2. Casino Royale (2006)
After
Die Another Day was mocked by critics and moviegoers, the Bond producers took some time off to reevaluate things. After enduring invisible cars and watching the character slide into self-parody, they decided to shake things up big time by going from one extreme to the other. 2006's
Casino Royale cast Daniel Craig in the role and would serve as a reboot to the series, freeing the filmmakers of over 40 years of continuity (not that continuity has been Bond's strong point...) From the opening sequence, audiences knew this would be a different type of Bond. 007 cold opens are usually extravagant action sequences, but
Casino Royale boasted a quiet, brutal first scene shot in beautiful black and white. Craig shows us that despite the protests, he has what it takes to play James Bond. The cold open called for him to be both physical (the bathroom fight) and suave (when he shoots someone in cold blood before quipping that the second kill is "considerably" easier than the first). From there, one of the best Bond films takes place. Looking to take the character back to his literary roots, director Martin Campbell (ironically, the same man who would direct
Green Lantern five years later) delivered a darker, more realistic portrayal of the spy.
Casino Royale excelled at making Bond feel more like a person instead of a caricature. He made mistakes. He fell in love. He was taken aback by murdering somebody. He had flaws that made him a well-rounded character and that's always more interesting to watch. Forgoing the gadgets and camp of previous installments, this Bond film relied on acting and screenwriting to standout for audiences. With an intelligent plot full of twists and turns and deeper characters,
Casino Royale gave fans reason to be excited for future films with Craig in the role. By giving the series a newfound sense of sophistication and artistic sensibilities, the movie industry responded well to the reboot. The 94% Rotten Tomatoes score is one of the highest in the series and the $167.4 million domestic box office intake made it one of the highest-grossing Bond films ever. Marc Forster nearly derailed all that momentum with 2008's
Quantum of Solace, but Sam Mendes brought the franchise back strong with last year's $1 billion hit
Skyfall. With the producers looking to bring him back for Craig's last two outings, expectations are high for
Bond 24.