James Bond is the standard to which all movie heroes are compared to, and has remained an icon of the industry ever since making his debut in 1962. Ian Fleming’s novels had offered a compelling examination of ongoing Cold War tensions, but Bond’s transition to the big screen introduced a new style of action cinema that spawned countless imitators. With Bond, there would be no Jason Bourne, Mission: Impossible, Kingsman, or Indiana Jones.
Bond has had a very consistent track record on screen, as a vast majority of the installments are at least thoroughly entertaining. Although the Bond series includes several false starts, two non-EON productions, and several instances in which the franchise almost collapsed entirely, it is set to have an exciting future with Denis Villeneuve helming a new film for Amazon and MGM. Here are all 27 James Bond films, ranked from worst to best.
27
‘Casino Royale’ (1967)
Casino Royale is the only Bond film that is completely unwatchable, and some purists of the series might not consider it to be an official installment. As one of two films that were produced outside of EON, Casino Royale was an adaptation of the first Fleming novel, but told in a comedic way with multiple actors playing different versions of 007.
Casino Royale didn’t quite hit the satirical marks that were intended, as it’s mostly just a mess that is too inconsistent for its own good. It’s also bafflingly long, as making a comedy film that is over two hours seems ridiculous. While there are quite a few Bond films that have either not aged well or don’t hold up, Casino Royale ranks at the bottom for no other reason than its the only film that features a Woody Allen performance.
26
‘Die Another Day’ (2002)
Die Another Day is essentially the Batman & Robin of the Bond franchise, as it pushed Bond so hard in a campy direction that it essentially became a parody of itself. Given that the last few films starring Pierce Brosnan came out at the same time that the Austin Powers series was in full swing, it’s more than a bit amusing that the main antagonist of Die Another Day somewhat resembles Mike Myers’ Dr. Evil.
Die Another Day was too enamored with CGI and ridiculous stunts, which lost any sense of believability that the franchise may have had. It’s also particularly egregious for wasting the talents of both Halle Berry and Rosamund Pike, who are given thankless roles as utterly forgettable love interests. Although Brosnan may have been able to make a solid fifth film if given the chance, it’s not hard to see why Die Another Day brought an abrupt ending to his run.
25
‘Quantum of Solace’ (2008)
Quantum of Solace is an abnormality in the Bond series because it is a direct sequel and continues directly from the events of its predecessor. While seeing a grittier version of Daniel Craig’s Bond on a mission for revenge after the death of his love interest Vesper (Eva Green) could have been compelling, Quantum of Solace had the unfortunate luck of being filmed amidst the writer’s strike, resulting in a script that barely held together with innumerable plot holes.
Quantum of Solace isn’t entirely incompetent when it comes to action, but it feels like a run-of-the-mill B-movie, and not a proper Bond adventure; if the names were replaced, it could easily be believable as a generic action thriller starring Gerard Butler or Jason Statham. Other than a great performance by Judi Dench, Quantum of Solace is simply not that memorable.
24
‘Diamonds Are Forever’ (1971)
Diamonds Are Forever was an embarrassing case of EON caving to fan demands instead of pushing forward with an interesting new direction for the series. After the hostile reactions to George Lazenby, Albert Broccoli managed to lure back Sean Connery to make another Bond film, despite the fact that he had initially decided to retire. The result is a film where Connery feels too old, and the film itself can’t do much more than dazzle him with fancy new gadgets.
Diamonds Are Forever is lazy in a way that Bond sequels rarely are, as it fails to take advantage of what a compelling adventure would look like in America. Although there’s quite a few Bond films that haven’t aged well due to their sexist tropes, the blatant misogyny and homophobia in Diamonds Are Forever make it difficult to rewatch in a modern context.
23
‘The Man with the Golden Gun’ (1974)
The Man with the Golden Gun is a fairly mediocre Bond film that is elevated by its villain, as Christopher Lee embodies the role of Francisco Scaramanga, an obsessive assassin with a gold-plated revolver who is obsessed with tracking down 007. Although Lee and Roger Moore are exhilarating in the scenes that they share together, the rest of The Man with the Golden Gun is a rather lackluster collection of scenes, including a particularly obnoxious performance by Clifton James as a redneck sheriff who comes to Bond’s aid.
The Man with the Golden Gun has an incredible car jump scene and a brilliant final shootout, which are enough to elevate it beyond the franchise’s worst installments. Still, it’s strange that the film is so lacking in any sense of humor when considering what a genius comic performer Moore could be.
22
‘Never Say Never Again’ (1983)
Never Say Never Again is an oddity within the Bond franchise because it was the second of the two non-EON films, but wasn’t treated as a parody. Instead, Connery returned over a decade after he last ended his retirement prematurely with Diamonds Are Forever to play an older version of Bond who is once again tasked with facing off with SPECTRE and Blofeld (Max von Sydow).
Never Say Never Again plays like a mismash of previous films and has a generally lackluster supporting cast, but there are a few instances in which it shows Bond reckoning with his age. Connery refreshingly doesn’t try to act like a young man, and gives a dialed in performance that indicates he wasn’t only interested in a cash grab. Given that Never Say Never Again was directed by the great Irvin Kershner, the man behind The Empire Strikes Back, it also happens to look excellent.
21
‘Moonraker’ (1979)
Moonraker is perhaps the single most reactive film in the Bond franchise because it was released right after Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind had revitalized public interest in science fiction. Even though Fleming’s novel was more straightforward and grounded, Moonraker was pitched as a hip sci-fi adventure in which Bond went to space for the first time.
Moonraker has aged pretty poorly when it comes to the final act, as the special effects simply don’t hold up, even in comparison to the other sci-fi films of 1979 (Black Hole and Star Trek: The Motion Picture). However, it’s also a film that is entirely aware of what it is and locked into the cheeky humor that made Moore’s run as the character so pleasurable. The return of Richard Kiel as Jaws was just the icing on the cake.
20
‘A View to A Kill’ (1985)
A View to A Kill is the last film of Moore’s run as Bond, and it certainly exemplified the wildly outlandish direction that the series had gone. In a larger-than-life film where Moore was hamming it up more than usual, it was Christopher Walken who stole the film as the ridiculous supervillain Max Zorin, a role that was initially written for David Bowie.
A View To A Kill lacks the slick direction of previous Moore films, and barely hinges together when it comes to logic. That being said, it’s also incredibly self-aware and more than willing to acknowledge its own ridiculousness, and certainly benefits from the villainious double-act of Walken and Grace Jones. In truth, can any film in which Walken says “anyone else want to drop out?” before ejecting one of his clueless henchmen from a massive flying blimp be entirely bad?
19
‘The World Is Not Enough’ (1999)
The World Is Not Enough is an unusual film that combines incredibly cheesy elements and darker material, resulting in an uneven sequel that undeniably has some strong moments. It was a smart decision to put Dench’s version of M in a more major role, as she was given a compelling storyline in which she’s held accountable for past transgressions.
Robert Carylyle and Sophie Marceau have an interesting dynamic that is unique when compared to other Bond antagonists, and the focus on generational wealth and oil empires was different than the standard nuclear paranoia within other films. However, the casting of Denise Richards as the nuclear physicist Dr. Grace Jones might be both the most outlandish casting choice in Bond history, and perhaps all of cinema; of all of the cringe-inducing puns that conclude Bond films, The World Is Not Enough has the absolute worst.
18
‘Octopussy’ (1983)
Octopussy is a lot better than its given credit for, and stands out even more in comparison to Never Say Never Again, which was released the same summer. There’s a strange modern assertion that Moore’s films were unintentionally hilarious, when in actuality they always had a self-referential sense-of-humor. Who could watch Octopussy, a film in which Bond dons makeup to become a clown, and think that it was intended to be serious?
Octopussy has an amazing opening action sequence that ranks as one of the series strongest, and also has a great theme song (“All Time High” from Rita Coolidge) that deserves more appreciation. It’s also one of the rare films in which Desmond Llewlyn’s Q gets to join in on the action and join Bond in the midst of his international adventure instead of being relegated to the sidelines.
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