all, not a bad movie, per se, but definitely the weakest in Craig’s filmography.

Number Four – Spectre

When it comes to Craig’s Bond, great movies seem to skip a generation. At least, every other movie is a pretty big smash. Just like how Solace was cursed to follow up on the very movie that rebooted the franchise, Spectre had to follow up on the highest grossing Bond film of all time.

Spectre does do a few things incredibly well. Number one, it gives us a new love interest for Bond – his first one since Vesper. The film does a great job with her – she’s very much equal to the task of being Bond’s final love interest, as well as something of a foil for the Vesper Lynd. Since Vesper left a hole in all of our heart’s (not just Bond’s), we’re grateful for another shot at love for our favorite British spy.

Perhaps the weakest part of this film (other than Bond’s apparently controversial apparel), is the underutilized villain that is Ernst Blofeld.

For someone who is supposed to be the Moriarty to Bond’s Sherlock Holmes, Blofeld just doesn’t feel that realistic. Supposedly, this character (played by Christoph Waltz) is the architect of Bond’s ruin. However, there aren’t enough inklings of there being a mastermind pulling the strings all along to give this big reveal enough gravitas.

The same problem persists in the final Bond film – Blofeld also does some pretty dastardly things, secretly manipulating our hero in a way that just doesn’t feel quite satisfying. After all, before Spectre, Bond wasn’t somebody who was manipulated by anyone – anyone other than Vesper Lynd, that is.

Number Three – No Time To Die

Others have said that this movie could very well have been the best of them all – if not for a somewhat dragging third act. I tend to agree. For the majority of this film, it has everything and more that you would hope a final Bond film to have. Even better gadgets, a call back to an old love, and a battle for the fate of the entire world.

In fact, the movie starts where the first film ended – the grave of Vesper Lynd. After all, she was a driving force for basically everything that happens in Bond. However, where the movie goes wrong is with the evil Safin. He’s a villain who wants to poison the whole world, who has access to incredible resources…and we don’t really know the reason for any of this. Oh well…the evil humanity killing virus seems realistic enough in today’s climate, so we kind of just ignore the creepy villain without a backstory.

Still, it seems the film is relying on Malek’s incredible acting chops and not good storytelling towards the end. But that still doesn’t manage to take away the impactful, emotional ending.

Perhaps the best part about this film is that we finally see what it would be like if, even if just for a few minutes, Bond got to live the life of a normal family man.

The worst part about this film, however, is the fact that Bond spent five years away from his family simply because of a prank call from Blofeld.

Number Two – Casino Royale

It’s hard to rank these top two, and either could easily be the top Bond film not only of those with Craig but of all time. Casino Royale does more than reboot a franchise – it reimagines a character we all thought we knew inside and out.

Craig’s Bond is the Bond from Fleming’s novels come to life, and he’s a welcome addition to the roster of actors who have graced the silver screen as everyone’s favorite spy.

What’s more, however, is that unlike all previous Bond films, Craig’s Bond’s story is told chronologically. We actually get to see Bond’s character develop over the course of several movies, into the self sacrificing, sort of loving character he is at the time of his death.

Casino Royale, however, gives us probably his biggest defining moment: his love affair with Vesper Lynd. Ultimately, that love and betrayal permeates the entire rest of the series, echoed through his rejection of Madeleine in No Time to Die.

The relationship between Vesper and Bond is the highlight not only of the film but of the entire series, and they never really manage to get that chemistry back again between him and any other Bond girl.

However, from a filmmaking standpoint, Casino Royale is still outclassed by one other Bond film.

Number One – Skyfall

Craig’s Bond sort of fell off the radar after Quantum of Solace. Since that movie suffered from some pretty bad PR, it took quite some time for Bond to make his way back onto the Silver screen again. But maybe in a way we have that second installment to thank for what could arguably be considered the greatest Bond film of all time. It freed the franchise even further from the trappings of its past to explore new territories.

Although there aren’t any relationships in this film as touching as the one between Vesper and Bond, this one focuses more on the relationship Bond has with his handler, M.

It also gives us the best Bond villain of Craig’s entry, if not of all time, played by Javier Bardem. Oh, and not to mention it’s got that killer soundtrack from Adel.

From start to finish, Skyfall is an impeccable film.