“No Time To Die” is a huge blockbuster, won an Oscar, and is still very controversial. Following Craig’s much-discussed finale, all five of Craig’s 007 missions are now available in one Ultimate Collector’s Edition.
Like every other James Bond actor, Daniel Craig has built up both a fan base and an intimate group of opponents with his interpretation of the iconic secret agent. But it is undisputed that Craig’s five films and 15-year “tenure” as James Bond were extremely successful commercially: His films collectively grossed around $4 billion at the box office. Additionally, no Bond era was more present at the Academy Awards than that starring Daniel Craig:
Four Oscars in total went to Craig’s Bond films – twice as many as the 007 franchise had received altogether! If you’re a fan of Daniel Craig’s Bond interpretation but don’t yet own all the films from this 007 era, the wait is now rewarded: An ultimate complete set will be released on DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K Blu-ray on April 7, 2022which can already be pre-ordered.
In case you need a quick rundown, the Craig set includes the critically acclaimed James Bond reboot Casino Royale, starring Eva Green as one of the most popular Bond girls in film history, and the controversial sequel Quantum of Solace. It also includes the acclaimed billion-dollar blockbuster Skyfall, Specter, and the recent Academy Award-winning Best Song finale No Time To Die, starring Ana de Armas in a memorable supporting role. These are over eleven hours of big-budget agent action!
Daniel Craig’s turbulent Bond era
After his appearance at the press conference, where he was officially presented to the world public as the new James Bond, initially attracted flaming criticism, Craig quickly managed to convince numerous doubters: “Casino Royale” was a 2006 box-office hit and critical favorite, bringing the Bond franchise to a new generation and bringing back many lapsed fans. Just two years later “Quantum of Solace” followed – and destroyed a lot of goodwill again.
Although there are also fans of the film, and they have been gaining momentum in the online film discourse for years, the thriller that followed immediately after “Casino Royale” divided minds significantly more than its predecessor. This was also reflected at the box office, where Marc Forster’s fast-paced 007 mission took in less than Craig’s Bond debut. Due to economic problems at the MGM studios involved in the Bond franchise, it took a full four years before Craig returned to work for MI6…
But this return was all the more furious: Skyfall won two Academy Awards, was nominated for two more (including stunning cinematography by legendary cinematographer Roger Deakins), and has grossed over $1.1 billion worldwide. The reviews were excellent – unlike “Spectre”, which split again in 2015. In addition to positive voices such as our 4-star review and the 3.7 stars from the DashFUN audience, there was also some headwind. The film has a 6.8/10 star rating on IMDb, which is pretty sobering for such a big-budget blockbuster.
After several personnel changes during pre-production and numerous postponements due to the pandemic, “No Time to Die” ended Craig’s Bond era in autumn 2021 with a gross of 774.2 million dollars – an impressive result in Corona times. Nevertheless, the fan and press response was widespread, not least because of numerous creative decisions that break with the previous Bond rule book. Whether the next Bond will be more traditional is still in the stars – as is the question of who will play James Bond next.
