Every James Bond Movie Ranked From Worst To Best

25. Quantum of Solace (2008)

It was gritty, and it had good action set-pieces, but besides that there's a reason this was one of the worst-received Bond films of all time. Trash and not worth watching, honestly.

24. Spectre (2015)

Christoph Waltz is an excellent villain. Maybe one of the best, in fact. But Daniel Craig and director Sam Mendes tried way too hard to make this as serious and dark as a Bourne film, which simply doesn't work with James Bond.

23. Die Another Day (2002)

Halle Berry was a great Bond girl, but this is easily Brosnan's worst. Way too much CGI for its own good, and yet another example of why you shouldn't try and make futuristic 007 movies.

22. A View to a Kill (1985)

Roger Moore was 57 when this movie was produced, and it shows. The action is not up to par, and it's even harder than usual to believe all these beautiful women would be throwing themselves at 007. The film is only slightly redeemed by Christopher Walken and Grace Jones, but this is still not a top 20 Bond film.

21. License to Kill (1989)

License to Kill has all the elements you need for a solid Bond movie, and Dalton can actually act, but the stakes never feel high enough. After all, Bond is hunting down a drug dealer with the DEA in this movie, so it's not exactly like world peace is ever on the line.

Bond Films Ranked The Man With The Golden Gun

20. The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)

Our first top 20! Purists will already hate me for having such an iconic film so low, but on rewatching it for this list, I realized how insane this one is. Nick Nack's house of horrors is like a fever dream, and that's just the opener, within half an hour Bond is pretending to be Scaramanga with a prosthetic third nipple. Perfect for Roger Moore, at least.

19. Skyfall (2012)

Skyfall suffers from many of the same problems as Spectre, namely, it takes itself too seriously for a Bond movie. But, it does have one of the more coherent plots and Javier Bardem's Raoul Silva is truly terrifying.

18. Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)

Pierce Brosnan and Michelle Yeoh have great on-screen chemistry, and the motorbike getaway scene is unforgettable. But that said, it also has probably the most insane villain plot of any Bond film; Elliot Carter, a news mogul, wants to start World War 3 so that he can... sell more newspapers. Even within the context of the 007 filmography, that is nonsense.

17. No Time to Die (2021)

Spoiler alert: Bond dies in this one. Or at least, it looks like he dies at the end, we won't truly know whether he's dead until the next movie. But whether he is or isn't, they commit to the bit, and they execute it well. I don't know If I like that though, it seems brave perhaps, but I want Bond to narrowly survive every time. I don't want to be challenged or surprised by these movies.

16. Moonraker (1979)

Moonraker is peak Roger Moore-era Bond. It's camp, it's funny, it makes almost no sense, and it ends with 007 and a beautiful woman making love in zero gravity. But on the flip side of all that silliness, it does also have a fantastic score and surprisingly impressive special effects for the era.

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15. The Living Daylights (1987)

Dalton clearly hates the silly side of Bond, and General Georgi Koskov is a terrible villain, so for that we have to deduct some points. But in all other respects we've got a banger on our hands, with a particularly strong pre-title sequence that shows us a rare glimpse of the other 00 agents.

14. For Your Eyes Only (1981)

This is a solid entry with a great car chase and one of the best Bond girls. It's also one of Moore's better performances, and that's probably thanks to the script, which is more grounded than usual.

Bond Films Ranked Diamonds Are Forever 2

13. Diamonds Are Forever (1971)

Although Diamonds Are Forever is Connery's last and worst Bond, signifying the end of the "Golden Era" for 007, this dynamic duo are some of my favorite baddies from any Bond film. And, of course, the film's title song performed by the inimitable Shirley Bassey is outstanding.

Bond Films Ranked The World is Not Enough

12. The World Is Not Enough (1999)

This is probably higher up on the list than it deserves to be, but for some reason I was obsessed with Bond's speedboat from the opening sequence, and so it holds a special place in my heart. Also, special props to the obscene and ridiculous "I thought Christmas only comes once a year" line.

Bond Films Ranked On her Majesty Secret Service

11. On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)

We're almost into the top ten now, but before we get there we have Lazenby's only film. He's not a bad Bond per se, but it's certainly not his performance that earns On Her Majesty's Secret Service such a decent ranking. No, instead it's the excellent set pieces in the Swiss Alps,

10. Live and Let Die (1973)

This one has not aged well. If you haven't seen it, there's a section where Bond has to go to Harlem, and a number of lines like "Can't miss him. It's like following a cue ball" ensue. But then, pretty much all the Bond films pre-Craig are problematic. At least Live and Let Die is also a great movie, with all the elements you need and the legend Baron Samedi.

9. The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)

Now we are in the territory of truly iconic Bond movies. The Spy Who Loved Me sets up a great dynamic between Bond and his Soviet counterpart, a KGB agent called Anya Amasova, who are "reluctantly" forced to work together to stop Stromberg the villain from destroying the world. The movie has a strong nautical focus which sets it apart and secures it ninth spot; Stromberg's base is a kind of futuristic ship, and Bond's car (a Lotus Elise) is able to turn into a submarine.

8. GoldenEye (1995)

Easily the best Brosnan movie, GoldenEye opens with a scene that sees Bond and a fellow MI6 agent infiltrating a Soviet base. Bond escapes and survives, but his fellow agent Alec Trevelyan is caught and seemingly killed. However, as you would probably expect, Alec is not dead, and nine years later turns out to be the villainous mastermind behind a plot Bond has to stop. An awesome bond movie with some of the coolest action scenes in the entire franchise.

7. Casino Royale (1964)

Others would have Craig's best movie higher up in the ranking, but for me 007 simply hasn't worked since the turn of the century (in the world of smartphones and the internet, where hackers are a greater threat than spies, Bond makes a lot less sense). Admittedly, they try and turn back the clock with fewer gadgets and the classical setting of a poker game, which is why the movie still gets a respectable seventh place, but it can't rival the best of Connery.

6. Thunderball (1965)

Thunderball's plot hinges on a ridiculous coincidence, which is usually indicative of bad writing, but in the case of an unserious franchise like Bond, who cares. 007 is staying at a resort called Shrublands to recover from a difficult mission, and at the same resort two of the baddies are carrying out the first part of an evil plan to steal nukes and demand a ransom from NATO. An amazing spy flick ensues.

5. Octopussy (1983)

Octopussy features one of the best pre-title sequences in the franchise, with 009, disguised as a clown, trying to escape a pair of circus knife-throwers. Now, this being a Roger Moore flick, it does also feature a ton of misplaced humor and shameless puns, and the depiction of Indians is questionable at best. But it captures the globe-trotting appeal of a Bond film perfectly, and the Tuk Tuk chase is legendary.

4. Dr. No (1962)

Dr. No is the first Bond movie, and deserves respect for that alone. If it hadn't been such a great first effort, we might never have had all those sequels, and the name James Bond would have faded into obscurity. It's also worth mentioning that Connery's debut performance is fantastic, and you can see him already expressing a kind of nonchalant coolness in his performance that would define the character for generations to come. Of course, as the oldest movie, the set pieces are some of the least impressive, but it was only 1962 after all.

3. You Only Live Twice (1967)

Connery gets the full Japanese experience in You Only Live Twice, complete with Sumo wrestling, a traditional massage, and even a fake wedding with a pearl diver, before infiltrating Blofeld's island. This is a fantastic Bond movie, from the opening scene to the silly ending with a beautiful woman in the middle of nowhere, but we all know the real reason it scores so highly: Little Nellie.

2. From Russia with Love (1963)

From Russia with Love is an almost perfect Bond movie, set against the backdrop of the Cold War and traversing the cities behind the Iron Curtain. After the events of Dr. No, the SPECTRE organization plan to kill Bond, but he of course evades them, and in the process saves the life of perhaps the best Bond girl, Tatiana Romanova, and steals an incredibly valuable Lektor cryptography device that belonged to the Soviet Union.

1. Goldfinger (1964)

Of course, the cliché but undeniably correct answer, Goldfinger is the best Bond movie of all time. The villain is fantastic, and his plot is coherent. The car, an Aston Martin DB5, is beautiful, and doubly so when touring the open Swiss road. The Bond girl, despite having the most ridiculous name in the franchise, is excellently performed. And, Sean Connery was at his absolute peak as Bond here, somehow being able to pull off a baby blue terrycloth playsuit.

Do you agree with our ranking? Let us know in the comments!

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Every James Bond Movie Ranked From Worst To Best

25. Quantum of Solace (2008)

24. Spectre (2015)

23. Die Another Day (2002)

22. A View to a Kill (1985)

21. License to Kill (1989)

20. The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)

19. Skyfall (2012)

18. Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)

17. No Time to Die (2021)

16. Moonraker (1979)

15. The Living Daylights (1987)

14. For Your Eyes Only (1981)

13. Diamonds Are Forever (1971)

12. The World Is Not Enough (1999)

11. On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)

10. Live and Let Die (1973)

9. The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)

8. GoldenEye (1995)

7. Casino Royale (1964)

6. Thunderball (1965)

5. Octopussy (1983)

4. Dr. No (1962)

3. You Only Live Twice (1967)

2. From Russia with Love (1963)

1. Goldfinger (1964)

Polls

Giveaways

Videos

Events

Every James Bond Movie Ranked From Worst To Best

25. Quantum of Solace (2008)

24. Spectre (2015)

23. Die Another Day (2002)

22. A View to a Kill (1985)

21. License to Kill (1989)

20. The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)

19. Skyfall (2012)

18. Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)

17. No Time to Die (2021)

16. Moonraker (1979)

15. The Living Daylights (1987)

14. For Your Eyes Only (1981)

13. Diamonds Are Forever (1971)

12. The World Is Not Enough (1999)

11. On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)

10. Live and Let Die (1973)

9. The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)

8. GoldenEye (1995)

7. Casino Royale (1964)

6. Thunderball (1965)

5. Octopussy (1983)

4. Dr. No (1962)

3. You Only Live Twice (1967)

2. From Russia with Love (1963)

1. Goldfinger (1964)

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