James Bond has been the spy whose reputation precedes him: As international man of mystery, guru of gadgets and espionage thrills, the agent who never encountered a boundary–country, or personal space – he couldn’t sneak across.
The Ian Fleming adaptations started with a bang. Dr. No remains among the best-reviewed of 007’s movies, bringing out the legendary era of Sean Connery suited up as the debonair rogue that women yearn for and men aspire to be. (Both of my parents, father and mother admired Connery for this reasons),
In 1967, Casino Royale had no less than six James Bonds.
The non-comic caper is the worst-reviewed James Bond movie; it was produced outside of franchise gatekeepers Eon.
Connery’s reign was celebrated: the actor’s films occupy 3 of the top 5 slots on this list.
George Lazenby, with only 1969’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service released.
Then came another Brit, Roger Moore, who offered a lightly winking and intelligent Bond. Three of his movies are Rotten, three are Fresh, and one is Certified Fresh.
In 1981, Connery came back for non-Eon Bond Never Say Never Again, just as Timothy Dalton was hired for the job.
Dalton’s Bond was cool and menacing, and his films, The Living Daylights and License to Kill, are praised for their dark, grittier take on the spy game.
Pierce Brosnan brought back the sex appeal, albeit in some mediocre movies. GoldenEye was intoxicating Certified Fresh fun, while the three that followed are all Rotten.
After Austin Powers spoofed the franchise for a decade, Eon turned to resurrecting James Bond as the brooding and brutish hulk of today.
Casino Royale was a return to form, with Daniel Craig’s sneer calibrated to the modern cynical viewer. Skyfall was Certified Fresh, but there was no critical love for Quantum of Solace and Spectre of 2015.
Six years have passed when No Time To Die arrived in 2021, though the longest wait for Bond’s return was the six years between Dalton’s License to Kill and Brosnan’s GoldenEye.
Craig holds the record for longest uninterrupted ownership of Bond (15 years), but Connery spread his appearances as Bond across 21 years.
Here is every James Bond movie ever ranked by Tomatometer! (I am one of the critics polled)
A middling Bond film, The Man With the Golden Gun suffers from double entendre-laden dialogue, lack of gadgets, and villain that’s more interesting than the hero.
The Man With the Golden Gun
Roger Moore’s second outing as James Bond (Live and Let Die was the first).
Starring: Roger Moore, Christopher Lee, Britt Ekland, Maud Adams
Directed By: Guy Hamilton
Critics Consensus: Despite a couple of electrifying action sequences, Octopussy is a formulaic, anachronistic Bond outing.
Synopsis: This (13th) time around, 007 (once again played by Roger Moore) receives the usual call to come and visit M…
Starring: Roger Moore, Louis Jourdan, Maud Adams, Kristina Wayborn
Directed By: John Glen
Directed By: John Glen
Critics Consensus: Plagued by mediocre writing, uneven acting, and a fairly by-the-numbers plot, The World Is Not Enough is partially saved by some entertaining and truly Bond-worthy action sequences.
Synopsis: James Bond is sent once more into the breach in the name of Queen, Country,…
Starring: Pierce Brosnan, Sophie Marceau, Robert Carlyle, Denise Richards
Directed By: Michael Apted
Critics Consensus: A competent, if sometimes by-the-numbers entry to the 007 franchise, Tomorrow Never Dies may not boast the most original plot but its action sequences are genuinely thrilling.
Synopsis: James Bond is back Ñ gasp! Ñ to thwart a mad media mogul trying to start a third world war….
Starring: Pierce Brosnan, Jonathan Pryce, Michelle Yeoh, Don Baker
Directed By: Roger Spottiswoode
Directed By: Roger Spottiswoode
Critics Consensus: Its action may be bit too over-the-top for some, but Die Another Day is lavishly crafted and succeeds in evoking classic Bond themes from the franchise’s earlier installments.
Synopsis: A high-speed hovercraft chase, through a minefield in the demilitarized zone separating North and South Korea, marks the beginning of…
Starring: Pierce Brosnan, Halle Berry, Toby Stephens, Rosamund Pike
Directed By: Lee Tamahori
Directed By: Lee Tamahori
Critics Consensus: Featuring one of the series’ more ludicrous plots but outfitted with primo gadgets and spectacular sets, Moonraker is both silly and entertaining.
Synopsis: Secret agent James Bond finds himself battling yet another megalomaniacal villain in this entry in the long-running series of adventure…
Starring: Roger Moore, Lois Chiles, Michael Lonsdale, Richard Kiel
Directed By: Lewis Gilbert
Directed By: Lewis Gilbert
Spectre (2015): 63%
Critics Consensus: Spectre nudges Daniel Craig’s rebooted Bond closer to the glorious, action-driven spectacle of earlier entries, although it’s admittedly reliant on established 007 formula.
Synopsis: A cryptic message from Bond’s past sends him on a trail to uncover a sinister organisation. While M battles political…
Starring: Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Naomie Harris, Ben Whishaw
Directed By: Sam Mendes
Directed By: Sam Mendes
Critics Consensus: Diamonds Are Forever is a largely derivative affair, but it’s still pretty entertaining nonetheless, thanks to great stunts, witty dialogue, and the presence of Sean Connery.
Synopsis: In this spy adventure, James Bond is involved in a scheme by the insidious Ernst Blofeld to force the world…
Starring: Sean Connery, Jill St. John, Charles Gray, Lana Wood
Directed By: Guy Hamilton
Directed By: Guy Hamilton
Critics Consensus: Brutal and breathless, Quantum Of Solace delivers tender emotions along with frenetic action, but coming on the heels of Casino Royale, it’s still a bit of a disappointment.
Synopsis: A devastating betrayal sends James Bond from Australia to Italy and South America on a mission of vengeance that pits…
Starring: Daniel Craig, Olga Kurylenko, Mathieu Amalric, Judi Dench
Directed By: Marc Forster
Directed By: Marc Forster
Critics Consensus: While not one of the highest-rated Bond films, Live and Let Die finds Roger Moore adding his stamp to the series with flashes of style and an improved sense of humor.
Synopsis: Roger Moore makes his first appearance as “Bond…James Bond” in 1973’s Live and Let Die. Bond is dispatched to the…
Starring: Roger Moore, Yaphet Kotto, Jane Seymour, Julius W. Harris
Directed By: Guy Hamilton
Directed By: Guy Hamilton
Critics Consensus: While the rehashed story feels rather uninspired and unnecessary, the return of both Sean Connery and a more understated Bond make Never Say Never Again a watchable retread.
Synopsis: Essentially, this film is a remake of the 1965 Bond flick Thunderball. James Bond emerges from cozy retirement to cross…
Starring: Sean Connery, Klaus Maria Brandauer, Max von Sydow, Barbara Carrera
Directed By: Irvin Kershner
Directed By: Irvin Kershner
Critics Consensus: For Your Eyes Only trades in some of the outlandish Bond staples for a more sober outing, and the result is a satisfying adventure, albeit without some of the bombastic thrills fans may be looking for.
Synopsis: Roger Moore is back as Secret Agent 007, this time on the trail of shipwreck that holds an Automatic Targeting..
Starring: Roger Moore, Lois Maxwell, James Villiers, Carole Bouquet
Directed By: John Glen
Directed By: John Glen
Critics Consensus: Newcomer Timothy Dalton plays James Bond with more seriousness than preceding installments, and the result is exciting and colorful but occasionally humorless.
Synopsis: Assigned to facilitate the defection of a Russian agent, secret agent James Bond soon discovers that the situation is much..
Starring: Timothy Dalton, Maryam d’Abo, Jeroen Krabbé, Joe Don Baker
Directed By: John Glen
Directed By: John Glen
Critics Consensus: With exotic locales, impressive special effects, and a worthy central villain, You Only Live Twice overcomes a messy and implausible story to deliver another memorable early Bond flick.
Synopsis: In the fifth James Bond thriller starring Sean Connery, Bond has to battle Ernst Stavro Blofeld and SPECTRE, who have…
Starring: Sean Connery, Donald Pleasence, Tetsuro Tamba, Mie Hama
Directed By: Lewis Gilbert
Directed By: Lewis Gilbert
Critics Consensus: License to Kill is darker than many of the other Bond entries, with Timothy Dalton playing the character with intensity, but it still has some solid chases and fight scenes.
Synopsis: For his second outing as James Bond, Timothy Dalton is working on his own rather than on behalf of the…
Starring: Timothy Dalton, Carey Lowell, Robert Davi, Talisa Soto
Directed By: John Glen
Directed By: John Glen
Critics Consensus: The first and best Pierce Brosnan Bond film, GoldenEye brings the series into a more modern context, and the result is a 007 entry that’s high-tech, action-packed, and urbane.
Synopsis: A beautiful Russian mobster and the evil General Ourumov take over a Space Weapons Control Station and arm an attack…
Starring: Pierce Brosnan, Sean Bean, Izabella Scorupco, Famke Janssen
Directed By: Martin Campbell
Directed By: Martin Campbell
Critics Consensus: Though it hints at the absurdity to come in later installments, The Spy Who Loved Me’s sleek style, menacing villains, and sly wit make it the best of the Roger Moore era.
Synopsis: Roger Moore as agent 007 teams up with a beautiful Soviet agent (Barbara Bach) to battle Stromberg (Curt Jurgens) in…
Starring: Roger Moore, Curd Jürgens, Barbara Bach, Richard Kiel
Directed By: Lewis Gilbert
Directed By: Lewis Gilbert
Critics Consensus: George Lazenby’s only appearance as 007 is a fine entry in the series, featuring one of the most intriguing Bond girls in Tracy di Vincenzo (Diana Rigg), breathtaking visuals, and some great ski chases.
Synopsis: Connery’s decision to quit as Bond left Broccoli and Saltzman with a headache. The press went into overdrive speculating on…
Starring: George Lazenby, Telly Savalas, Diana Rigg, Ilse Steppat
Directed By: Peter R. Hunt
Directed By: Peter R. Hunt
Critics Consensus: Lavishly rendered set pieces and Sean Connery’s enduring charm make Thunderball a big, fun adventure, even if it doesn’t quite measure up to the series’ previous heights.
Synopsis: Thunderball finds James Bond matching wits with the sinister espionage organization S.P.E.C.T.R.E, (which stands for Special Executive for Counterintelligence, Terrorism,..
Starring: Sean Connery, Adolfo Celi, Claudine Auger, Luciana Paluzzi
Directed By: Terence Young
Directed By: Terence Young
Critics Consensus: Sam Mendes brings Bond surging back with a smart, sexy, riveting action thriller that qualifies as one of the best 007 films to date.
Synopsis: In Skyfall, Bond’s loyalty to M is tested as her past comes back to haunt her. As MI6 comes under…
Starring: Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Judi Dench, Naomie Harris
Directed By: Sam Mendes
Directed By: Sam Mendes
Critics Consensus: The second James Bond film, From Russia with Love is a razor-sharp, briskly-paced Cold War thriller that features several electrifying action scenes.
Synopsis: Broccoli considered this as one of the best Fleming stories. Connery once again excelled and was well supported by…
Starring: Sean Connery, Daniela Bianchi, Robert Shaw, Lotte Lenya
Directed By: Terence Young
Directed By: Terence Young
Critics Consensus: Featuring plenty of the humor, action, and escapist thrills the series would become known for, Dr. No kicks off the Bond franchise in style.
Synopsis: James Bond’s investigation of a missing colleague in Jamaica leads him to the island of the mysterious Dr. No and…
Starring: Sean Connery, Ursula Andress, Jack Lord, Joseph Wiseman
Directed By: Terence Young
Directed By: Terence Young
Critics Consensus: Casino Royale disposes of the silliness and gadgetry that plagued recent James Bond outings, and Daniel Craig delivers what fans and critics have been waiting for: a caustic, haunted, intense reinvention of 007.
Synopsis: James Bond’s first 007 mission takes him to Madagascar, where he is to spy on a terrorist Mollaka. Not everything…
Starring: Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen, Judi Dench
Directed By: Martin Campbell
Critics Consensus: Goldfinger is where James Bond as we know him comes into focus – it features one of 007’s most famous lines (“A martini. Shaken, not stirred”) and a wide range of gadgets that would become the series’ trademark.
Synopsis: To many, the quintessential Bond film and a brilliant third entry in the series. Here Bond gets his Aston Martin,…
Starring: Sean Connery, Gert Fröbe, Honor Blackman, Shirley Eaton
Directed By: Guy Hamilton
Share this:
