The Definitive James Bond 007 Movies - Best to Worst
by hccayt | created - 06 Apr 2014 | updated - 25 Aug 2014 | PublicThe Definitive James Bond 007 Movies Best to Worst. SPOILERS
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1. Live and Let Die (1973)
PG | 121 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
James Bond is sent to stop a diabolically brilliant heroin magnate armed with a complex organisation and a reliable psychic tarot card reader.
Director: Guy Hamilton | Stars: Roger Moore, Yaphet Kotto, Jane Seymour, Clifton James
Votes: 115,126 | Gross: $35.38M
James Bond at his best. This film has everything you need from a 007 movie: girls, gadgets, guns, great villains, great locations, action, suspense and humour. Also has the best soundtrack in the entire series.
2. GoldenEye (1995)
PG-13 | 130 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
Years after a friend and fellow 00 agent is killed on a joint mission, a secret space based weapons program known as "GoldenEye" is stolen. James Bond is assigned to stop a Russian crime syndicate from using the weapon.
Director: Martin Campbell | Stars: Pierce Brosnan, Sean Bean, Izabella Scorupco, Famke Janssen
Votes: 269,665 | Gross: $106.60M
Pierce Brosnan's first and best James Bond movie. Great stunts, action, gadgets, girls etc. The middle of the movie drags a bit but the tank chase is one of the best vehicle chases ever and more than makes up for that. Sean Bean plays a believable 006.
3. The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
PG | 125 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
James Bond investigates the hijacking of British and Russian submarines carrying nuclear warheads, with the help of a K.G.B. agent whose lover he killed.
Director: Lewis Gilbert | Stars: Roger Moore, Barbara Bach, Curd Jürgens, Richard Kiel
Votes: 115,947 | Gross: $46.80M
The definition of a Bond movie and sets the standard for the whole series. Jaws is one of the best Bond villains ever and Stromberg, though forgettable, is very believable.
4. Goldfinger (1964)
PG | 110 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
While investigating a gold magnate's smuggling, James Bond uncovers a plot to contaminate the Fort Knox gold reserve.
Director: Guy Hamilton | Stars: Sean Connery, Gert Fröbe, Honor Blackman, Shirley Eaton
Votes: 201,995 | Gross: $51.08M
"Do you expect me to talk? No Mr Bond I expect you to die", a powerful laser set to cut Bond in half, a Korean henchman with a deadly hat, Pussy Galore - need I say more?
5. For Your Eyes Only (1981)
PG | 127 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
Secret service agent James Bond is assigned to find a missing British vessel equipped with a weapons encryption device and prevent it from falling into enemy hands.
Director: John Glen | Stars: Roger Moore, Carole Bouquet, Topol, Lynn-Holly Johnson
Votes: 107,989 | Gross: $62.30M
The producers have decided to make Roger play a more dark and serious movie. Not too bad. Also Blofeld dies in a spectacular opening sequence.
6. The Living Daylights (1987)
PG | 130 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
James Bond is sent to investigate a KGB policy to kill all enemy spies, and uncovers an arms deal that potentially has major global ramifications.
Director: John Glen | Stars: Timothy Dalton, Maryam d'Abo, Jeroen Krabbé, Joe Don Baker
Votes: 105,544 | Gross: $51.19M
Though often overlooked, this film does practically everything a good Bond movie should. Brad Whitaker (aka Jack Wade) as the villain is the only thing spoiling this movie.
7. Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
PG-13 | 119 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
James Bond sets out to stop a media mogul's plan to induce war between China and the UK in order to obtain exclusive global media coverage.
Director: Roger Spottiswoode | Stars: Pierce Brosnan, Jonathan Pryce, Michelle Yeoh, Teri Hatcher
Votes: 204,273 | Gross: $125.33M
Another successful outing as Bond from Mr Brosnan who now seems more comfortable in the role. The car chase in the car park is fantastic. Wai Lin makes for a memorable Bond Girl. Jonathan Pryce seems too much of a kindly person to play a villain and this shows through in Elliot Carver unfortunately.
8. The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)
PG | 125 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
James Bond is targeted by the world's most expensive assassin, while he attempts to recover sensitive solar cell technology that is being sold to the highest bidder.
Director: Guy Hamilton | Stars: Roger Moore, Christopher Lee, Britt Ekland, Maud Adams
Votes: 112,755 | Gross: $20.97M
This movie sets up "the golden gun" idea that will feature in countless Bond video games forever more. The car chase and stunt jump over the bridge with Sheriff JW Pepper is unforgettable. Christopher Lee plays Scaramanger fantastically and Nic Nac is a good laugh. Octopussy also features as Scaramanger's mistress.
9. Octopussy (1983)
PG | 131 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
A fake Fabergé egg recovered from the body of a fellow agent leads James Bond to uncover a jewel smuggling operation led by the mysterious Octopussy, and a plot to blow up a NATO air base.
Director: John Glen | Stars: Roger Moore, Maud Adams, Louis Jourdan, Kristina Wayborn
Votes: 112,662 | Gross: $67.90M
Roger Moore makes another great outing as 007. Cut out the bit with Bond dressed up as a clown and you've got almost a perfect Bond flick.
10. Moonraker (1979)
PG | 126 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
James Bond investigates the mid-air theft of a space shuttle, and discovers a plot to commit global genocide.
Director: Lewis Gilbert | Stars: Roger Moore, Lois Chiles, Michael Lonsdale, Richard Kiel
Votes: 108,476 | Gross: $70.31M
Jaws is back and fights with bond on top of a cable car but then gets a tiny, bespectacled and pig-tailed girlfriend and becomes good. The "Bond in Space" part at the end would not actually be too bad if they scrapped the laser fight.
11. Skyfall (2012)
PG-13 | 143 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
James Bond's loyalty to M is tested when her past comes back to haunt her. When MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost.
Director: Sam Mendes | Stars: Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Naomie Harris, Judi Dench
Votes: 729,537 | Gross: $304.36M
Craig's best attempt at Bond by a long shot. The humour is slowly returning to the Bond movies now and the villain is memorable and menacing too. Best part is the underground bit. The female M dies.
12. Dr. No (1962)
PG | 110 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
A resourceful British government agent seeks answers in a case involving the disappearance of a colleague and the disruption of the American space program.
Director: Terence Young | Stars: Sean Connery, Ursula Andress, Bernard Lee, Joseph Wiseman
Votes: 178,925 | Gross: $16.07M
The first Bond film. They haven't mastered it yet but this has some great moments.
13. On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)
PG | 142 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
British agent James Bond goes undercover to pursue the villainous Ernst Stavro Blofeld, who is planning to hold the world to ransom.
Director: Peter R. Hunt | Stars: George Lazenby, Diana Rigg, Telly Savalas, Gabriele Ferzetti
Votes: 99,099 | Gross: $22.80M
Hmm.. The inexperienced Lazenby is actually quite good but his voice being dubbed a lot is quite obvious. Blofeld and Irma Bunt are great villains. Bond gets married albeit for a short time. Blofeld's clinic for young women with ridiculous diseases such as a phobia of chickens is nothing short of bizarre.
14. You Only Live Twice (1967)
PG | 117 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
James Bond and the Japanese Secret Service must find and stop the true culprit of a series of space hijackings, before war is provoked between Russia and the United States.
Director: Lewis Gilbert | Stars: Sean Connery, Akiko Wakabayashi, Mie Hama, Tetsurô Tanba
Votes: 117,198 | Gross: $43.08M
This could have been so good but just isn't. It introduces so many things that are associated with Bond and have been countlessly parodied eg the rocket launchpad hiding in a volcano, the scar-face Blofeld with the persian cat, the pool of piranhas etc Also Japanese Sean Connery (Bond-san) is silly.
15. Thunderball (1965)
PG | 130 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
James Bond heads to the Bahamas to recover two nuclear warheads stolen by S.P.E.C.T.R.E. Agent Emilio Largo in an international extortion scheme.
Director: Terence Young | Stars: Sean Connery, Claudine Auger, Adolfo Celi, Luciana Paluzzi
Votes: 126,730 | Gross: $63.60M
Pretty good Bond. The shark pool is the best bit. "I think he got the point." Eye-patched villain.
16. From Russia with Love (1963)
PG | 115 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
James Bond willingly falls into an assassination plot involving a naive Russian beauty in order to retrieve a Soviet encryption device that was stolen by S.P.E.C.T.R.E.
Director: Terence Young | Stars: Sean Connery, Robert Shaw, Lotte Lenya, Daniela Bianchi
Votes: 144,871 | Gross: $24.80M
J F Kennedy's favourite novel. Makes a good film. Rosa Klebb with the knife shoes is a great touch as is the dangerous briefcase. The fight in the train is a good climax.
17. A View to a Kill (1985)
PG | 131 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
The recovery of a microchip from the body of a fellow British secret agent leads James Bond to a mad industrialist scheming to cause massive destruction.
Director: John Glen | Stars: Roger Moore, Christopher Walken, Tanya Roberts, Grace Jones
Votes: 104,567 | Gross: $50.33M
Roger Moore is past his best by this movie but that doesn't really bother the viewer until he beds Mayday and Stacey. Max Zorin & Mayday make for a good villains. A very brief cameo by Octopussy.
18. Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
PG | 120 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
A diamond smuggling investigation leads James Bond to Las Vegas where he uncovers an evil plot involving a rich business tycoon.
Director: Guy Hamilton | Stars: Sean Connery, Jill St. John, Charles Gray, Lana Wood
Votes: 113,823 | Gross: $43.82M
Nice exit to the series by Sean Connery but, ever ageing, he relies more strongly on humour and gags (and a toupee) which he just can't pull of like Roger Moore. However, the film has a slight sickly atmosphere.
19. Die Another Day (2002)
PG-13 | 133 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
James Bond is sent to investigate the connection between a North Korean terrorist and a diamond mogul, who is funding the development of an international space weapon.
Director: Lee Tamahori | Stars: Pierce Brosnan, Halle Berry, Rosamund Pike, Toby Stephens
Votes: 228,750 | Gross: $160.94M
Over the top and far fetched. The invisible car and the space laser spoil the the whole thing. The producers/directors tried to cram too much into one film and everything is overblown and ridiculous. Brosnan repeats his smug performance of that in The World is Not Enough. Jynx, please buzz-off and get your own action movie.
20. The World Is Not Enough (1999)
PG-13 | 128 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
James Bond uncovers a nuclear plot while protecting an oil heiress from her former kidnapper, an international terrorist who can't feel pain.
Director: Michael Apted | Stars: Pierce Brosnan, Sophie Marceau, Robert Carlyle, Denise Richards
Votes: 209,594 | Gross: $126.94M
This is pretty dark for a Brosnan movie and the atmosphere in it is cold. Christmas Jones is actually pretty good surprisingly but Elektra King is boring as a villain. Valentin from Goldeneye is back but he's now even fatter and a bit goofy. Brosnan is now too comfortable in the role and comes across as complacent and smug at times which is irritating.
21. Licence to Kill (1989)
PG-13 | 133 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
A vengeful James Bond goes rogue to infiltrate and take down the organization of a drug lord who has murdered his friend's new wife and left him near death.
Director: John Glen | Stars: Timothy Dalton, Robert Davi, Carey Lowell, Talisa Soto
Votes: 111,758 | Gross: $34.67M
Timothy Dalton, what happened? Dalton changes his take on Bond from the previous film and this Bond is a ultra-sensitive, vexed and revenge driven. Also it feels like an a TV-Movie episode of Miami Vice.
22. Casino Royale (2006)
PG-13 | 144 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
After earning 00 status and a licence to kill, secret agent James Bond sets out on his first mission as 007. Bond must defeat a private banker funding terrorists in a high-stakes game of poker at Casino Royale, Montenegro.
Director: Martin Campbell | Stars: Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Judi Dench, Jeffrey Wright
Votes: 692,672 | Gross: $167.45M
Is this a James Bond film? What happened to the gun barrel sequence at the start? Does the James Bond theme even play once in this movie? Where are the gadgets? Where's Q? Where's Miss Moneypenny? Also why does James Bond look like one of the KGB henchman from the Sean Connery era? This was supposed to take Bond back to his roots but instead, it took him to Jason Bourne. The majority of people say this movie is fantastic but they're just the majority of people in "The Emperor's New Clothes". Oh dear...
23. Quantum of Solace (2008)
PG-13 | 106 min | Action, Adventure, Mystery
James Bond descends into mystery as he tries to stop a mysterious organisation from eliminating a country's most valuable resource.
Director: Marc Forster | Stars: Daniel Craig, Olga Kurylenko, Mathieu Amalric, Judi Dench
Votes: 469,716 | Gross: $168.37M
Simply awful. It goes from bad to worse. Apparently Craig wanted to leave after this disaster of a Bond movie and I don't blame him. Again, where are the gadgets? Can't even remember who the villain is. The influence of the dark and gritty reboots is evident in this movie.
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