Summary

• Daniel Craig's portrayal of James Bond received critical acclaim, with his movies earning high scores on Rotten Tomatoes, rivaling those of Sean Connery.
• Craig's gritty and realistic approach to the character was a refreshing change from previous Bond actors, making the iconic spy feel more like a real person.
• While Craig's Bond movies had an average Rotten Tomatoes score of just 79%, there is still room for improvement in of consistency in future installments of the franchise.

While Daniel Craig may have fixed the James Bond franchise’s rocky critical history, his Bond 26 successor needs to outdo his impressive Rotten Tomatoes record. When Daniel Craig was announced as the new James Bond in 2005, opinion was split on this divisive choice. Craig was not a household name yet, and he was known as much for risky indie efforts like Love is the Devil and Enduring Love as he was for action thrillers like Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and Layer Cake. Despite this, Craig soon became one of the most critically adored Bond actors in the long history of the suave super spy’s cinematic franchise.

Craig’s take on Bond borrowed from the Bourne movies, dropping the sly self-aware humor of Pierce Brosnan’s movies in favor of gritty realism. The brutal fight scenes, the emotional anguish, and the shocking lack of goofy one-liners made Craig’s Bond movies feel like a breath of fresh air for critics and long-time fans of the franchise alike. After the immense popularity of the Austin Powers movies, it seemed impossible that Bond could become cool again in the eyes of the public. However, by taking the opposite approach from his predecessor, Craig successfully reinvented the character and made the iconic spy feel like a real person.

Daniel Craig Is The Only James Bond Besides Sean Connery With 90% Rated Bond Movies On Rotten Tomatoes

Daniel Craig’s contributions to the James Bond franchise were reflected in the critical reception of the series. While Craig’s worst Bond movie was a mess, the rest of his franchise outings were good enough to rival the original 007’s record with reviewers. Both Casino Royale and Skyfall earned scores higher than 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, a record only been bested by Sean Connery. The original James Bond actor had three 007 movies with Rotten Tomatoes scores higher than 90% thanks to Goldfinger, From Russia with Love, and Dr. No. However, since Connery starred in seven movies altogether while Craig only made five, 007’s most recent actor has an impressive average.

Meanwhile, no other Bond actor has even one movie with a 90% Rotten Tomatoes score or higher. While Roger Moore’s tenure as Bond included some camp classics, the actor made so many 007 movies that some were almost guaranteed to be duds. Meanwhile, Timothy Dalton and George Lazenby had no chance to make an impression on reviewers. Craig’s predecessor, Pierce Brosnan, although a superb actor, was often hamstrung by bad screenplays. The The World is Not Enough, for example, had the potential to be a great 007 adventure if it weren’t for some ill-advised ing characters. In contrast, Connery and Craig’s efforts were consistently stronger.

Daniel Craig's James Bond Rotten Tomatoes Scores Show There's Still Huge Room For Improvement For Bond 26

The average Rotten Tomatoes score for Daniel Craig’s James Bond movies is 79% since two of his movies dropped into the low 60s. Since Craig’s 007 era was incredibly inconsistent, Bond 26 and later sequels must look to improve upon this issue. Hopefully, Bond 26 and its follow-ups will add more 90% and higher Bond films to the franchise. However, the most important thing Bond 26’s creators must focus on is consistency. Craig’s movies bounce between incredibly impressive scores and some of the franchise’s weakest receptions. When James Bond returns to the silver screen, Bond 26 needs to ensure that its follow-ups are as consistent as the new star’s debut.