For more than half a century, the James Bond movies have been among the most anticipated blockbusters out there. The pure escapism of following a gentleman spy across the most exotic corners of the world to take down megalomaniacs has turned 007 into a global phenomenon.
There are some entries in the Bond franchise that rank among the greatest action movies ever made. Unfortunately, there are also some – from the CGI-laden Brosnan efforts to the latter-day Roger Moore movies of the ‘80s – that rank among the worst. They’re all rated pretty close together on IMDb, but some are rated higher than others.
10 Best: GoldenEye (7.2)
From the opening Contra Dam bungee jump to the dazzling climactic tank chase, GoldenEye is an exhilarating actioner that gave Pierce Brosnan’s James Bond a stellar debut.
Xenia Onatopp is an unforgettable Bond girl, while Alec Trevelyan is a rare Bond villain who actually has a personal connection to 007. GoldenEye represents Bond at his action-heavy best and Brosnan's movies would never quite manage to replicate the magic of his first outing.
9 Worst: Tomorrow Never Dies (6.5)
While Pierce Brosnan’s stint as 007 got off to a terrific start with GoldenEye, all of the actor’s subsequent outings in the role were bitter disappointments. The Brosnan-era Bond movies fall into the same category as the Star Wars prequels. They were made when CGI was in its infancy, so primitive computer-generated effects are overused.
The ridiculous plot of Tomorrow Never Dies involves a media tycoon trying to start World War III so that his company can have exclusive news coverage of the conflict.
8 Best: From Russia With Love (7.4)
With the first two Bond movies, Dr. No and From Russia with Love, director Terence Young did a fantastic job of establishing the iconic gentleman spy’s personality, even if the franchise wouldn’t truly find its feet and define its formula until Goldfinger.
Sean Connery continued to knock the role of James Bond out of the park in From Russia with Love, while Robert Shaw gave a memorable supporting turn as henchman Red Grant.
7 Worst: A View To A Kill (6.4)
The bad guy in A View to a Kill wants to dominate the microchip market by destroying Silicon Valley, ignoring the fact that destroying Silicon Valley wouldn’t just put an end to the tech industry.
Roger Moore’s ‘80s Bond movies are considered a low point for the franchise. Moore stayed in the role long after he was too old for it and the movies suffered as a result.
6 Best: Skyfall (7.7)
After Quantum of Solace disappointed Bond fans as a generic actioner, Sam Mendes was brought on to redeem the franchise with Daniel Craig’s third outing as 007, Skyfall.
Mendes set out to marry the gritty realism of Casino Royale with the unabashed ludicrousness of classic Bond movies. While Skyfall has a couple of plot holes that are difficult to overlook, it has plenty of thrilling action sequences to make up for it.
5 Worst: The World Is Not Enough (6.4)
With exotic locations ranging from Azerbaijan to Kazakhstan and an international terrorist who can’t feel pain for a villain, The World is Not Enough had all the ingredients of a great Bond movie. But unfortunately, it isn’t one.
The theme song was performed by Garbage, which might make The World is Not Enough the only Bond film whose title theme performer perfectly describes the movie itself.
4 Best: Goldfinger (7.7)
Terence Young’s Dr. No and From Russia with Love are both great spy movies, but the Bond franchise didn’t really find its feet until Guy Hamilton defined the 007 formula with Goldfinger.
Shirley Bassey’s theme song set a high bar for all Bond themes to come, Gert Fröbe made an icon out of the eponymous gold-loving megalomaniac, and the Fort Knox-set finale is spectacular.
3 Worst: Moonraker (6.3)
In the wake of Star Wars’ unexpected success, there was a wave of spacefaring adventures hoping to cash in on Lucas’ galaxy far, far away. Even the Bond producers got in on it. In Moonraker, they sent Roger Moore’s 007 into space.
Even before Bond goes to space and gets into a big laser fight, Moonraker is one of the more absurd efforts of the Moore era – and that’s saying a lot.
2 Best: Casino Royale (8.0)
After giving the Bond franchise one gritty reboot in GoldenEye, Martin Campbell was recruited to give it an even grittier reboot with Casino Royale, Daniel Craig’s first outing in the role of James Bond. The movie acts as an origin story for 007.
It’s much darker and more violent than the average Bond movie, but Campbell made it work beautifully. There’s an authentic edge in Casino Royale that updated the Bond mythos for the post-Bourne age.
1 Worst: Die Another Day (6.1)
Although Halle Berry brings her A-game to the role of a Bond girl who was primed for a spin-off, Die Another Day is easily one of the worst entries in the franchise.
From a villain who uses gene therapy to turn himself North Korean to 007 surfing on a crude CG tidal wave, Die Another Day is just dumb, and not in a fun way. The film starts decently enough with Bond spending more than a year in a North Korean prison, but it is all downhill from there.