Shaken, Stirred, and Ranked: All 27 James Bond Movies, Worst to Best

The James Bond franchise has been around for decades, since long before you were probably born. For that reason, it can be hard for all but the most dedicated 007 fanatics to have a true grasp on the scope of the series. 

Even if you’ve watched all 27 films, do you really have a clear stance on your favorites from the popular saga? Critics certainly don’t, or at least they still tend to debate the matter every time a new Bond film is around the corner. 

Here, we thought we’d throw our hat in the ring with an updated look, post-Daniel Craig tenure, at the best James Bond movies ranked, from worst to best. 

Oh, we also added in what we thought are the best moments from each 007 movie — ya know, just for fun.

Every Single 007 Film Ranked from Worst to Best

27. Casino Royale (1967)

Best Scene: Le Chiffre loses a baccarat hand to Evelyn Tremble. Love the drama of a high-stakes gambling scene!

Ranked as our ‘worst’ James Bond movie, the original Casino Royale (1967) does its best to be a satire, but its effort to be funny doesn’t quite do the trick. Despite a great ensemble cast, (David Niven as Bond, with Orson Wells, Woody Allen, and many more) the film is mere chaos and, ultimately, highly forgettable. It’s a shame, too, because the general plot — a retired Bond being called back to stop the sinister “SMERSH” organization from assassinating MI6 agents — had potential! As we all know, a similarly-titled film would do much, much better a few decades down the line.

26. The Living Daylights (1987)

Best Scene: Bond hops over a hedge and pulls a gun on what turns out to be a mother and child at the carnival. Ridiculous, but some nice old-school Bond humor. 

Timothy Dalton is as charismatic and handsome as James Bond ought to be, but unfortunately many people at the time thought he was a poor successor to Roger Moore and lacked the wits that humanized the secret agent. Opinions vary on this movie, but at any rate, the fact that it kind of vanished from collective consciousness speaks volumes for its place in 007 lore. It probably didn’t help that the core of the plot is Bond helping a KGB agent defect. Maybe that was high drama in 1987, but in the grand scheme of Bond action is just seems a little… unimportant. 

25. Quantum of Solace (2008)

Best Scene: The boat chase. Speedboats, hijacking, machine guns, rescuing one of the most beautiful actresses alive…this is what 007 is for. 

Daniel Craig’s second time playing the beloved British spy was not exactly met with standing ovations, and it’s easy to understand why. Its prequel Casino Royale re-set the franchise in an ultra-satisfying, original way. This follow-up seemed like an overextended post-credit sequence. Continuing the story of Bond and Vesper wasn’t a bad idea given that their relationship drove Casino Royale perhaps more than any other Bond romance had done for any other film. But the whole of Quantum of Solace was about tying up loose ends. That’s just not what a Bond installment is — even if Quantum still looks like a billion dollars. 

24. Never Say Never Again (1983)

Best Scene: Bond fights a big stooge in a health clinic. It’s just one of those lengthy, inventive fights we love to see in Bond films.

Sean Connery’s awkward return to the franchise for one last film feels a little bit unnecessary. The actor is still charismatic, and there’s undoubtedly a certain charm to having him back — particularly if you watch all the Bond films in sequence. But it still feels like a forced stunt, especially with the plot concerning Bond being past his prime (a little on the nose, no?). Throw in a run-of-the-mill Bond plot (SPECTRE steals some nuclear warheads, only 007 can stop them now, and so on) and Never Say Never Again is a generic installment saved, a bit, by Connery’s raw presence.

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23. Moonraker (1979)

Best Scene: Bond gets kicked out of a plane, glides over to a villain with a parachute, takes said parachute, then evades Jaws mid-air.

In the late 1970s, people were all about those Star Wars movies, and it seems Moonraker wanted a little bit of that space money as well, by actually launching 007 into outer space. The result was one of the most unabashedly silly storylines in Bond history — but one that admittedly carries some just-for-fun appeal. Is this one of the best Bond movies ever made? No. But there is a sort of sub-category of Bond films that are lots of fun despite being bad, and that’s where Moonraker lives. If you’d rank it higher just because it’s a good time, we wouldn’t hate you. 

22. Octopussy (1983)

Best Scene: It may feel a bit like a Moonraker repeat, but it’s hard to beat a fight on top of an airplane in motion.

Just like Moonraker, the plot of Octopussy makes little sense. There’s a travelling circus, characters that feel almost cartoonish, and even, like Moonraker, an aerial brawl. And yet! Roger Moore still keeps us hooked thanks to the usual ingredients: action, fun dialogue, and characters we can’t help but love. The other thing that keeps this movie from ranking a little lower on the list is the titular Octopussy, the female lead villain, who was pretty fresh in 1983. That doesn’t make this a good movie, but it is at times an interesting one. 

21. The World is Not Enough (1999)

Best Scene: Bond and Elektra’s final scene is the most memorable part of this film. No spoilers, but it’s remembered for 007’s iconic words: “I never miss.” 

The last Bond film of the 20th century was simply okay — a shame considering its promising premise. Pierce Brosnan’s 007 is tasked to protect an oil tycoon’s daughter and realizes this job hides more danger than planned. Brosnan does his job well, but Sophie Marceau as the villainous Elektra is definitely one of the best things about this movie. The accompanying villain, Renard who can’t feel pain due to a bullet lodged in his brain, isn’t bad either. In the end, though, there’s just nothing special about this movie. It’s basically passable. 

20. Diamonds are Forever (1971)

Best Scene: Bond fights an adversary in an elevator, leading to the delightfully silly moment when Tiffany fishes a wallet off the body and says to Bond, “You just killed James Bond!”

One of Sean Connery’s last Bond missions, this movie could have been better, but still stands out thanks to its unmatchable witty dialogue and a lead actor who doesn’t disappoint even a decade after his debut. It could stand to be more sophisticated, and it doesn’t quite have the action set pieces the better Bond films are known for, but it does have an awesome plot: The notorious Blofeld is funding a space laser with smuggled diamonds, and Bond and a beautiful woman have to stop him. What more do we want from a Bond film?

19. Spectre (2015)

Best Scene: Bond infiltrates a secret SPECTRE meeting, unaware that Obenhauser knows he’s there. If the whole movie was as gripping as this scene, we’d be talking top five. 

Daniel Craig hits all the right notes, but he does carry most of this movie on his shoulders. While the return of iconic evil organization SPECTRE (first seen in Dr. No and Diamonds Are Forever) is fun, its new leader, Obenhauser, is a slight disappointment. Obenhauser is played by Christoph Waltz, who essentially plays the same twisted, witty weirdo fans have already seen him play in other films. However, the movie looks stunning. From basic scenes like SPECTRE’s secret meeting, to larger action sets, it’s one of the more visually compelling Bond movies. 

18. A View to Kill (1985)

Best Scene: Bond survives a street chase behind the wheel of and on top of a firetruck. Not the best Bond action sequence, but definitely one of a kind.

A View to Kill is probably one of the more polarizing titles in the series. This was Roger Moore’s final adventure in 007’s suit, as the actor was in his late 50s upon its release. Dare we say it was one of his better performances, though. Despite the ridiculousness of some of his other plots (this one’s just about, urm, microchips), he nevertheless shines in some over-the-top back-and-forth with villain Max Zorin – played exceptionally by the always-terrific Christopher Walken. 

17. The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)

Best Scene: Bond navigates a creepy maze designed by Scaramanga, attempting to confront the hitman through what is basically a funhouse of horrors.

The Man with the Golden Gun isn’t exactly the best James Bond movie. The reviews weren’t wonderful after all, but the plot held up with memorable action scenes, as well as one of the best villainous characters in the series: the high-priced killer Francisco Scaramanga, played by the inimitable Christopher Lee. Is it a paint-by-numbers Bond film? Sure. Sinister plot, dominant bad guy, pretty woman — check, check, check. But when all the elements are this much fun, we can overlook the lazy structure. The Man With The Golden Gun is definitely more enjoyable than its reviews suggest. 

16. No Time To Die (2021)

Best Scene: The forest fight/chase is hard to top. It’s basically 007 and some heavy weaponry in an Endor-like forest against the bad guys.

Look, No Time To Die has the ingredients to be one of the all-time great Bond movies. The Craig-era cast is wonderful; Ana de Armas joins as a beautiful Bond girl, even by series standards; Rami Malek was a red-hot actor who seemed a perfect fit as a sinister new baddie. In the end, though, it was almost as if there were too many good elements, and the end result came across jumbled and confused. A plot concerning dangerous bio-weapons and Bond’s past never really comes together, and the end of Craig’s Bond felt forced. It’s all a fun ride, but it could have been much more. 

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15. Die Another Day (2002)

Best Scene: Bond and hysterical baddie Gustav Graves have an all-out duel with increasingly large swords. 

This ranking will probably draw some comments, because the consensus tends to be that Die Another Day is a bottom-10 Bond film. Fair enough, because it’s arguably the most over-the-top movie of the bunch. Like Moonraker, it’s yet another installment that’s so bad, it winds up being fun. Giant solar-powered space lasers? Cell-warping tech that heals and turns people into other people? Hover tanks? Invisible cars? This ludicrous action movie has all of the above, topped off by Madonna teaching fencing lessons and Halle Berry sipping mojitos. It’s dumb, but it’s a great time. 

14. For Your Eyes Only (1981)

Best Scene: Bond kicks a car off a cliff. Sure, he’d shot the driver and the car was teetering on the edge but… he still kicks it off a cliff. 

This is the opus, it seems, where Roger Moore started to clock out of the job. The plot is rather exciting, if classic, and includes your run-of-the-mill mission to retrieve a powerful device that can cause WWIII. It’s an uncomplicated story that does exactly what it’s meant to do: entertain. But it could have been more. Still, though, when compared to some of Moore’s sillier outings as Bond, For Your Eyes Only carries a certain maturity that was unique for its time.

13. Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)

Best Scene: In the span of a few minutes, Lin showers with Bond, runs through a city, takes down bad guys, and meets Bond in a secret weapons lair.

The World Is Not Enough falls short, Die Another Day is bad-but-fun, but Tomorrow Never Dies in 1997, was a legitimately strong Bond film. While the plot isn’t exactly the best (a media mogul plots to stir up a war between China and the West), what we see on screen is a rich, cohesive blast. The action is outstanding, Brosnan is at his best, and the always-excellent Jonathan Pryce plays villain Elliot Carver better than the script probably intended. Throw in a memorable turn from Michelle Yeoh and this becomes one of the most rewatchable Bond films of the last 30 years. 

12. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)

Best Scene: Bond takes off skiing, in the dark, while being spotlighted, shot at, and pursued by other skiers. Come on!

George Lazenby played James Bond for the first and last time, and it turns out that sometimes, one time’s the charm. There is very little to throw away in this gripping installment that does almost nothing wrong and even sees 007 get married (we don’t need to tell you if it lasted or not). If you skipped this one, give it a go. It’s got iconic villain Blofeld, a biological warfare plot, and all kinds of great scenery and action in the Swiss Alps (is there a better setting for 007?). 

11. You Only Live Twice (1967)

Best Scene: Aki drives Bond on a car chase before calling in a huge helicopter, which lifts up their pursuers’ car via giant magnet.

This installment saw Sean Connery fight his way through yet another successful mission in which the United States and the Soviet Union butt heads with world stability at stake — this time, over missing spacecrafts. But you know what? Why mess with a perfect formula? With an appealing villain (Blofeld, this time played by Donald Pleasance) and great action sequences, there just isn’t anything to complain about in this one. It’s still not quite in the pantheon of great Sean Connery 007 movies (more to come below) but, as you can see, it’s right on the cusp of a top-10 spot overall.

10. Live and Let Die (1973)

Best Scene: A deadly snake infiltrates Bond’s bathroom. It’s silly, but it manages to build a ton of suspense in short time.

Look around at ratings and you’ll find Live And Let Die all over the board; people don’t seem to know what to do with it. For us, though, it merits the first spot in the top 10! In Roger Moore’s 007 debut, Bond investigates the deaths of numerous other British agents in the Louisiana Bayou. Naturally he becomes a target himself, leading him to track down mysterious villain Kananga alongside equally mysterious (borderline mystical) Bond Girl, Solitaire. Throw in one of the most memorable Bond songs of all time (Live and Let Die by Paul McCartney) and there’s just a ton to like here. 

9. License to Kill (1989)

Best Scene: Bond handles a giant tanker on a cliffside like he’s Dom Toretto from Fast & Furious driving a Dodge muscle car through the streets of LA.

This is Timothy Dalton’s last gig as 007, and one in which his version of the character gets more personal, going against MI6’s wishes to avenge a murdered friend. What ensues is arguably the first truly violent Bond movie, and certainly a darker installment than almost any (perhaps all?) that preceded it. The PG-13 turn for Bond could have backfired, but this turned out to be the perfect use of Dalton, who’d never quite had the same ability to do tongue-in-cheek secret agent work that Connery and Moore thrived with. From a plot and structure standpoint, License To Kill is on the simpler side, but it’s a very effective movie. 

8. The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)

Best Scene: The opening sequence when Bond is chased while skiing, fights off some stooges, then skis off mountain only to open his Great Britain parachute.

One of the most underrated movies in the franchise, The Spy Who Loved Me truly showed that Roger Moore could do wonders in the legendary role, so long as the script was good. In this case, a villainous plot to blow up New York City leading to a globe-spanning heroic effort was right on the money. In a way, this was also the film that broke the ceiling on how big a Bond movie could be. It spans ski slopes, underwater sets, and even ropes in perhaps the most famous villain in the entire saga in Jaws — who isn’t even the “main” bad guy! All in all, it’s a terrific installment, and probably Moore’s best. 

7. Thunderball (1965)

Best Scene: The full-fledged underwater battle: scuba-harpoon warfare.

This was the fourth Bond movie for Sean Connery, released at a moment in his career when he was starting to fear typecasting. We’re probably lucky that it even exists, and that Connery didn’t say goodbye to 007 around this point in history. Despite what may have been a close call, Thunderball winds up being one of the top Bond movies. With a plot concerning SPECTRE having hijacked a few warheads to hold the world ransom (classic), the movie is efficient and action-packed. SPECTRE baddie Emilio Largo is a treat, and Connery is about as good as he ever got. 

6. GoldenEye (1995)

Best Scene: Bond and Natalya escape some Russians with help from an exploding pen that goes boom in a big way.

Easily one of the best Bond movies and Pierce Brosnan’s greatest, GoldenEye does everything right. An entertaining story that blends complex themes and entertaining fight scenes, it also has a slew of talented actors, and an overall gritty, explosive plot that elevated the franchise to new heights. We’d also be foolish if we didn’t mention the game: “GoldenEye 007” for the Nintendo 64 game console is one of the most beloved video games of all time, and unquestionably elevated the film’s legacy. 

5. Dr. No (1962)

Best Scene: The first ever “Bond, James Bond” line, as 007 introduces himself at a card table.

It’s difficult not to rank this Bond movie in the top five since it was the first adaptation of Ian Fleming’s work for the big screen, as well as Sean Connery’s debut in the lead role. Without Dr. No, it may well be that the other movies on this list would not actually exist. With that said, Dr. No is not just memorable because it launched a 60-year (and counting) franchise. It’s also a really well-written, fast-paced, and engaging espionage film, revolving around a sinister genius and his plot to destroy the U.S. space program. If you haven’t gone all the way back to the beginning in a while, do yourself a favor and try Dr. No again. 

4. From Russia With Love (1963)

Best Scene: Train fight! Cornered in a train car, Bond relies on his “very nasty” briefcase to get him out of a bind.

In this second installment, steeped in the Cold War, Bond is out to thwart the mysterious organization SPECTRE, which is attempting to find an important decoder device. Unlike a lot of other Bond films that thrive on moments and spectacle, From Russia With Love is great because it’s incredibly well-paced and well-structured. What could be a dry plot in lesser hands moves along nicely, tension builds throughout, and there’s enough of what would become classic Bond material to keep audiences thrilled throughout. 

3. Casino Royale (2006)

Best Scene: The parkour-driven, massive chase/fight scene where Bond pursues a villain through a construction site.

It may be the highest-rated 007 film on IMDb (8/10), but we’ve decided to rank Casino Royale in third place. Rest assured though, this is no knock. Daniel Craig’s first outing as the seductive spy was an unexpected success that marked the beginning of a renaissance for the character. A more personal approach to the secret agent also makes this one of the first Bond films to explore 007 as a flawed individual rather than as an agent who can do no wrong. On top of the revelation that was Craig, Casino Royale is also blessed with a sensational ensemble cast, highlighted by Eva Green and Mads Mikkelsen. 

2. Goldfinger (1964)

Best Scene: Goldfinger sets Bond up to perish by laser, only for Bond to talk himself out of peril in a very tense couple of minutes. 

A great action movie for its time, almost everything in Goldfinger is iconic: the theme song and unforgettable opening credits, the terrifying gold-crazy villain, and an ever-so-smooth Sean Connery who will stop at nothing to make his mission a success. That mission, this time around, involves stopping an attack on Fort Knox that would send the entire global economy into turmoil. By 1964, people didn’t know what “everything you want from a Bond movie” necessarily meant, but Goldfinger had it all regardless. Including, for the very first time, the drink order, “a martini — shaken, not stirred.”

1. Skyfall (2012)

Best Scene: Bond and Silva have a showdown at a dark icy lake partially lit by a distant fire. A stunning piece of filmmaking. 

Here comes our winner: Skyfall is officially the best James Bond movie ever. In Pop Tales’ opinion at least. The third installment of the “Daniel Craig era” Bond movies didn’t only help us forget the middling quality of Quantum of Solace, it also gave us a spectacle that defied our expectations. The plot concerns the exposure of undercover MI6 agents and an intricate scheme for revenge by former-00 Raoul Silva. That plot unfolds, though, through some of the most beautiful filmmaking, heart-pumping action, and effective character development in the entire Bond saga. 

It’s no wonder Skyfall is one of the most successful movies of all time, with two Oscars — feats no other Bond movie can match.  

If one thing’s certain, it’s that the James Bond franchise will never die. At least not for a while. Thanks to talented actors and storylines that keep evolving and exploring the beloved spy’s character a little more each round, 007’s future looks just as bright as its past — even if we don’t know which actor will next assume the mantle. 

What did you think of our list of James Bond movies ranked? Let us know if some of these titles should have been ranked higher or lower, and don’t hesitate to tell us what you think are the worst and best Bond movies. 

Originally published in February 2020.

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