{"id":12309,"date":"2020-03-26T11:56:41","date_gmt":"2020-03-26T18:56:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/?p=12309"},"modified":"2021-09-28T17:06:02","modified_gmt":"2021-09-29T00:06:02","slug":"the-5-essential-james-bond-films-to-watch-before-seeing-no-time-to-die","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/essential-james-bond-films-to-watch-before-no-time-to-die\/","title":{"rendered":"The 5 Essential James Bond Films To Watch Before Seeing &#8216;No Time To Die&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With the 25th James Bond film,\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">No Time To Die<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <a href=\"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/2021-movie-releases-everything-in-theaters\/\">now scheduled for release on October 8, 2021<\/a>, fans are eagerly awaiting the return of the famed British secret agent to the big screen. If you\u2019re a superfan (like yours truly) you\u2019ll surely be acquainted with not just the story of the \u201cCraig Saga\u201d thus far, but with the history of the franchise as a whole. However, for the relatively uninitiated, or just those who are a bit fuzzy on some of the finer points of the narrative so far and looking to get caught up before seeing\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.atomtickets.com\/movies\/no-time-to-die\/279048\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">No Time To Die<\/span><\/i><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, I\u2019ve compiled a list of the key films that are worth watching to prime yourself before heading into the final film of Craig\u2019s tenure as James Bond (Give us a few more, Daniel? Please??).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A brief note about my selection criteria: Before you lambast me for not including <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Skyfall<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on this list, I chose films that are instrumental in delivering key plot details necessary for the overarching narrative of Craig\u2019s Bond, as well as a few selections from Bond history that I\u2019m hedging a guess may come into play or provide relevant context for the upcoming installment. Spoilers obviously follow for all past Bond films, but be warned that some of the speculation below has a chance of hitting on plot points in the upcoming film.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>1. Casino Royale (2006)<\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1080\" height=\"608\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/l5C7LMOWyYc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The movie that started it all&#8230;Craig\u2019s tenure that is. While it arrived as the 21st film in the franchise, within the series\u2019 loose chronology this film chronicles the earliest exploits of James Bond as he becomes not only the 00 agent, but also the cold, calculated man we all know him to be. Craig inhabits the role flawlessly, portraying a deep vulnerability and pathos in Bond that had heretofore gone (mostly) unexplored and the film was successful in soft-rebooting a franchise that had grown somewhat tired and long in the tooth. It\u2019s certainly one of the best Bond films ever made, if not the best, but what makes it an important stop on our narrative journey is Bond\u2019s ill-fated love affair with Vesper Lynd. Her death and apparent betrayal informs much of the character development of Craig\u2019s Bond and is also a central plot point that re-emerges in later installments.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>2. Quantum Of Solace (2008)<\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1080\" height=\"608\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/OFx7hEt940c?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Quantum of Solace<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is the first film in the franchise\u2019s history to be a direct sequel to the previous film, picking up mere minutes after the ending of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Casino Royale<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Bond has captured Mr. White, ostensibly the architect behind all of his misfortune in <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Casino Royale<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, but the film reveals that White is merely a chess piece in a much larger organization called Quantum, itself just a front for the organization later revealed to be Spectre. Those familiar with Bond lore will know that Spectre has historically been Bond\u2019s primary nemesis and while it appeared that Quantum would serve as a substitution in this newly rebooted series, the film <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Spectre<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> eventually retconned Quantum to fall under the umbrella of Spectre. White remains an important figure, however, as he is brought back for a brief turn in <em>Spectre<\/em> to enlighten Bond as to the nature of the organization he seeks to defeat, as well as revealing himself to be the father of <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Madeleine Swann<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Bond\u2019s eventual second love and by all accounts a key figure in the upcoming <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">No Time To Die.<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Besides that, <em>Quantum of Solace<\/em> is also key in resolving the dangling plot thread of Vesper\u2019s betrayal, revealing that her feelings for Bond were true and she was manipulated by members of the shadowy organization.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>3. Spectre (2015)<\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Spectre- Opening Tracking Shot in 1080p\" width=\"1080\" height=\"608\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/cbqv1kbsNUY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Spectre<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> makes a bold attempt to tie the various plot threads of previous Bond films together into a cohesive narrative, using the emergence of Christoph Waltz as famed Bond villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld as a way to retcon all of the prior villains into a single shadow organization called Spectre. As mentioned above, the return of Mr. White and the revelation of his daughter are major plot points that will, by the looks of the trailers, carry over into <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">No Time To Die<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Madeleine Swann, in particular, seems poised to become a key figure, as her \u201csecret\u201d threatens to destroy Bond in the upcoming film. Christoph Waltz also appears to be making a return as a Hannibal Lecter-esque presence in the film, doling out key information to Bond from the safety of his prison cell. How big his role shapes up to be is unclear but his presence warrants a viewing of <em>Spectre<\/em> in order to appreciate his relationship to Craig\u2019s Bond. Also worth noting here since <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Skyfall<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> was left off the list, Ralph Fiennes marks his first proper turn as M<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (the head of the 00 division), taking over for Judi Dench whose character met her untimely demise at the end of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Skyfall<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Miss Moneypenny and Q, played by Naomie Harris and Ben Whishaw, respectively, also return here after their introduction in <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Skyfall<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and will reprise their roles in <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">No Time To Die.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<h2>4. Dr. No<\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1080\" height=\"608\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/0xDj3NRYTU8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Diving into some older Bond fare, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dr. No<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is a must-see if nothing else than for the fact that it\u2019s the film that started it all. For those coming in fresh, it helps to firmly establish the familiar cadence and rhythm of a Bond film and helps establish context for everything that comes after. Having said that, I also included this film on the list because of some admittedly unfounded speculation that the upcoming<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> No Time To Die<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> may be reinventing some elements from <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dr. No <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">into the Craig era. Since the first glimpse of Rami Malek\u2019s villain Safin, the internet has been ablaze with rumors that he could secretly be playing a new version of Dr. No himself. Not only is their visual aesthetic eerily similar, but so is their apparent struggle with a mysterious medical condition. For those wondering how this could be possible given that the character\u2019s name has already been revealed to be Safin, well the Bond franchise is <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">no stranger to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gq-magazine.co.uk\/article\/christoph-waltz-bond-spectre-franz-oberhauser\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">outright lying about the true identity of its characters<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Coupled with the fact that the original Dr. No was a member of Spectre and that Christoph Waltz is returning as Blofeld and the evidence starts to point in an interesting direction. Of course, this is all conjecture and could prove to be off-base but I still think it\u2019s worth getting an education in <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dr. No<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> just in case.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>5. On Her Majesty\u2019s Secret Service<\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1080\" height=\"608\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/qwQqEuqvCig?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the more underappreciated Bond films, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On Her Majesty\u2019s Secret Service<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is an oddity in the franchise in that it is actor George Lazenby\u2019s one and only appearance as the secret agent. That\u2019s no indication of poor quality, however, as this is one of the strongest entries in the series and has become somewhat of a cult classic among Bond fans. It\u2019s also notable for its plotline that involves Bond well and truly falling in love for the first and only time in the series until <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Casino Royale<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> came around. The Daniel Craig era has leaned more heavily on serialized storytelling than ever before, and the major plot threads thus far have revolved around the two great loves of his life: Vesper Lynd and <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Madeleine Swann. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On Her Majesty\u2019s Secret Service<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> gives us a similar window into the more vulnerable, romantic side of Bond, as well as the inevitable tragedy that always seems to plague his ill-fated love affairs. This is a great film to round out this viewing party as it\u2019s one of the few times a Bond of yore has closely reflected the Bond we\u2019ve come to know and love during Craig\u2019s tenure.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>And if you&#8217;re interested in watching the entire James Bond filmography, we&#8217;ve listed them all in our piece about <a href=\"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/longest-movie-franchises-and-their-run-times\/\">movie franchises with the longest runtimes<\/a> to keep you entertained while social distancing.<\/p>\n<p><em>No Time to Die<\/em> is in theaters on October 8, 2021.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.atomtickets.com\/movies\/no-time-to-die\/279048\">Get tickets to <em>No Time to Die<\/em>.<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With the 25th James Bond film,\u00a0No Time To Die, now scheduled for release on October 8, 2021, fans are eagerly awaiting the return of the famed British secret agent to the big screen. If you\u2019re a superfan (like yours truly) you\u2019ll surely be acquainted with not just the story of the \u201cCraig Saga\u201d thus far, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":35,"featured_media":12316,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[50],"tags":[40,37],"class_list":["post-12309","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-editorial","tag-featuredpage","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12309","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/35"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12309"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12309\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18307,"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12309\/revisions\/18307"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12316"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12309"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12309"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12309"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}