First things first, Gemma Arterton is hot. Is she useless in this film? Absolutely, but for a straight male (or gay female) she's some well-needed eye candy in a film that really dropped in quality. While Casino Royale worked as an excellent new rendition of James Bond, Quantum of Solace, while picking up immediately after its predecessor, doesn't feel like a Bond film. It's just average action film. Which is disappointing.

The action is, at times, well put together, but too often it ended up being too shaky. The plot doesn't make any sense, and despite having seen this film three times now, I still don't understand what the whole thing is about. The villain is completely forgettable and Olga Kurylenko is annoying. She's also a bad actress.

It does a fine job of introducing us to the character of James Bond. Sean Connery is solid and it's easy to see why many consider him to be their favorite Bond. He's also the one who drives the film forward and keeps it from getting to boring. You see, the film does feel a bit lackluster. The action, even for the time, doesn't excite as much as it ought to do and the plot is not particularly engaging either.

In many ways, I think that Bond films are only as good as their villain and in that regard, Dr. No is a disappointment. He's quite simply not menacing or interesting enough. He's one of many villains to have some sort of handicap or special trait to him, but that alone is not enough. His long conversation with 007 during the last act is not as gripping as it should have been. In the end, I think that this film does a mostly ok job and it's a fine entry point for the series, but it's kinda lackluster.

Spectre is most definitely the most "traditional" Bond film out of Daniel Craig's entries. Everything in it is very familiar, and in that sense, it doesn't necessarily stand out as much as Casino Royale and Skyfall. It is still very competent work though, and there are several moments that are downright awesome to look at. There's particularly a fight scene on a train that I thought was extremely exhilarating.

Craig is just as great as ever. He's really owning the role so much that it's starting to get difficult to imagine anyone else taking over. Léa Seydoux is drop-dead gorgeous, and I immensely enjoyed her as a Bond girl. The rest of the cast is all good, even if I think that Christoph Waltz as the villain was slight under utilized. He's great whenever he's used, but sadly not enough.

This is among the best Bond films, or at least what I would consider to be the most classic Bond film. It just follows the formula we've come to know and love to perfection.

A memorable villain, a memorable Bond girl (at least in name), witty one-liners, solid action scenes, charming Bond, gadgets etc. The ingredients are all there, and it's just fun and entertaining. Which is what we want from a Bond film.

After going to some dark places with Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace, Skyfall do feel like it's trying to go a little bit more back to its own roots. The traditional Bond formula that we've come to love, but while keeping in touch with the more personal and emotional from Casino Royale. It's essentially a mixture of both worlds, and it makes Skyfall one of the best Bond films to date.

Arguably the best Bond film to date. A stunningly brilliant reinvention of a franchise that started to get a little bit silly. It's darker and grittier, but it's also a lot more real and emotional. Daniel Craig's Bond feel like a proper human being, and behind all of the cool charm that makes Bond the slick character he is, Craig brings some vulnerability to him that has been sorely lacking in previous films. Casino Royale gives us the most relateable Bond we've ever had.

It's also exceptionally thrilling and intense. The action is flawlessly executed, and the rest of the cast is great. Eva Green is a Goddess among men, and Mads Mikkelsen is wonderful. It's also refreshing to see that the film is full of twists and turns, and that it manages to avoid a simple "catch the bad guy" formula. And a film with this much tense poker playing will always get an extra point from me.