Since he first appeared on the big screen in 1962, James Bond has become a worldwide
film sensation.
"Bond.
James Bond."
With 24 "official" James Bond adventures and three "unofficial" films, the franchise can
be a bit overwhelming, especially if you're new to the series.
Some of these movies remain classics today, while others…not so much.
Let's take a look at every James Bond film ever made, and rank them from worst to best.
Chances are good this list will leave you shaken and stirred...
Casino Royale (1967)
Due to some behind-the-scenes drama, producer Charles Feldman opted to make his version
of Casino Royale a satire, casting comedic actor Peter Sellers as one of many James Bonds
— it gets complicated — and Orson Welles as Le Chiffre.
Despite being a spoof, 1967's Casino Royale is more cheesy and cringe-inducing than actually
funny, and can easily be skipped on your next Bond-a-thon.
"This is an historic day in our saga Sir James.
The day SMUSH finally eliminated the original James Bond."
A View to a Kill (1985)
Roger Moore's final appearance as James Bond in A View to a Kill is by far his weakest.
Moore delivers a performance that could be described as zombie-like, dozing his way through
nearly every scene.
Making matters worse, the plot is nearly non-existent.
It centers on a Silicon Valley magnate played by Christopher Walken who wants to control
the market for computer chips.
And although Walken and his henchwoman, played by Grace Jones, do a fine job with what they
were given, their performances couldn't redeem this movie.
"So, does anybody else wanna drop out?"
The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)
Roger Moore's second outing as Bond in The Man with the Golden Gun was also pretty shabby.
The movie tries too hard to be flashy, and nearly everything overshadows Moore himself.
The kung-fu scenes seem cheesy and tacked on, and there's a decided lack of typical
Bond spy gadgetry — replaced with impossibilities like flying cars.
On the plus side, the movie does offer two of the coolest "bad guys" of the series: Christopher
Lee as Scaramanga and Hervé Villechaize as his henchman, Nick Nack.
Octopussy (1983)
Director John Glen resorted to a tired formula for Octopussy.
Of all the Roger Moore Bond films, this one might just be the cheesiest.
Featuring jewelry heists, a cult, and a world domination storyline involving nuclear weapons,
Octopussy suffers from an overabundance of plot and an underwhelming lack of substance.
And remember Bond's ridiculous disguises in the movie?
How could you forget.
Casino Royale (1954)
James Bond might be a movie icon, but his first on-screen appearance was actually on
television.
In 1954, Casino Royale was produced as an episode of the CBS anthology drama called
Climax!
Which was actually performed and broadcast live.
Starring Barry Nelson as Bond and Peter Lorre as Le Chiffre, the episode was mostly faithful
to the novel, except that Bond is an American CIA agent instead of MI6.
It's not a terrible take on the stories, per se, but it doesn't have the production value
of its peers.
That said, it's still pretty impressive that they pulled it off in front of a live audience
at all.
Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
Pierce Brosnan's second outing as James Bond was the same suave and smooth double-oh agent
we'd come to know in GoldenEye, and his onscreen chemistry with Teri Hatcher steams up every
scene they share.
Also, Jonathan Pryce presents a much more realistic villain than normal: a media mogul
who attempts to start a war in order to boost his news market share.
"I may have some breaking news for you, Elliott."
However, despite the shiny exterior and new arsenal of gadgets, there's very little new
ground explored in Tomorrow Never Dies, and it plays a little too safe to stand out in
the series.
The World Is Not Enough (1999)
Brosnan's Bond outings might've all been good in terms of his personality, but there is
still way too much formula in play with The World is Not Enough.
And while most of the supporting cast was solid — including Sohie Marceau as Elektra
King and Robert Carlyle as Renard — the overall acting of the pic took a major hit
with Denise Richards' portrayal of nuclear physicist Christmas Jones.
"JAMES."
Die Another Day (2002)
For his final stint as James Bond, Pierce Brosnan gave his best performance in the role
since his debut in GoldenEye.
"You've been busy, have we Mr. Bond?"
"Just surviving Mr. Chang.
Just surviving."
Perhaps he had the solid plot to thank — well, apart from that space laser bit.
The film successfully evoked the feel of classic Bond films with throwback imagery like Halle
Berry's Jinx emerging from the ocean.
And many of the action sequences were actually exciting, like the fight between Jinx and
Miranda Frost at the end of the film.
Unfortunately, Die Another Day's special effects do not always hold up.
Live and Let Die (1973)
This movie's main flaws revolve around the unimpressive main villain Mr. Big and his
plot to give away free heroin in order to get a corner on the market.
Despite this, it's still an adequate entry in the franchise, and Jane Seymour as Solitaire
remains one of the best Bond girls to date.
Quantum of Solace (2008)
Daniel Craig's second outing as James Bond suffers some fundamental flaws, like the villain
Dominic Greene and his plot to monopolize Bolivia's fresh water supplies.
That's a pretty boring idea for an international caper.
On the other hand, it's also a pretty dark film, with Bond set on revenge and not a tongue-in-cheek
quip in sight.
Olga Kurylenko is great as a Bond girl, and the inferno fight in the final act is the
stuff of nightmares.
Spectre (2015)
In this installment, we finally get to see our hero come face to face with Blofeld, the
leader of the shadowy organization SPECTRE.
That might've been exciting in an of itself, but at times, the film's plot seems a little
contrived.
That said, the action and stunt sequences rose to new heights without relying on computer-generated
imagery, and Monica Bellucci is delightful as a Bond Girl.
So, it's still definitely worth your time.
Moonraker (1979)
This installment of the Bond franchise features one of the most unrealistic plots of all.
A spacecraft is hijacked in order to release a deadly chemical around the world, and Roger
Moore's portrayal slips from merely flippant to positively silly.
There's still a lot to like about Moonraker because the campiness is cheerful, and the
cast does sell the silliness.
Fans also applauded the return of Jaws, and the romantic epilogue will still go down as
containing one of the best Bond double-entendres in history.
"007."
"My God what's Bond doing?"
"I think he's attempting re-entry sir."
Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
Sean Connery's return to the Bond fold in Diamonds Are Forever didn't sparkle quite
as much as its predecessors.
The '70s-era Vegas scenery seems a little too garish for Bond, and the movie ignores
much of the source material.
However, there are a few great chase scenes and the badass bodyguards Bambi and Thumper,
so there's a lot to like about the pic, too.
For Your Eyes Only (1981)
Director John Glen delivered a delightfully stripped-down Bond film with For Your Eyes
Only.
It approaches the feel of the earliest Bond movies, and Moore gives his most serious and
rugged performance yet.
The return to a Cold War threat was a smart move, as was the decision to nix any large
and overly bombastic set pieces.
What remains is an action-packed and smartly shot movie that does have its flaws, but is
definitely an enjoyable Bond film nonetheless.
The Living Daylights (1987)
When Timothy Dalton stepped into the role after Moore, critics seemed to miss his predecessor's
campiness and complained about him being too uptight.
Part of what helps keep James Bond films entertaining is the sardonic tongue-in-cheek wit displayed
by Bond himself.
Nevertheless, Dalton is backed up by good supporting performances, and the plot isn't
as outlandish as most, centering on the KGB and a tale of defection and smuggling.
Add in a few good action scenes, and The Living Daylights redeems itself as a better-than-average
Bond film.
Never Say Never Again (1983)
Even though the story of Never Say Never Again is mostly rehashed from Thunderball, there's
something about this movie that's more entertaining than the original.
Max von Sydow delivers a wonderful performance as Blofeld, and Rowan Atkinson is nervously
hilarious as Bond's handler at the British Consulate.
It's comforting to see a more experienced Sean Connery back in the role he made famous,
and he's clearly more comfortable and having more fun in his final farewell to the Bond
franchise.
"Never... Never say never again."
The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
Even though it's not a great Bond film, Roger Moore started to hit his stride as the lead
character in his third attempt, The Spy Who Loved Me.
His onscreen chemistry with Barbara Bach's Anya is undeniable, and the film opens with
a great stunt sequence.
While the main villain and his dastardly plans for world domination are rather lackluster,
The Spy Who Loved Me does introduce audiences to one of the all-time greatest Bond henchmen:
Richard Kiel's Jaws.
All in all, it's a good entry in the franchise, and perhaps Moore's best outing as James Bond.
Licence to Kill (1989)
In Timothy Dalton's second — and final — performance as James Bond, the filmmakers opted to play
to his strengths, resulting in a much darker and more violent Bond film.
While there are definitely a few preposterous moments — like capturing an airplane with
a helicopter — on the whole, Licence to Kill is also much more sensible than most
Bond movies.
Like all good Bond films, Licence to Kill has plenty of entertaining action scenes,
and this time, there's also an entertaining plot to go along with them.
"Remember you're only President for life."
You Only Live Twice (1967)
Even though You Only Live Twice has one of the most improbable plots of all the Bond
films — involving hijacked spacecraft — its substantial charms are undeniable.
The movie boasts some beautiful cinematography, so, it's easy to forgive the film's wandering
script and preposterous volcano hideout and count this one as very enjoyable.
On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)
In his only appearance in the Bond circuit, George Lazenby is pretty wooden in his delivery.
However, those action sequences paired with the tone and Diana Rigg's turn as Tracy make
this one a keeper.
Not to mention, the villain Blofeld is played convincingly by Telly Savalas, and the emotional
punch of the final scene adds a thoroughly enjoyable installment to the Bond franchise.
GoldenEye (1995)
To reinvent the franchise, Pierce Brosnan took over the role of Bond and managed to
strike all the right notes.
GoldenEye is a completely original story that introduces Sean Bean's former MI6 agent Trevelyan
as the primary villain.
From the entertaining action sequences to the extraordinary set pieces, it's no wonder
this movie made for such a rad video game.
Thunderball (1965)
As the fourth film in the series, Thunderball was perfectly placed to capitalize on the
height of the Cold War, with a plot focusing on two stolen atomic bombs and Bond's attempt
to recover them from SPECTRE.
While it isn't quite as good as its three predecessors, Thunderball is still a very
solid Bond movie, with spectacular scenery and action sequences.
And while it could've used some judicious editing, it's still a visual treat.
Skyfall (2012)
For Skyfall, the Bond series took a leap away from 007 to focus instead on the past of Bond's
superior, M, and a former MI6 agent turned terrorist Raoul Silva, played by Javier Bardem.
Skyfall hits all the right notes for a classic Bond film, from the exotic locales to the
compelling plot full of twists.
And let's not forget how Adele's sexy theme song left people swooning for months after
this movie dropped.
Dr. No (1962)
The very first James Bond film remains a classic.
All the elements of later Bond films were introduced here: the stylistic opening credits,
exotic locales, the James Bond theme, and his trademark catchphrase, to name a few.
It's an action-packed 109 minutes of pure audience escapism.
Sean Connery is suave and a natural in the role of Bond, showing why he'd hold on to
the part for seven different films.
Only the lack of an impressive henchman for Dr. No and some pacing issues prevent this
movie from topping our list.
The James Bond formula was solidly established in Dr. No, and was only improved upon in the
next two installments.
Casino Royale (2006)
Daniel Craig's first turn as 007 was meant to introduce a complete reboot of the James
Bond franchise — set at the very start of his secret agent career — and it was so
successful that it breathed new life into the series.
Instead of treating Bond as window dressing to go along with jaw-dropping action scenes,
the production team made the wise choice to actually let Bond's haunted and human personality
shine through.
In addition to Craig's convincing performance and Eva Green's complicated turn as Vesper,
Mads Mikkelsen plays a convincing and creepy Le Chiffre.
Between the acting, the intense action sequences, and the emotional resonance of the movie,
the new Casino Royale is one of the best in the James Bond series.
From Russia with Love (1963)
Sean Connery's second outing as Bond is even better than the first, and From Russia with
Love is also bolstered by standout action sequences, like the fight scene aboard the
Orient Express which would inspire numerous other train scenes in later Bond films.
Everything is more colorful and there are several memorable one-liners and funny visual
gags that make From Russia With Love an example of Bond at his finest.
Goldfinger (1964)
Although the margin between the top four Bond films is nearly razor-thin, Goldfinger comes
out on top.
From the dramatic and "shocking" opening sequence to amazing gadgetry and the unforgettable
image of Shirley Eaton painted gold from head to toe, Goldfinger is a movie that continues
to impress.
You'd be hard-pressed to find a better henchman than Oddjob, and the name of Bond girl "Pussy
Galore" still inspires a giggle today.
The laser table and the climactic fight in the airplane are among the best Bond scenes
of all time, and Goldfinger was also the first Bond movie to include the line "shaken, not
stirred."
Many other Bond films imitated the formula perfected in Goldfinger, but few come close.
"Who are you?"
"Bond, James Bond."
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