The incumbent James Bond still has one more James Bond movie to go before retiring from the 007 franchise.
While he may be 50 as he shoots his fifth and final movie, Sir Roger Moore was 57 when filming 1985’s A View To A Kill.
To date Craig has starred in four Bond movies: Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall and Spectre.
Here’s how we think they rank from the worst to the very best.
4. Quantum of Solace (2008)
Released 10 years ago, Craig’s follow-up to Casino Royale is often seen by Bond fans as one of the worst films in the franchise.
Hit by the Hollywood Writers’ Strike the film was a shorter outing. The star himself has even publically lamented over production problems, admitting he had to write some of the script himself.
Speaking with Time Out in 2012, he said: “We were f***ed. We had the bare bones of a script and then there was a writers’ strike and there was nothing we could do. We couldn’t employ a writer to finish it. I say to myself, ‘Never again’, but who knows? There was me trying to rewrite scenes – and a writer I am not.”
In the end Quantum of Solace didn’t feel like a standalone Bond film, but a weak bookend to Casino Royale, with a forgettable plot and villain.
Craig added: “It was never meant to be as much of a sequel as it was, but it ended up being a sequel, starting where the last one finished.”
3. Spectre (2015)
The latest Bond outing may have seen the narrative strands of the last three Craig films come together in a worthy climax, but tonally the film was all over the place.
Have dispelled of tongue-in-cheek humour, gadgets and secondary characters in Casino Royale, Spectre reintroduces all these tropes and more.
While it’s a fun, action-paced ride the film can’t make up its mind if it’s a serious gritty thriller or if it wants to return to the Roger Moore era. Both are great, just make up your mind!
And the less said about M, Moneypenny, Q and Tanner forming the MI6 version of the Avengers the better.
Craig’s personal make-up artist on Skyfall and Spectre told Express.co.uk: “I feel Spectre was lighter and a bit more camp if anything.”
2. Casino Royale (2006)
The one where it all began was nothing short of a risky shakeup. Following 9/11 Bond producers knew they couldn’t continue along the lines of Die Another Day and its invisible car.
The new geo-political world needed a gritty reboot and that’s exactly what we were given.
Starting with Bond becoming a Double–O with his first kill, fans were introduced to an emotionally complex character in a slick and stylish flick, not short of brutality.
The only thing that really lets Casino Royale down is its limp third act. Watched back-to-back with Quantum of Solace though, both the film’s ending and its sequel are redeemed somewhat as a four-hour watch.
1. Skyfall (2012)
The 50th anniversary of one of the most famous film franchise’s in the world was no light feat.
Craig and producers knew they had to get it right, especially after all of Quantum of Solace’s weaknesses.
So Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes was brought on board for what is now hailed as one of the greatest Bond films ever.
Skyfall managed to meticulously balance the grit of Craig’s modern incarnation while paying homage to the classics, aided by the beauty of Roger Deakins’ cinematography and a minimalist plot focused on Bond’s background.
With his final Bond film set for 2019, presumably Craig will have Skyfall in mind when considering his legacy as the character, rather than following in the footsteps of the camper later outing his predecessors ended on.
