UPDATED: Aug. 1 at 12:57 p.m.

Whenever a new James Bond film is announced, there are countless lists of which actor, villain or film in the franchise is better than the other. People can argue all they want over who the best Bond actor, Bond villain or Bond girl is. But the debate over which actor was the best James Bond is pointless — Sean Connery is James Bond.

However, ranking the first three Daniel Craig Bond films makes for an interesting debate. So before the highly anticipated “Spectre” comes to theaters this weekend, let’s review the current Bonds films from worst to best.

3. “Quantum of Solace” (2008)

Daniel Craig’s second film is by far the worst of his tenure as Bond. Unlike his other two films, “Quantum of Solace” reduces the character of 007 to an action hero just like the ones we see in countless other boring films 12 times a year.

The trope-filled stories of the Pierce Brosnan era seem to be reborn in this one. I’m not sure if the writers thought the success of other franchises like the Jason Bourne series meant audiences were only looking for quick-cutting action scenes instead of a fantastic Bond drama, but box office success of those films clearly pulled the forces behind this story over to a safer, much more boring place.

And they certainly steered away from what made “Casino Royale” and the earlier Bond films a success. Many lists of the entire Bond series rank “Quantum of Solace” as dead last. If you like Bond but haven’t seen this one yet, don’t bother.

2. “Skyfall” (2012)

Praised for its return to what made Craig’s Bond stand out the first time around (substance that drives action, humor and relationships) “Skyfall” received the best reviews out of the first three Craig films. One of the best indicators of how well a Bond film does is the greatness of the villain, and “Skyfall’s” Raoul Silva, played by Javier Bardem, ranks among the best. This is part of the reason the movie reviewed so well. But the biggest reason everybody loved “Skyfall” was its aesthetic.

Never before had a Bond film used cinematography so well to create a mood around the character, attitude and style of Bond. Director Sam Mendes (“American Beauty”) and director of photography Roger Deakins (arguably the best D.P. alive) gave “Skyfall” a dark, stylish aura that completely changed the light in which we view James Bond.

1. “Casino Royale” (2006)

When it was announced Daniel Craig would take over for Pierce Brosnan, almost nobody thought it was a good idea. Craig was neither tall nor dark, and remained unpopular until the release of “Casino Royale.” This film completely restarted the James Bond franchise, forgetting the previous 20 movies in order to give the character and Craig himself more room to enhance who James Bond is and what he means.

Not only did Craig turn everybody’s opinion of him around immediately, many critics admitted that “Casino Royale” worked amazingly as a film. Not just a chapter in the James Bond movie franchise, “Casino Royale” was a great film on its own. For its accomplishments despite the odds, the first Craig Bond film remains the best of the three.

So here we are, on the eve of another Bond film’s release. Some critics are calling “Spectre” the best yet, while some have written that it drags back to a guessable Bond structure. As long as it keeps the same character that Craig plays in “Casino Royale” and “Skyfall” and leaves the basic action man of “Quantum of Solace” behind, James will be worth the watch. And if Christoph Waltz is anywhere close to the villain we know he can be, “Spectre” could land itself near the top of some rankings.

Kyle Stevens is a sophomore advertising major. You can email him at ksteve03@syr.edu or reach him on Twitter at @kstevs_.

Published on November 1, 2015 at 7:26 pm