All 5 of Daniel Craig’s James Bond movies ranked from worst to best
By Bryce Olin
Daniel Craig’s time as James Bond has officially come to an end almost two decades after it began. There’s no doubt Craig is one of the best Bonds of all time. I even think he’s the best James Bond of all time, but that’s for another time.
To celebrate Craig’s incredible run as 007 before the franchise moves on with a new star, we ranked all five of Daniel Craig’s James Bond movies from worst to best. While the quality of Craig’s Bond has always been top-tier, the quality of the movies has varied a bit over the course of 15 years.
Here’s the list of Daniel Craig’s James Bond movies in order of release:
- Casino Royale (2006)
- Quantum of Solace (2008)
- Skyfall (2012)
- Spectre (2015)
- No Time to Die (2021)
Let’s get the ranking of Daniel Craig’s James Bond movies started with Quantum of Solace, which is, unfortunately, the worst of the bunch.
5. Quantum of Solace
- Release Date: Nov. 8, 2008
- Director: Marc Forster
- Writer: Paul Haggis, Neal Purvis, and Robert Wade
- Cast: Daniel Craig, Olga Kurylenko, Mathieu Amalric, Giancarlo Giannini, Jeffrey Wright, Judi Dench, Gemma Arterton, Anatole Taubman, and more
- Where to stream: Amazon Prime Video
- Where to rent or buy: Apple TV+, Amazon Video, Google Play, VUDU, Redbox, and more
Quantum of Solace is the second of Craig’s James Bond movies, but it’s the worst, although not by much. The film premiered in theaters in 2008, just two years after Casino Royale. Quantum of Solace, somehow, slows down all of the positive momentum created by Craig’s Casino Royale, his first movie as Bond.
In Quantum of Solace, Bond is on a revenge mission of sorts to track down the killer of one of his former lovers, Vesper Lind. He also uncovers a seditious plot by a secret organization, Quantum, led by Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric), with corrupt motives.
My main complaint with Quantum of Solace is not its ambition. The film is a big swing that delves deep into some serious topics of the mega-wealthy, corruption, and corporate influence, but it’s not quite what I was expecting or wanted from a James Bond movie. Luckily, the franchise with Craig only goes up from here.