7. Skyfall (2012)
After the critical and commercial success that came with 2006's reboot Casino Royale, the rejuvenated Bond franchise took a severe nosedive in quality in 2008 with the misjudged and poorly-directed Quantum of Solace. After a four-year hiatus from the big screen, 007 returned in style to mark the 50th anniversary of his big-screen debut with one of the greatest entries in the franchise's 23-movie history. After the previous two Daniel Craig movies opted to stay away from the classic Bond mythology, Skyfall instead opted to embrace the franchise's roots with several knowing references to 007's long and storied history. The result was a movie that felt familiar, yet still fresh; we saw the return of franchise regulars Q and Moneypenny in modern guises that more reflect our times, a facially-disfigured villain (albeit only glimpsed in one pointless shot) that has a top-secret lair, and a change in the hierarchy at MI6. Despite a disappointing finale that has more than a hint of Home Alone about it, unproven action director Sam Mendes handles the movie with aplomb, with no small thanks to the stunning cinematography of Roger Deakins. Both Judi Dench and Daniel Craig give their best performances yet in the Bond franchise, Javier Bardem's Silva instantly establishes himself as one of the all-time great villains of the series, and despite some inconsistencies in the plot (like the database MacGuffin that is never explained), Skyfall is a return to form of epic proportions. That Adele song remains terrible, though. No matter how hard she tries,
nothing rhymes with Skyfall. Despite positive critical response, Skyfall shocked many when it crossed a billion dollars at the box office, becoming the biggest 2D-only movie ever released and almost doubling Casino Royale's $599m total to become the highest-grossing Bond movie ever by a massive distance. The movie became the first to ever cross £100m at the UK box office and almost 75% of the movie's gross came from overseas markets, showing the worldwide appeal of the Bond franchise. All told, Skyfall's worldwide total stands at over $1.1bn, which ranks as the eighth-biggest movie ever.