The Knives Out sequel, Glass Onion, is scheduled for release later this month, and now, Daniel Craig has revealed that he enjoyed making Glass Onion more than Spectre. While it sounds like a strange comparison, both movies costar Dave Bautista, and they both seemingly had a much better experience on the new movie. Craig explained, "You could feel that he was under a lot of pressure. He didn't seem like the happiest person on Bond, but on Glass Onion, it was the complete opposite. He was just so much fun."
Craig isn't alone when it comes to his thoughts about Spectre, as it's one of the most criticized Bond movies, at least from Craig's era. However, it still has a pocket of fans who will defend it to the grave. And as the quality of Craig's Bond movies is all over the place, unpopular opinions have been thrown from every which way.
Christoph Waltz Is The Best Blofeld
HeadOfSpectre argues that Christoph Waltz gave the best performance as Blofeld in the entire franchise. The Redditor notes, "I really like Christoph Waltz as Blofeld and he's honestly the best version of Blofeld in my opinion." Waltz was a great Blofeld for the short time he was on-screen, and he certainly had the potential to be a better version of the character than Donald Pleasence (who originally made the character iconic).
However, the movies absolutely wasted Waltz's talent. Waltz was only truly Blofeld in the final act of Spectre, and he had one scene in No Time To Die, in which he was confined to a tiny glass box and had such an unremarkable death. Mr. Hinx was the true standout character in Spectre.
The Original Casino Royale Is Better Than The 2006 Film
Casino Royale completely reinvented James Bond, as it was more realistic, more grounded, and focused on stunt-oriented action sequences as opposed to silly gadgets. But Thedangerman007 wasn't a fan of the 2006 reboot and makes a rather bold claim. The Redditor claims, "Casino Royale 1967 is a more entertaining film than Casino Royale 2006."
The 1967 movie isn't an official Bond movie, but a spy parody based on Ian Fleming's characters. It isn't even a great parody film, but that just goes to show how much the user dislikes 2006's Casino Royale. However, Craig's Casino Royale is now a classic, and no James Bond opening scene beats the epic crane-jumping.
Skyfall Is Derivative Of The Dark Knight
Between the jaw-dropping cinematography from Roger Deakins, the expertly shot action sequences, and the coherent story (something that is a hard ask from even the best Bond movies), Skyfall ticks all the boxes. But LordTiddlypusch thinks the film is overrated and that the story isn't actually coherent at all. The Redditor argues, "Silva's entire scheme makes no sense. He didn't have to get captured for any of his goals. In fact, it would've been easier on him to just not get captured, but they had to Dark Knight it."
In fairness, as great as the Batman movie is, The Dark Knight started a lot of bad trends, one of which is villains intentionally getting captured only to immediately escape. That happens in Skyfall, but it needs to happen, otherwise Silva wouldn't have come face to face with M, his old nemesis.
Craig Is A Terrible Bond
This user thinks Craig is simply a terrible Bond because of how dour his performance is and that he doesn't have the mannerisms typical of the suave spy. The Redditor comments, "He can't pull off the charm, or the smarm. He's just 100% cold b****** all the time, with a lot of edge and as others mentioned, baggage."
There's no denying that Craig's version of Bond has baggage, but that has nothing to do with the performance, and it wouldn't exactly work if Craig acted all cheerful when learning about the deaths of loved ones. If anything, Craig added layers to a movie character that had been stiff and one-dimensional for decades.
Quantum Of Solace Is Underrated
After the great start that was Casino Royale, Craig's tenure as the spy quickly took a turn for the worse, as Quantum of Solace was critically scathed for being "a critical disappointment" (via Spector) and not even hardcore Bond fans wanted to defend it. However, some fans have taken a shine to it in the 14 years since its release, including Violet_Rue, who thinks the movie is totally underrated.
The Redditor posits, "Quantum Of Solace is actually a great Bond movie and one that does things differently." The movie certainly isn't one of Bond's best outings, but it features some spectacular scenes, such as the house blowing up, the opening car chase, running along Vienna rooftops, and Jack Black and Alicia Keys' "Another Way to Die" is easily one of the best Bond songs.
Spectre Is A "Cosy" Film
While some think Spectre is underrated, this deleted Reddit user takes it one step further by arguing that the 2015 movie is cozy. The Redditor comments, "It's not perfect but it's a cozy film to me, can't explain it. I like the feel of it, the snowy Alpine ski resort (feels very Bond) some good humor, I like Madeline too."
If anything, Spectre is actually the opposite of cozy, as the Alps and Blofeld give off a cold and icy aesthetic. However, Madeline is one of the most interesting Bond women in the franchise, and there's certainly no denying that she brings a sense of warmth to the otherwise ice-cold movie.
The Movies Aren't Fun
Pourliste thinks Craig's Bond movies simply aren't fun, noting, "Bond was supposed to be fun escapism, and now we have had 15 years of watching a clinically depressed agent half-failing missions that are too small-scaled." The Redditor hilariously adds that No Time To Die was "James Bond as a divorced dad with a death wish."
While Spectre was teased as the "final chapter" in the series, Craig inevitably returned with the glummest outing yet that literally ends with his death. However, there are still fun parts in No Time To Die, such as the raid featuring British comedian Hugh Dennis, and Bond's rapport with Felix is just as fun as ever. Craig's movies might not be as bombastic or over the top as Roger Moore or Pierce Brosnan's movies, but fun moments are still peppered throughout the five films
Casino Royale Is A Bad Bond Movie
Darthmcdarthface criticizes Casino Royale for being a bad Bond movie. However, the Redditor admits that just because it's a bad Bond movie doesn't mean it's a straight-up bad movie, noting, "Casino Royale is one of the worst Bond movies. To be clear, I think it’s a good movie. I just don’t think it’s a good Bond movie."
In fairness, if it wasn't for the typical Bond intro and the iconic theme tune, audiences could easily mistake the film for a random spy flick or maybe even a Bourne reboot. Craig's gritty and realistic debut certainly has more in common with the Matt Damon-led franchise than any previous iteration of James Bond.
Skyfall Is Basically Home Alone
SpectreSaigon notes that Skyfall is basically Home Alone, along with taking influence from another children's property. The Redditor hilariously argues, "Skyfall is a mash-up of Home Alone with a Scooby-Doo villain. Change my mind."
While the Scooby-Doo comparison is a little unfair given that most Bond villains act theatrical and campy, just like Silva, the Home Alone comparison has been made many times before. The final act sees Bond setting up booby traps throughout his childhood home before Silva arrives, and it's almost impossible not to think of the classic holiday film when watching it.
Dominic Greene Is The Second Best Bond Villain Ever
Quantum of Solace gets a lot of hate from the fanbase and from general audiences, but that could be because it takes a lot of risks, and some of them don't get the credit they deserve. AganArya007 believes that the movie's antagonist, Dominic Greene, is by far the best Bond villain. The Redditor posits, "Greene is the most badass villain in the Craig era, and even more badass compared to many others in the series, only slightly behind Sanchez."
The user may have a point, as Greene is the most realistic adversary Bond has ever had, he isn't covered in scars, and he doesn't have a forced backstory. And as the franchise has recently been criticized for its villains always having facial scars, Quantum of Solace was ahead of its time in some ways.