All The James Bond Films: Ranked From Worst To Best

Is Timothy or Sean your favourite? Do you prefer the ones set in a tropical paradise or a snowy resort? Does a good henchman matter, or is it more about the villain? These are the kinds of questions we throw about when deciding what makes a great 007 movie.

With the release of the 24th Bond film ‘SPECTRE’ imminent, we decided to rank the other 23, starting from the worst and ending with officially the greatest ever.

If you agree, or want to tell us where we’ve gone terribly wrong, let us know on our Facebook page. Now – imagine a gun sight and a suited man walking into the middle of it…

23. ‘Die Another Day’ (2002)

Invisible cars, rubbish Madonna theme tune (and embarrassing cameo), dull plot – there’s not much right with Pierce Brosnan’s final appearance in the franchise. The filmmakers were clearly in need of new ideas and were right to reboot subsequently. There are a couple of interesting elements in Halle Berry’s agent Jinx, whose much-vaunted spin-off never happened, as well as Bond being a prisoner of war at the beginning. Still, Rosamund Pike managed to shake it off and become a Oscar-nominated actress, so that’s lucky.

22. ‘Quantum Of Solace’ (2008)

Just what is going on in this one? After the bombast of ‘Casino Royale’, Daniel Craig’s sophomore effort is muddled and (shock horror) a bit boring. Olga Kurylenko is certainly one of the most beautiful sidekicks in the series and there’s a pretty great car chase at the beginning, but that’s about it. The writer’s strike, which saw the cast and crew proceed without a proper script, may’ve been to blame for this one.

21. ‘A View To A Kill’ (1985)

From po-facedness to ridiculous campery, Roger Moore’s final effort had Grace Jones and a scenery-chewing Christopher Walken, but Moore’s advanced age (he was 58) is just plain silly. Plus Stacey Sutton (Tanya Roberts) is terrible. Great theme tune though.

20. ‘Moonraker’ (1979)

Jaws meets a girl – that’s how most people remember this spacey instalment, which had Drax (Michel Lonsdale) sending a bunch of sexy people into the great beyond to build a new, perfect society. Yes, it’s as stupid as it sounds. Moore was already getting too old by this point, which actually makes the scene when he goes round the centrifuge more funny than packed with jeopardy. The best bit? When 007 “attempts re-entry”. Fnar fnar.

19. ‘The World Is Not Enough’ (1999)

Okay, so we’re prepared to suspend our disbelief for Bond, but Denise Richards as a super-brainy scientist? That’s really pushing it. Plus she’s called Christmas, just so Pierce Brosnan can make a really cheap gag about how many times a year it comes. What almost saves it is Sophie Marceau, who is both staggeringly gorgeous and a woman you genuinely think could mess with James’s thinking.

18. ‘Octopussy’ (1983)

Bond in an alligator suit! A professional tennis player as one of his helpers! This feels very much like a stop-gap movie which was made purely to get a new one out there. None of it particularly memorable, Moore is sleepwalking through most of it. It’s not actively dislikeable, but you’ll probably only last about 20 minutes before falling asleep if it came on ITV4 on a Sunday afternoon.

17. ‘You Only Live Twice’ (1967)

Is it a bit racist? Hmmmm, probably. Despite Little Nellie and a great turn from Donald Pleasance as Blofeld, you mostly remember Sean Connery getting dressed up as a Japanese man, complete with unsubtle make-up. With its hollowed-out volcano lair and bald baddie, this is the movie that clearly inspired Mike Myers the most when it came to ‘Austin Powers’.

16. ‘Diamonds Are Forever’ (1971)

Connery had already quit the series once when he came back for ‘Diamonds’ and it’s pretty clear that his attention had already moved beyond playing Bond. Plenty O’Toole is a great Bond girl name, but it’s assassins Mr Wint and Mr Kidd who really stand out from this instalment. Played by Bruce Glover and chubby jazz musician Putter Smith respectively, they are pun-tastic, possibly lovers and bizarrely chilling.

15. ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’ (1997)

It has one of the most pointed Bond villains in Jonathan Pryce’s Elliot Carver – Rupert Murdoch by any other name, although the filmic version is far more bloodthirsty as he searches for the perfect headline. Pleasingly, Michelle Yeoh’s Wai Lin is tough and looks like she belongs on the epic motorbike chase rather than being a damsel clinging on for dear life.

14. ‘The Living Daylights’ (1987)

Timothy Dalton makes his debut in what is – reflected in its mid-table status – a solid, if unspectacular entry. He certainly has the chops as 007, but Maryam D’Abo as a cellist caught up in a hoax defection plot is wan, while the action sequences, cello case toboggan run notwithstanding, are average.

13. ‘Thunderball’ (1965)

Probably best known as the film which caused endless copyright problems, resulting many years later in the unofficial ‘Never Say Never Again’ which is essentially a direct copy. Tom Jones belts out the theme tune, the section in the health club is fun and Claudine Auger is gorgeous. But perhaps the greatest thing about it is that a guy called Rik Van Nutter plays Felix Leiter.

12. ‘For Your Eyes Only’ (1981)

Yes, the ice skater is annoying. And Topol is a bit meh. But there’s also the creepy guy with the octagonal specs, the buggy chase, Charles Dance as a henchman(!) and an awesome five-minute ski chase complete with bobsleigh run and cheesy 80s soundtrack.

11. ‘The Man With The Golden Gun’ (1974)

Christopher Lee (who also happens to be Ian Fleming’s step cousin) was born to play a Bond villain and he’s perfect as the deadly assassin Scaramanga, in one of the lowest-grossing films of the series. That’s despite a great henchman in Nick Nack (Hervé Villechaize) and the famous car roll, long-considered one of the best stunts ever committed to celluloid.

10. ‘Skyfall’ (2012)

It may be the most successful in the franchise and have a great final act, but time will tell if Sam Mendes’ effort joins the pantheon of great Bonds. Javier Bardem is perhaps not as memorable as he should be, and Craig’s implacable performance borders on parody, even though it does work as part of his interpretation’s arc through the previous two movies. Still, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris and Ralph Fiennes are welcome additions and the end suggests an interesting change moving forward.

9. ‘From Russia With Love’ (1963)

Connery’s own favourite Bond film, it’s made iconic by the presence of Lotte Lenya, with her dagger shoes and Robert Shaw as the villains. There are a lot of firsts too – Desmond Llewellyn as Q, here called Major Boothroyd, as well as the initial appearance of an uncredited Blofeld.

8. ‘Live And Let Die’ (1973)

Moore made his bow in a sweaty, sexy film set in New Orleans and the fictional country of San Monique. The star – who won the role over perennial screen-tester Michael Billington – was yet to get too arch, while henchman Baron Samedi (Geoffrey Holder) added some mystique in a movie that’s clearly influenced by the then-popular Blaxploitation movement. Ultimately, with a drug baron as the villain (Yaphet Kotto, whose death by explosive air canister is right up there), this was a well-put-together move forward from the Connery era.

7. ‘Dr No’ (1962)

“Bond, James Bond.” So the immortal lines were uttered for the first time in what is a comparatively lean, enjoyable and effective opening gambit. It set the template – imaginative production design, Monty Norman guitar theme, gambling and graphics-heavy credits. Connery proved the doubters wrong as a robust hero, while Ursula Andress’ iconic emergence from the sea is now part of cinematic lore.

6. ‘Licence To Kill’ (1989)

Until Daniel Craig came along (more on that in a moment), Dalton’s second and final movie was by far the most brutal of the series. That surprised and confused some of the audience, though Bond aficionados often point to it as their favourite because it’s the closest to Ian Fleming’s original vision of the character. It’s a shame the actor didn’t get another go to take this to the next level, but instead it’s definitely worth re-appraising.

5. ‘Casino Royale’ (2006)

Turning for the second time to director Martin Campbell, this is a lean, mean, stripped-back reboot, relying on Bourne-style action than fanciful gadgetry. Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen) may be a bit of a cipher, but the relationship with Vesper (Eva Green) feels authentic and Daniel Craig’s no-nonsense take on the character added muscularity and an old-fashioned masculinity not witnessed since Dalton’s days.

4. ‘GoldenEye’ (1995)

There was a huge gap between the previous film and Pierce Brosnan’s first go as Bond, partly because of the relatively poor box office of ‘Licence To Kill’ and also due to various legal wranglings about the character. The Irish actor had been asked to play the hero previously and showed why in this exciting and stylish effort. Not only are there brilliant stunts (dam jump, tank chase), but Brosnan fits the tuxedo like a glove, the perfect mix of witty and physical. And then there’s the girls. Xenia Onatopp (Famke Janssen) is great, but it’s also one of the few times his love interest (Izabella Scorupco) really challenged him, a welcome change.

3. ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ (1977)

Roger Moore’s best effort by some margin, from the opening skiing-to-Union Jack-parachute sequence onwards, this is a thrilling ride. Add to that the introduction of Jaws (Richard Kiel), man-eating sharks, the villain’s massively OTT world domination plan and a female counterpart relationship fraught with tension (Bond previously killed her lover), well, it’s difficult to fault.

2. ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’ (1969)

George Lazenby may not be the greatest actor in the world, but this has lots of great bits, most notably some excellent skiing, an Austin Powers-worthy section in a mountain lodge and of course, Bond falling tragically in love. Clearly influenced by the era it was made in, this is a slightly trippy, elegant and even occasionally odd film, which may be the most daring of the entire franchise. Lazenby handles the action well and Diana Rigg is fantastic as his doomed missus.

1. ‘Goldfinger’ (1964)

Just like Trekkies saying the even numbered films are better than the odd, there’s a legend amongst Bond aficionados that an actor’s third go round as the spy is the best (er, let’s ignore Brosnan). Certainly, Connery’s third outing has all the components that make a great 007 movie firing at the top of their game. Theme tune, villain, the women, the henchman, dastardly plot – they’re all impossible to fault. In fact, the producers loved it so much they considered bringing Gert Fröbe back as Auric’s brother in the next film.

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‘SPECTRE’ is released in the UK on October 26.

Photos: EON/MGM/Sony/United/Everett/Giphy/Tumblr/Rex/Moviestore