007: The Daniel Craig Collection - 4K Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

007: The Daniel Craig Collection



Movie:
4K Video:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:


WARNING: THE SCORES ABOVE ARE A COMBINED SCORE FROM ALL 4 FILMS, THE INDIVIDUAL SCORES ARE CONTAINED BELOW IN THE INDIVIDUAL SECTIONS OF THE REVIEW

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Movie
Many of us have been crazing some 007 action on 4K for quite some time, and I think we all had pretty much assumed that the 4 Daniel Craig films would be the first to come to the format for multiple reasons. For one, going back and remastering and re-doing all of the Bond collection would be a massive undertaking for MGM and 20th Century Fox, but not only that, we had a Daniel Craig collection 4 years ago on Blu-ray, with the Craig films being shot digitally and being the newest, it was an easy assumption that they would get the 4K UHD treatment as a taste test for Fox to see if the rest of the series was viable.

This box set is actually pretty much the 2015 Blu-ray set of The Daniel Craig Collection (in fact the Blu-ray’s contained in the combo set IS that same set, down to the cover art and UPC) combined with a 4 disc amaray case of the set in 4K and sandwiched together in a chipboard slip sleeve. There’s no new extras involved, but Casino Royale has gotten rid of the bulky 5.1 PCM track and replaced it with a 5.1 DTS-HD MA track, while all 3 of the succeeding films retain their original DTS-HD MA mixes (Spectre being the only one not having a 5.1 mix, but instead a 7.1 DTS-HD MA track).

Casino Royale
Casino Royale was a big thing back in 2006. The long standing James Bond franchise was on unstable ground, as it had been stretched out as a continuous series (albeit with a revolving door of actors playing Bond) since 1962’s Dr. No, and MGM was worried about it’s continued success. Especially since the previous couple of films with Pierce Brosnan had failed miserably, nearly tanking the franchise after so many years. Well, what better way to go into the 21st century than to reboot the franchise back to its roots, reintroducing us to a rookie James Bond and bringing in hunky Daniel Craig to boot.

Ironically I was one of the film’s biggest naysayers back in 2006. I was a love of all things Bond, and had become very attached to the suave ladies man that he had become over the last 44 years, and the idea of just rebooting and erasing all that came before it (for future films) was kind of a slap in the face to my younger self. However, after hitting up the Blu-ray (I skipped it in theaters out of spite) I was instantly hooked, as MGM had went back to the source material for Bond, and actually crafted him into a wickedly cool character again. For the first time in YEARS I was excited to see the next 007 film, and really dug the more brutal and thuggish Bond that actually was closer to the book’s version than the classic Bond films had been able to portray. It also didn’t hurt that they decided to cast up and coming actor Mads Mikkelsen as the villain either, as he added a diabolical flavor all his own to the outing.

One thing that I actually remember some 13 years ago was my changing of opinion of the film over the course of the 2+ hour movie. At first I was a little annoyed at the character. Daniel Craig was playing him as brutish and thuggish, and it wasn’t the Bond I was accustomed to (even though upon subsequent viewings, I actually liked that aspect of his character, as it fits Ian Flemings original novelizations much more accurately). Little bit by little bit, as the character evolves and changes into his 00 status, I started to come over. By the end of the film as the iconic theme was played I was absolutely thrilled. This was Bond once more. A cool, suave man about town, with a heart of ice and nerves of steel.

The plot is actually one of the simplest of the new Bond movies, even though it’s a near 2.5 hour movie. James Bond is upgraded to 00 status at the beginning of the film, becoming one of the iconic MI-6 agents with a license to kill. He’s hunting down a rogue trafficker for the head of MI-6, M (Judy Dench), only to be sidelined into another gambit. This time he has to use more than just brute force and thuggery to get the job done. A criminal mastermind known as Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen) is using his “clients” money to play at a high stakes casino in France, and this is the perfect time to turn him as an asset against his clients and bosses. By sending Bond as another player they can force him to lose all of his clients money that he’s gambling with, and force him directly into MI-6’s waiting arms, where he can spill his guts and reveal all the nasty secrets he has up his sleeve.

The movie itself is bookended by two fantastic acts, with a rather mediocre middle act that just goes on and on and on. The opening act does a good job at solidifying Bond as a crude weapon (albeit an effective one), only to be forced into a role he’s not totally ready for as a slick man about town. The final act is a tour de force, as Bond and Le Chiffre face off after the inevitable loss. But it’s the center act that gains the most criticism. The poker game is a bit of schlog, forcing the viewer to watch nearly an hour of back and forth “cat and mouse” with Bond and Le Chiffre on the card table. It’s a bit on the boring side during that hour, which kind of forces my score down a bit to a solid 4/5 instead of the 4.5/5 it would be normally. That’s not to say the film is not great in many ways, as it did an incredible job at setting up the character of Bond. Changing and warping his original brutish self into a cold hearted weapon who can use his charms with the ladies as a tactful advantage. All in all, Casino Royale is a good entry into the franchise, and makes for iconic history as it successfully rebooted the 44 year (previously) original run and has kept that momentum going for 13+ years.

Quantum of Solace
Much like Casino Royale I have to actually eat some crow 11 years later. I really enjoyed Casino Royale for reinvigorating the James Bond franchise, as it took Bond back to his literary roots, turning him away from the cheesy 80s and 90s iterations that had fast lost fans due to running out of steam. We went from missions to space, invisible cars, and rappers making their debut in action movies, back to a hard line action character once more. Bond is back, and he’s better than ever with his second outing made a scant 2 years after Casino Royale took the critics by storm. I admit that I was a bit disappointed by Quantum of Solace. After Casino Royale I was hoping for something bigger and larger than life. We had seen the origins of Bond once more, now I wanted to see him kick some major butt and get his fancy gear back again! However, that was not to be. Quantum of Solace was a much more subdued film than I was expecting, with a villain that was actually relatable, and devoid of all the mustache twirling I was subconsciously expecting considering the long history of the 60s-90s Bond movies. Instead it was a much more intimate and tightly woven tail, pushing Bond’s evolution after the gut wrenching twist at the end of Casino Royale.

Quantum begins mere minutes after the finale of Casino Royale, where James whisks off the mysterious Mr. White (Jesper Christensen) off to an MI-6 safehouse, which ends up being a trap. Mr. White escapes in the middle of the chaos, nearly killing M (Judy Dench), prompting Bond (who is hot under the collar for the death of Vesper Lynd from the previous film) into a cold rage. Setting out against orders, Bond is intent on capturing Mr. White and taking his vengeance on him in the only way he knows how, brute force. His trek takes him to Bolivia, where he encounters a corrupt environmentalist known as Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric), who happens to be under the criminal wing of Mr. White. Teaming up with beautiful Agent Camille (Olga Kurylenko) Bond and the tortured female agent (who has her own reasons for wanting revenge) team up to take down the corrupt environmentalist and hopefully get to Mr. White at the same time.

I originally wanted something bigger and bolder for Quantum of Solace (as I mentioned above), but after watching it again after this many years I have to say that I really like what they did with the film. It acts as a second half to Casino Royale’s story, adapting and evolving the character of Bond even further. I thought we had seen the titular 007 character at the of Casino Royale, but we had only gotten a glimpse of it. Bond regresses into his more animalistic form in this film, going full brute in his blind rage after the betrayal he experienced last film. We get to see a bit more of Mr. White’s mysterious organization (something any 007 fan should guess right off the bat, but one we don’t fully see until Spectre), and it finally solidifies and purges Bond of his past, changing him into the character we all love by the end of this outing. The villain isn’t really the purpose of Quantum, which threw me for a loop when I originally saw it in theaters. This is a more intimate character study of Bond as he fights against himself and his own inner demons. The plot with selling water is again, not he focus. It acts as a surface villain, but when you peel back all the layers this is a journey of self discovery, and finally solidifies Craig as the quintessential character by the time the credits role, having purged himself of the pain and suffering and betrayal that almost turned him into a real human being in Casino Royale.

Skyfall
Bond is once again on the case, having been sent after a leaked NOC list that gives the secret identities of all of the MI-6 agents embedded in terrorist organizations. This list is naturally worth a mint to those organizations and it’s up to Bond and junior agent Eve (Naomie Harris) to track it down. The two track the list to Istanbul where Bond attempts to recover the list, engaging the thief aboard a rushing train. Eve takes a crack sniper shot at the thief, only to miss and hit Bond instead, throwing him from the train into the river below.

Presumed dead, MI-6 is in upheaval. M (Judy Dench) is being pushed out of her role over the debacle, as the brutally bureaucratic Agent Mallory (Ralph Fiennes) heads up the investigation into her “incompetence”. Ousting her is only the start of the problems though, as a mysterious hacker hacks into the impenetrable MI-6 headquarters stealing the encryption codes for the NOC list AND triggering an explosion in the before never assailed stronghold of British intelligence. Seeing the explosion on the news, a healing and retired James Bond surfaces once more in order to offer his help in tracking down the NOC list before it’s too late.

However, both Bond and MI-6 are no longer what they once were. Bond is still healing from his wounds and is a bit disillusioned, and MI-6 is no longer willing to give him the leeway he once had. Bond’s iconic status at the agency is no more, as the intelligence group is more interested in procedures and technology than they are with a brute of a man who goes around shooting his way out of trouble. It’s the modern era and that sort of “incivility” is at an end. However, with this hacking job MI-6 is cowering in an underground bunker, too afraid of going outside for fear that their cover has been completely blown now that the encryption for the NOC list is out in the open.

Barely passing the mental and physical tasks required to get back in the field, the new vulnerable and cautious Bond has to go back out into the field and track down the list before it gets sold. Tracking down the original thief is easy enough (a bit TOO easy), leading Bond straight to the mastermind himself. Instead of being under Mr. White’s employ like we guessed, it’s actually their most dangerous villain yet. A man who knows the ins and outs of the MI-6 agency like the back of his hand, and knows M more intimately than even Bond does. You see, back before there was a James Bond, there was always 00 agents, and the best of them was a man named Silva (Javier Bordem). However, Silva was captured by the Chinese years ago and sort of hung out to dry by M, leaving him rotting in a cage in Chinese prison. As Bond well knows, the advantages of being thought dead and gone are truly welcome, as it allows anonymity and free range of movement. Something Silva has mastered in his time underground, and now using to his advantage as he seeks a personal (and vicious) revenge on M herself for all the years of torture that he lays at her feet.

Skyfall is probably THE BEST of the new Craig 007 films by a large margin. It’s the most highly polished of the 4 films, and has the single best villain of the entire series. Javier Bordem is nothing short of magical as Silva, blending a sense of 007 charm, with a savage, seething bent for revenge that makes him chilling to watch on screen. Bond himself is also incredible to watch. This is easily his most personal and introspective film yet, as we get to see the 00 agent at his most vulnerable (even more so than he was with Vesper Lynd) to date. Part of me balked at seeing Bond being sidelined in his own movie at first, but once he gets underway the man is back in action again. Seeing Ben Wishaw as Q is a breath of fresh air, and once the idea that MI-6 is turning Bond into a modern superhero is left by the wayside, their banter and use of weaponry is just plain FUN. The biggest surprise of all is actually agent Mallory. You loathe him at the beginning of the film for obvious reasons, but by the end of the movie (and into the next) being to accept and love him as the replacement M, which is all laid at the feet of the fantastic Ralph Fiennes.

Spectre:
By film 4 the Craig Bonds have started to show their age lines. Bond was originally supposed to retire at the end of Skyfall, but the powers that be decided to continue on with Craig’s contract and push the series further (and further, as the 25th Bond film is hitting theaters soon) with Spectre. The movie garnered some pretty hefty box office profits due to the three that came before it, but fans were rather divided over the movie. The opening scene in the Mexico City Day of the Dead parade was an awe inspiring opening act, but then the movie sort of fizzled after that point. I’m not sure why, as the actors chosen were incredible, and Skyfall had launched itself to be the best of the film series so far (in the Craig reboots that is), AND we were finally getting to see the criminal organization behind the scenes of all the other villains previously!

I’ve spent the last few years wondering how we got to this point and in retrospect it was staring me in the face the whole time. I’ve discussed this on several forums over the years and I’ve gotten it focused in on one major theme. That is, the internal struggle of Bond. One of the biggest boons to Casino Royale and Skyfall was how they delved into Bond’s internal struggles. Casino Royale had him intentionally look inwardly in order to bond with Vesper Lynd, only to have that stripped away from him and become the cool and calculating character that we all know and love from the Sean Connery Bonds on up. That sort of invincibility and charm was what made Bond...Bond... in a sense. Skyfall was probably his most personal movie yet, and while I loved the movie, the entire plot of him coming to grips with his past and his family was the weak spot of the movie. At this point we feel like we’ve gotten as much emotional “depth” from James Bond as we could have hoped for, but that’s not the case. Spectre tries to dig deeper and deeper into the character, mining his emotional depths for all it’s worth, even when there is nothing left for them to mine. THIS is the pitfall that Spectre falls into. We’ve tapped out all of the character study that you can do on a super secret agent, and instead of just having fun with his invincibility, they bottom out and try and dig deeper, which robs the film of some of it’s power, in my opinion.

Like usual, 007 is forced to act as a rogue agent as his own agency is under fire this time. MI-6 is summarily being dismantled as a relic from the past, as Max Denbigh, AKA Agent “C” (Andrew Scott of Sherlock fame) is trying to tear down the agency and rebuild along with 8 of the world’s other intelligence committee’s under the guise of modern electronic espionage. All of these world agencies will be under his control in a brand new steel and glass tower where there will be no need of 00 agents, physical presence anywhere, but just a constant stream of new information that makes spies like Bond obsolete.

While this is happening back home, Bond is tracking down a mysterious new villain (or old one) from Bond’s past who is taunting him every step of the way. All that he knows is that this mysterious organization is supposedly from his own creation, and that it sports the obtuse octopus symbol (hint hint for classic Bond fans), leading Bond directly to Franz Oberhauser (Christoph Waltz), and finally reveals the mastermind over Mr. White, Le Chiffre and Dominic Greene himself, but not only that, one who was actually created BY Bond himself inadvertently years ago.

As much as I loved the films that came before it, and while I enjoyed Spectre for what it was, the writers have mined Bond’s internal struggles pretty much barren. The introduction of the infamous film villain Ernest Blofield has been one long since hinted at every since Casino Royale, but trying to tie it all into Bond’s past and make this some sort of family manipulation game just fell flat. Chrisoph Waltz is an absolutely mesmerizing actor, and his portrayal of the iconic villain is superb (although not up to the hammy performances of the bald super villain in the past), and Bond is at his icy best hear. The past troubles have toughened him up to be the man we all love, but it’s really the writing that lets this one down. So much subterfuge and trying to delve into Bond’s past kind of shows that the framework for Bond is kind of mined dry. We’ve seen all we can see from a guy who walks into danger and escapes unscathed (both physically and emotionally) time and time again. It’s a case of a bit too much drama for someone who’s meant to be an invincible super spy.




Rated PG-13 By the MPAA (all 4 films)




4K Video: Video:

Casino Royale
From what I could gather both Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace were taken from 2K digital masters (no idea of their age) while Skyfall and Spectre were both taken from 4K masteres. Casino Royale was shot on 35mm film, which gives it a special place in my heart. The 4K UHD upgrades are rather noticeable, as the color rich film gets a significant boost from the use of HDR and Dolby Vision. Blacks are deep and inky, while the cool blues and golds of the casino really pop off the screen. Visual details on people and objects aren’t a wild increase over the Blu-ray, but they are still there, especially with sweat pores and stitching on the black suits that the characters wear during the game. Some of the CGI action bits near the end show some seams, but otherwise this is a well done 4K disc from all angles.

Quantum of Solace
Quantum of Solace, also shot on 35mm, sports a unique look over all the Bond films. It changes hues and color gradings dependent on where Bond and Camille go looking for revenge, and they shift and alter depending on the scenes. Overblown whites with cool blue underpinnings is the staple of the movie’s visual base, but when they go underground or out in the desert it can shirt to a more neutral look and one that’s a bit sandy and earthy in texture as well. Visual details are enhanced, but never really night and day different, while the colors get a significant boost thanks to the use of HDR and Dolby Vision. Blacks are inky and as can be and despite some mild softness from background textures makes the upgrade worth it for sure.

Skyfall
Skyfall was the first of the Craig Bond’s to be finished with a 4K digital master and the results are exemplary. Roger Deakins and his oscar nominated cinematography is absolutely gorgeous, showing off the earthy hues of the moors where Bond grew up in, as well as the brilliantly lit opening sequence on the train in full speed. Blacks are deep and inky, with the Dolby Vision and HDR showing a sickening amount of detail even in the darkest shadows. Colors show significant pop, and the textures some really nice visual upticks in quality. If I had to stand back and look objectively at them, Skyfall is not only the best movie of the set, but sports the best visual upgrade as well in the new encode.

Spectre
Spectre also sports a 4K digital intermediate master and looks exquisite on 4K UHD. The upgrades are largely in the color department, but the visual upticks in clarity and detail levels are more noticeable than the first films, giving it a more detailed and nuanced look. The opening shot in the Day of the Dead parade is jaw dropping, with cool blues and dark earthy tones dominating mot of the film, and combining in tons and tons of shadow work. This film lives in the dark, and thusly is defined by it’s shadow details. There’s some mild crush in a few scenes, otherwise the HDR and DV are hugely beneficial, adding depth and deepness of blacks without crushing out all the detail. Skin tones are natural mostly, but they have a slightly yellowed clay like look to them, and textural details in the background show off every stone and tear along a clothing seam intimately and intricately.








Audio:

Casino Royale
I almost lumped all of the 4 Bond films into one review score for the audio, but I have to separate Casino Royale from the bunch as it is the only outlier for the 5 star audio tracks the rest of them received. Casino Royale was originally given a lossless LPCM track on Sony’s Blu-ray release back in the day, which was then given a 5.1 Dolby TrueHD track with the special edition a few years later. This time now that Fox has control of the distribution, It has been remixed into 5.1 DTS-HD MA and by all accounts and purposes is the same track, just with a new audio codec wrapper. The 5.1 mix is a bit subdued compared to the other 4, and while it’s has some moments of serious power, is limited due to the low key nature of the casino poker game. Dialog is clean and clear as always, and the surrounds get some really nice activity during the first and third act with the action sequences. Bass response is low and guttural when needed, but also fades into the background during the poker game, only to come out and play for the grand finale (that scene with the house falling down around Vesper and Bond is truly epic).

Quantum of Solace/Skyfall/Spectre
The remaining 3 Bond films are all being lumped together as they sound surprisingly similar. All of the films have retained their original DTS-HD MA mixes from the Blu-ray discs, so no upgrades to Atmos here (5.1 for Quantum and Skyfall, 7.1 for Spectre), but the mixes are still incredible mixes to this day, object oriented tracks aside. These are POWERHOUSE sound mixes, with a high octane boost of action that really doesn’t let go. The train sequence in Skyfall, or the battle between Dave Bautista and Bond in Spectre are ones that will bring your sound system to it’s knees, with complete with great surround usage and heavy HEAVY bass usage. These tracks have held up quite well for the last 4-10 years, and still count as some of the best audio mixes that you can get for “basic” lossless audio mixes.









Extras:

Casino Royale
• Audio Commentary Featuring the Crew
• Deleted Scenes
• The Road to Casino Royale
• Ian Fleming’s Incredible Creation
• James Bond in the Bahamas
• Ian Fleming: Secret Road to Paradise
• Death in Venice
• Becoming Bond (
• James Bond for Real
• Chris Cornell’s You Know My Name Music Video


Quantum of Solace
• Director Marc Foster
• Bond on Location
• Start of Shooting
• On Location
• Olga Kurylenko and the Boat Chase (
• Jack White and Alicia Keys’ Another Way to Die Music Video
• The Music
• Crew Files
• Theatrical Teaser Trailer #1
• Theatrical Trailer #2

.
Skyfall
• Audio Commentary by Sam Mendes
• Audio Commentary by Barbara Broccoli, Michael G. Wilson, and Dennis Gassner
• Shooting Bond documentary
• Skyfall Premiere
• Theatrical Trailer
• Sound Track Promo


Spectre
• SPECTRE: Bond’s Biggest Opening Sequence
• Video Blogs(
-- Director – Sam Mendes
-- Supercars
-- Introducing Léa Seydoux and Monica Bellucci
-- Action
-- Music
-- Guinness World Record
• Gallery
• Teaser Trailer
• Theatrical Trailer 1
• Theatrical Trailer 2

Final Score: ​

Well, with the 5th Craig Bond film just around the corner this won’t be a complete collection, but it IS the first taste we have of the 007 series on 4K UHD, and that is a welcome relief. As someone who has owned every Blu-ray release of the 4 films to date and comparing against the newly minted 4K UHD discs, I would have to say that this is a worthy release. Some fans man not like that we don’t have upgraded Atmos/DTS:X audio mixes to enjoy, but the tracks are still stellar in and of themselves, and the moderate to good jumps in video quality is very welcoming. All in all, this is a good buy for fans and a welcome addition to my 4K UHD library.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Daniel Craig, Judy Dench, Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen, Olga Kurylenko, Ralph Fiennes, Christoph Waltz, Dave Bautista, Javier Bordem
Directed by: Martin Campbell / Marc Forster / Sam Mendes / Sam Mendes
Written by: Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, Paul Haggis / Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, Paul Haggis / Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, John Hogan / Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, John Logan, Jez Butterworth
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1 HEVC (all 4 films)
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1, English DTS-HD MA 7.1 (Skyfall), French, Spanish, German, Italian, Japanese, Czech, Hungarian, Polish DTS 5.1 (Casino and Quantum Only), Spanish DD 5.1 (Casino and Quantum Only)
Subtitles: English SDH, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Hungarian, Korean, Mandarin (Simplified), Mandarin (Traditional), Norwegian, Polish, Swedish
Studio: MGM
Rated: PG-13 (all 4 films)
Runtime: 144 Minutes (146 for the unrated cut) / 106 Minutes / 143 Minutes / 148 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: October 22nd, 2019

Recommendation: Worth Getting

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. As a James Bond fan, this is a one set worth getting..

 

[phillihp23]

Best Buy has it for $40 on sale now...not sure if it ends Sunday or runs longer.

 

[tripplej]

Will be interesting to see what the price is during black Friday..