Controversial Daniel Craig Bond film ranked higher than Sean Connery favourite on TV tonight
This weekend, catch Daniel Craig 's second performance as the iconic MI6 agent, James Bond, in Quantum of Solace on television.
Tune into STV 3 (ITV 1 in England) at 8pm on Saturday, June 21, to witness the thrilling follow-up to Casino Royale (2006), which is also the 22nd instalment in the esteemed James Bond series, originally released in 2008.
Helmed by Marc Forster and penned by Paul Haggis, Neal Purvis, and Robert Wade, the film features an impressive cast including Dame Judi Dench, Mathieu Amalric, Giancarlo Giannini, Olga Kurylenko, and Jeffrey Wright taking on pivotal roles.
The globe-trotting production of Quantum of Solace took place across six countries: the UK, Italy, Austria, Chile, Panama, and Mexico. David Arnold makes his fifth consecutive return as the composer, enhancing the film's espionage vibe.
Making its grand debut at the Odeon Leicester Square in London on October 29, 2008, the premiere was graced by Royalty—with Princes William and Harry among the distinguished attendees—and ticket sales contributed to the noble causes of the Royal British Legion and Help for Heroes, reports the Express.
With a whopping $589.6 million amassed globally, Quantum of Solace stood tall against its hefty $230 million production budget.
Even though it surpassed Sean Connery's Diamonds Are Forever and Roger Moore's Moonraker on Rotten Tomatoes' ranking of Bond films, it holds a middling 63 per cent critics' approval rating on the site. A critic described it as "one of the most listless Bond films" they had ever watched.
A reviewer sarcastically remarked: "I'm so turned off by this, I don't even have the energy to trash it. Why should I think of something clever to write? The authors clearly didn't see that as a mandate."
In a similar vein, another critic added: "Let's hope this is a one-off aberration, because though it's all very efficient it lacks heart and soul and substance."
In an episode of The Hollywood Reporter's Awards Chatter podcast in November 2024, Daniel Craig shared that his experience working on the film, which was his second appearance as Bond, was a "f-ng nightmare". This was largely due to the disruption caused by the 2007-2008 Writers Guild of America strike, which halted production mid-way.
Craig explained: "Paul Haggis did a pass on the script. Then, he went off and joined the picket line and we didn't have writers. So, we didn't have a script. We should never probably have started production, but we did. I ended up writing a lot of that film, which I probably shouldn't say. I do not want the credit. It's fine."
Reflecting on how the film was received, Craig observed: "There are some amazing stunt sequences in it. I'm still wearing the pins to prove it. In that sense, there's a lot of great stuff in it, but it just didn't quite work. The storytelling wasn't there. That's the abject lesson. Going to start a movie without a script is not a good idea."
His second Bond outing fared terribly with viewers, scoring a paltry 58 per cent audience approval rating from over 250,000 ratings.
Furthermore, this Bond film's reception with viewers was even more unfavourable as it recorded a meagre audience approval score of just 58 per cent with more than 250,000 ratings. One viewer expressed disappointment, commenting: "This film just feels like an extended post credit scene for Casino Royale. It is fun to watch but not enough story to make it interesting."
Another viewer was less than impressed, labelling it as "Craig's worst movie as agent 007".
Dissatisfaction with the film's direction by Marc Forster was evident when a viewer remarked: "This Bond film is truly groundbreaking for multiple reasons: the most poorly edited action sequences ever, the worst opening title song ever, and the absence of the James Bond action music until, get this, the credits roll at the end of the film! Beyond shocking after the brilliance of Casino Royale. Don't ever let this director anywhere near another Bond film."
STV is set to air Quantum of Solace on Saturday, June 21, at 8pm.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
29 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Lorraine Kelly 'makes decision on ITV future' amid channel's brutal jobs bloodbath
Lorraine Kelly has presented her eponymous show on ITV since 2010, and celebrated her 40th year in television last year with a special episode of the morning programme Lorraine Kelly will leave ITV when her contract ends next year, a source has claimed. The broadcaster, 65, was furious when ITV earlier this year announced her programme will only run for 30 weeks of the year in 2026, cut from the full 52. Her show will be cut in half and will run from 9.30am until 10am from January too, changes about which Lorraine expressed her frustration in May. But now it appears the Scottish presenter has decided to leave the channel when her contract ends next year. A consultation period, which will determine who will be the victims of ITV's brutal financial cuts, is currently underway and, though her role appears safe, Lorraine is understood to be ready to call it a day after hosting her eponymous show for 15 years. The bloodbath may, though, affect Lorraine's current popular stand-ins Christine Lampard and Ranvir Singh, as the hosts may see their appearances fronting the show slashed. A source told Mail Online today: "Lorraine sees it as the end. She's got a year left on her contract which she will honour, but beyond that there are no plans for her to stay. She will be leaving. "Of course, she will be fine, she has loads of money. But some of the people who work for her have done so for many years and have put up with her demands for a long, long time. Yet they will struggle to ever get another job in the television industry." Lorraine, originally from Glasgow, celebrated her 40th year in television last year with a special episode of the morning programme, which follows Good Morning Britain in ITV's line-up. Production staff on these shows, in addition to further ITV daytime programming, are being impacted hugely by the changes, it is believed. And one employee called the situation "horrendous," claiming "the little people" at the west London-based broadcaster were suffering. They told Mail Online: "All the big names are staying while the little people get the boot. It is horrendous. You'd think if you wanted to save a big lump of cash you could get rid of some of the presenters. There are loads of them!" But among those presenters retaining their jobs is Richard Madeley, itr is understood. The veteran broadcaster will continue to front Good Morning Britain for a further six months at least after penning a new, short-term contract recently. Madeley, originally from Romford, east London, frequently presents Good Morning Britain with Susanna Reid, whose position is also said to be safe.
Powys County Times
an hour ago
- Powys County Times
Succession star Brian Cox: Cillian Murphy would make an ‘interesting' James Bond
Actor Brian Cox has said Peaky Blinders star Cillian Murphy would be an 'interesting' choice to play James Bond. In an interview with Radio Times, the Succession star discussed the upcoming second series of reality competition 007: Road To A Million, in which he returns as The Controller, the stern and sardonic taskmaster. The Prime Video series follows eight contestants as they are dropped into the high-stakes world of James Bond, where they take on missions that push them to the limits, testing them physically and psychologically, for the chance to win £1 million. Of the role of the 007 agent, Cox said: 'It's only natural that it goes through changes because we start off young and end up old. 'Is Cillian Murphy being recommended? I think that would be interesting. 'I like Cillian. He's very real, he's got no crap about him.' Amazon MGM Studios previously announced that Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight will write the script for the next James Bond film, which will be directed by Dune's Denis Villeneuve. Irish actor Murphy played the lead role in Knight's TV series of hard-drinking gang leader Tommy Shelby. In the interview, Cox described Russian President Vladimir Putin as a 'definite villain' and criticised US President Donald Trump's administration. The Scottish actor, 79, said: 'There's certainly a lot of people around who I feel are villainous. 'With what's happening in Ukraine, Putin is a definite villain, for my money. 'I think some of the American behaviour has definitely been unthinking. 'What's tragic is that America was built on the notion of egalitarianism, and the present administration don't want us to be equal.'
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
ITV production staff hit out at 'rubbish' household names escaping jobs amid bloodbath
Richard Madeley is among names remaining in roles on ITV programmes, like Good Morning Britain, despite a huge cull this summer - a bloodbath which will see more than 200 off-screen roles cut Backroom staff at ITV are reportedly "furious" to see "the little people get the boot" in favour of "the big names" amid the broadcaster's bloodbath. ITV is making huge changes to its daytime programming, and is axing more than 200 off-screen roles as a result. Good Morning Britain is merging with ITV News, but all of their top presenters – who include Susanna Reid, Richard Madeley, Julie Etchingham and Tom Bradby – will remain in post for now at least, it is said. Madeley, 69, penned a short-term deal to remain in his position for six more months at least. It is understood Kate Garraway is safe – as is presenter Adil Ray, who looked set to be axed. Instead, insiders say his shifts will be cut. Yet, ITV was brutal to axe Noel Edmonds' big TV comeback after just one series despite its huge launch. And the daytime cuts primarily affect tireless production staff, who work off screen. The consultation period, which will determine who will be the victims of these brutal financial cuts, has been underway for some months and employees are said to be angry with the situation. One insider told Mail Online: "All the big names are staying while the little people get the boot. It is horrendous. You'd think if you wanted to save a big lump of cash you could get rid of some of the presenters. There are loads of them. But no, instead they've all been told they are safe." For now, everyone on Good Morning Britain and ITV News will continue their separate shows. This Morning's presenters will also stay in situ. In response to this, he insider added: "The cuts will fall to those who earn pennies in comparison. When this was all announced, we thought some of the stars would go – and rightfully so. Some of them are rubbish. Rather than there being three or four backstage workers doing a certain job, there will be one – but there will still be loads of presenters." ITV has always said it has to slash costs. Some onscreen journalists are also facing the axe in a bid to balance the books, but it is thought none of the mainstay hosts are affected. One presenter told Mail Online: "It's awful to see, awful. These people work so hard and they've still lost their jobs. And where are they going to go?... The industry is getting smaller and smaller for production staff." Loose Women and Lorraine have also been decimated by the cuts, with presenters on the former facing the prospect of only being aired for 30 weeks a year. Lorraine, too, is going from 52 weeks a year to 30, as well as being cut back from an hour to just half an hour in transmission time.
