So in Part 1 of Ranking James Bond Movies, I rated the 6 men who have played 007 on the Big screen. In ascending order, they were Roger Moore, George Lazenby, Pierce Brosnon, Timothy Dalton, Daniel Craig, and Sean Connery.
So now we come to ranking the Bond Movies themselves. Here’s how I rank them with a brief comment on each:
(24) NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN (1983): I prefer to call the movie “Thunderball Redux”. Kevin McClory decided to remake the 1965 classic, but the only good thing about this movie was the return of Sean Connery as James Bond. The ending kind of sucked, which is why I rate this movie way down.
(23) MOONRAKER (1979): Too many gadgets, too many corny jokes, and basically “The Spy Who Loved Me” meets “Star Wars”. Bernard Lee’s swansong as “M” was rushed and not even Shirley Bassey could save it.
(22) DIE ANOTHER DAY (2002): The 1st post-9/11 Bond movie did not work in the new world reality. Madonna’s acting… ugh. Did we really need Halle Berry as a Bond Girl? It just didn’t work… which was sad because I did like Brosnon’s 007.
(21) FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE (1963): My big problem with this movie was that Bond felt like he was being controlled throughout the movie by SPECTRE’s big muscle. Only at the end did the James Bond I knew & loved emerged.
(20) QUANTUM OF SOLACE (2008): I admit this is the only Bond movie I have not seen start to finish. What I have seen leaves me feeling meh. It’s OK.
(19) THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH (1999): Not exactly another ringing endorsement of Pierce’s 007 version, but my big beef was Denise Richards as a scientific Bond girl named Christmas Jones. Yeah… Shame that this movie was the farewell of the original “Q”.
(18) THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN (1974): Christopher Lee can play any movie villain role he wants. Parts of the movie suspended reality (the flying car, the loop over a broken bridge, a LA local sheriff in Thailand). Still fine.
(17) OCTOPUSSY (1983): I really don’t have any hatred for Maud Adams as a Bond Girl. It’s just that there were better Bond Movies over the years. Again, a good movie (and certainly better than the other 1983 Bond movie—well except for who played 007 in both movies).
(16) A VIEW TO A KILL (1985): As farewells go, this movie was a nice send-off for Roger Moore. Duran Duran #1 and a decent plot about Christopher Walken trying to destroy Silicon Valley seemed a fitting end to the Moore Legacy.
(15) DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER (1971): Sean Connery’s 2nd farewell to the eon franchise was not as good as the first. And does a gay couple working as henchmen really works in today’s changing times? Still, a good way to send the original 007 off into the sunset—for 12 years.
(14) TOMORROW NEVER DIES (1997): Surprisingly a good movie even with a couple of famous Bond girls. Michelle Yeoh kicked ass. And the car chase & motorcycle chase were excellent.
(13) THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS (1987): Timothy Dalton’s introduction to the 007 world was actually good in retrospective. Working with the mujahedeen in Afghanistan was good in that time. Problem was, they became Al-Qaeda in real-life. Plus, the cooperation between Russia, the U.S., & Britain in the movie was a prelude to thawing of relations between rival nations.
(12) ON HER MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE (1969): If Sean Connery had done this movie as 007, it would have been maybe the best Bond Movie of all time. The action was incredible, and the ending showed even the good guys can’t have it all. Too bad George Lazenby had the role and blew his shot off-screen at becoming a legendary 007.
(11) LIVE AND LET DIE (1973): Roger Moore’s intro into the 007 world was a welcome change from the more action-minded Connery. Jane Seymour was a wonderful Bond Girl. Yaphet Kotto was a brilliant bad guy in the movie. And Paul McCartney singing the Title Song… Nice. It worked in 1973.
(10) THUNDERBALL (1965): This was a great movie with Connery again showing why he was the best Bond of all. If Kevin McClory’s ego had let him enjoy being a part of the eon Production instead of trying to cash in on the Fleming phenomenon, he would have seen how special the franchise was.
(9) THE SPY WHO LOVED ME (1977): The introduction of henchman favorite Jaws, and the start of a 10-year détente rivalry between MI-6 and KGB was special. Barbara Bach was a great Bond girl, because in many ways she was 007’s equal.
(8) YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE (1967): On screen, this was a great movie introducing Japan to the Bond World, and having the Japanese fight for the good guys. Meeting the #1 man behind SPECTRE for the first time was a treat. Behind the scenes, it was contentious, with Connery leaving the franchise one movie before his contract was complete.
(7) CASINO ROYALE (2006): What a way to re-introduce the Bond franchise with Daniel Craig becoming the newly-promoted and raw 007. Becoming less about the gadgets and more about being a bad-ass secret agent was a terrific way to re-boot the franchise.
(6) DR. NO (1962): The original Bond movie was a classic, and would have been ranked higher had there not been a few better 007 gems. The first time the words “Bond… James Bond” were heard on the screen still gives chills.
(5) LICENSE TO KILL (1989): Underrated and would have been a true classic had it been released in 2002. James Bond out for revenge against a drug lord who had caused so much pain to his American friend. The plot was ahead of its time… and it unfairly doomed Dalton’s tenure as 007.
(4) FOR YOUR EYES ONLY (1981): Easily, Roger Moore’s best movie as 007. Even though Moore is a pacifist in real-life, the fact that he was willing to get down and dirty without much of Q’s gadget wizardry showed he belonged as James Bond.
(3) GOLDENEYE (1995): A perfect timed movie with a new generation of James Bond in a post-Soviet world. The line between friend and foe blurred to perfection. Judi Dench’s first role as Q just felt right. The tank chase through Saint Petersburg. Brosnon could have retired right there as the best Bond.
(2) SKYFALL (2012): This is the perfect post-9/11 Bond movie. And given the recent Snowden leaks, it works even better. Judi Dench’s address before Parliament was poignant as her final role as Q. And James Bond comes out of this movie a superspy molded by trial and fire. How ironic that Moneypenny shot him at the beginning.
(1) GOLDFINGER (1964): The Bond Movie which every other 007 movie is judged against. Oddjob. Pussy Galore. Operation Grand Slam. Shirley Bassey. Everything about this movie works even today.
So there you have it. I’m sure I’ve ignited some controversy, but that’s how I see ranking the 007 movies.
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