Daniel Craig’s tenure as James Bond was, by any measure, a roaring success. Despite a few bumps in the road with Quantum of Solace and, to a lesser extent, Spectre, both Casino Royale and Skyfall ushered in a new era of critical and commercial prosperity for Britain’s premier cinematic export. Needless to say, whichever actor dons the tuxedo for Bond 26 is facing a daunting challenge.
One particularly impressive feat of James Bond as a character is that there hasn’t ever been a bad one. Bad individual movies, absolutely, but each of the six main Bond actors has brought something worthwhile to the role and offered audiences a slightly different flavor of 007. As such, there is no concrete consensus on which actor was the best James Bond, nor on which entry is the franchise’s greatest.
There is, however, one accolade Daniel Craig can rightfully lay claim to over his predecessors: having the best final movie. No Time to Die stands head and shoulders above the other five “last” movies from each James Bond actor. And while a new face will soon step into the breach Craig left behind, it will be almost impossible for them to wrestle the honor of “Bond’s Best Swansong” away from him.
Daniel Craig Has The Best “Final” Movie Of Any James Bond Actor
Sean Connery has three “final” James Bond adventures, depending on your perspective: the first time he quit after You Only Live Twice, the second time he quit after Diamonds are Forever, and his non-Eon jaunt in Never Say Never Again.
For the purposes of this article, it matters not which is chosen. All three dwell among the less appealing movies in 007’s canon, whether due to lackluster scripts, forgettable side characters, or Connery’s own waning enthusiasm.
Roger Moore fares little better. As with Connery, A View to A Kill found its lead desperately needing to press the ejector button, but the movie is a messy and soulless affair irrespective of Moore’s aging spy. Still, at least it wasn’t Pierce Brosnan’s Die Another Day, which fared so badly that EON decided only a full tonal reset could put the franchise back on track.
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is great, but it’s George Lazenby’s final James Bond film by default, and that leaves only Timothy Dalton’s License to Kill– a rather thrilling 007 caper, even if it wasn’t appreciated upon release.
As good as License to Kill may be, No Time to Die is better. Craig’s closer delivers more emotional highs, more satisfying storytelling, more high-octane action, and one of the greatest ensembles the series has ever put together. No Time to Die may not be Daniel Craig’s best outing as Bond, but as a parting shot, nobody has done it better.
The Next James Bond Actor Will Struggle To Deliver A Better Swansong Than No Time To Die
There is one vital reason the next James Bond will struggle to top No Time to Die as an ending, regardless of which actor lands the job and how successful their reign proves to be. Put simply, Bond can’t die twice.
No Time to Die broke a 60-year rule by killing off 007 in the final act – a highly unusual move that made perfect sense for Daniel Craig’s individual arc, but one that we’re highly unlikely to see again. Letting Bond die whenever an actor quits would quickly lead to diminishing emotional returns, and it simply isn’t sustainable to pull the “death” card twice in a row after decades of immortality.
Alas, Bond’s death was the secret sauce that made No Time to Die great. The freedom of 007’s eventual fate allowed Daniel Craig to play the character with a depth and vulnerability that wouldn’t make sense under any other circumstances.
Bond’s death doesn’t just underpin No Time to Die as a standalone movie but rounds off Craig’s entire 5-film arc with such panache that it’s hard to imagine the stars aligning in quite the same way again.
Also worth bearing in mind is that Bond actors typically leave the role when their potency starts to dull– hence the likes of Connery, Moore, and Brosnan ending their respective stints on stinkers. After Spectre, one could argue this was true of Daniel Craig too, but the uniqueness of playing a doomed Bond allowed him to sidestep the usual last-mission malaise.
Whichever actor picks up the Walther PPK next will not have that same luxury.
The Next James Bond Era Will Likely Be The Most Divisive Yet
Another key factor counting against the next James Bond actor will be a seismic shift happening elsewhere in the franchise. For the first time, EON is not in control of the James Bond movies, with Amazon taking the reins from Bond 26 onward.
That puts an incredible amount of scrutiny upon the franchise’s next chapter and inevitably invites more divisive opinions about the next string of movies and the actor leading them. Bond’s tenured caretakers will no longer be taking care of the ship they’ve kept steady since Dr. No, and with the door now open to wider-franchise content EON avoided, 007 is trekking into dangerously unknown territory.
Denis Villeneuve is an inspired choice to direct Bond 26, but amid behind-the-scenes turmoil, he must make decisions that will upset people regardless of which option he chooses. Does James Bond stick with the more grounded approach of Daniel Craig’s era or revert to a more nostalgic and lighthearted tone?
Whichever route Bond 26 takes will lead to unhappy voices, and by the time Daniel Craig’s replacement is making an exit of their own, audiences will likely be clamoring for exactly what they received before. Thus another obstacle arises to flatten the next James Bond‘s hopes of delivering a final movie that beats No Time To Die.
