The James Bond franchise has been one of the most important, and certainly among the longest, in film history. Back when it started, Eon Productions (originally helmed by producers Cubby Broccoli and Harry Satlzman) were releasing a new Bond movie every year; more recently, we’re lucky if we get the next one every couple of years. Nonetheless, Eon and the James Bond character have remained preternaturally consistent, reliably turning out new adventures, and ever creating new fans from one generation to the next. The times change; the world changes; 007 does not. These days he feels like a throwback to a forgotten type of action movie. In the age of shared universes and interconnected blockbusters, Bond quizzically resembles his bespoke suits: the action movie franchise that feels handcrafted and made to order. There have been 25 films produced since the series began—as well as two notorious off-shoots from rival producers who got their hands on a couple of Ian Fleming novels not exclusively in the purview of Eon. Everyone has their favorites… and everyone has their least preferred listings. Below is a of all of them, so you can find whichever is suited to your tastes best.
From Russia with Love (1963)
Sean Connery’s second outing as 007 is probably the closest to Fleming’s books in terms of overall tone and style. This is a lean, thrilling adventure that puts Bond up against one of his most fearsome enemies: the cold-blooded assassin Red Grant (Robert Shaw). Their train fight is one of the best scenes in the franchise. Although it’s also worth mentioning that Lotte Lenya’s Rosa Klebb is one of the series’ other great villains, as well.
Goldfinger (1964)
Bond’s third outing was the Avengers: Endgame of its day, a cultural event not to be missed. Director Guy Hamilton introduced more humor into the proceedings while Connery tweaked the character accordingly. Add to that more action, a larger than life villain and an epic scope, and you have the movie that many still consider the best of the series. It’s also the one that gave us the Aston Martin DB5, so there’s that.
You Only Live Twice (1967)
The final entry of Connery’s initial run as 007 proves that bigger isn’t always better. Although the movie finally introduces long-lurking nemesis Blofeld and takes Bond to a massive secret lair disguised as a volcano in Japan, the series started to feel flabby and the star seemed visibly bored. It was also the first Bond movie to stray wildly from the source novel, a decision that in this case didn’t work. But it does have ninjas!
Casino Royale (1967)
Producer Charles K. Feldman acquired the rights to the first Bond novel before the official series from Eon Productions was launched. He subsequently produced this spoof of the 007 series, which bears only the title of the book and the name of the Bond character (who is played by David Niven, Peter Sellers, and several other actors). Six credited directors, a bevy of screenwriters, and a boatload of international stars couldn’t salvage this infamous mess of a movie.
Diamonds are Forever (1971)
A pale echo of the earlier Goldfinger (from the same director, Guy Hamilton), Diamonds are Forever is remembered as the movie that lured Sean Connery back for one more turn in the tuxedo (until 12 years later, that is). The sober, character-driven style of OHMSS is jettisoned for a cartoonish romp that has its fun moments but is largely disposable.
Live and Let Die (1973)
Roger Moore’s debut in the role is, sadly, a largely cringeworthy affair to modern eyes. Based on Ian Fleming’s second 007 novel, the movie attempts to fuse blaxploitation with Bond in ways that are awkward and, nowadays, borderline racist. Moore doesn’t quite find his footing either on the first time round. The upside? The title song by Paul McCartney and Wings is a stone cold classic. Some of us even consider it to be the best James Bond song.
The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
Third time was the charm for Roger Moore, as The Spy Who Loved Me gambles on going for all-out spectacle and delivers handsomely. Moore strikes the right balance of grit and humor; the action is thrilling throughout and the villain’s henchman, Jaws (Richard Kiel), is a slam dunk. Really perhaps the best in the whole franchise. This is rightly considered the high point of Moore’s run as well as one of the series’ finest entries.
Moonraker (1979)
Although remembered with some derision as “Bond in space,” Moonraker really only takes 007 to the stars in the final act for a wacked-out battle that looks too much like a cheap grab at some of that then-lucrative Star Wars money. Which, given this was released only two years after George Lucas’ game-changer… it probably was. Until that finale, however, and barring some bad comedy starring the encoring Jaws, Moonraker is a fairly straightforward thriller with a deliciously droll villain (Michael Lonsdale).
Octopussy (1983)
An aging Moore and director John Glen (back for the second of five films, the most of any 007 director) keep the For Your Eyes Only vibe going with less spectacle and more practical spy film action. Maud Adams is good as the title femme fatale, but the film gets snarled in a convoluted, uninteresting plot that features some especially flat humor and one of the weakest Bond villains.
Never Say Never Again (1983)
Sean Connery was coaxed back to play an appropriately aged Bond in this non-canon 007 adventure. A remake of Thunderball that was legally made possible due to certain rights owned by a solitary producer, Never Say Never Again benefits from the Connery charisma, a distinctive villain, and some stylish sequences. But it can’t help feeling like a strange mirror universe cash grab at the same time.
The Living Daylights (1987)
Timothy Dalton’s debut as 007 was billed as a return to the feel and texture of the Fleming stories, and it even borrows elements from the short story it’s based on. Dalton is a much harder edged Bond than his predecessor Moore, but the movie is over-plotted and its action mostly unremarkable.
License to Kill (1989)
Dalton settles into the role in his second (and as it turns out, final) appearance as Bond, this time in a tale that puts Bond on a personal mission of revenge against a powerful South American drug lord. Somewhat maligned for its rather sadistic violence, License to Kill is an underrated entry in the series that occasionally pushes the envelope for 007 in ways that hadn’t been done for a while.
Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
Jonathan Pryce is excellent as the movie’s Rupert Murdoch-like media mogul villain — who intends to start a major war to bolster his news network’s ratings — and Michelle Yeoh makes a solid foil to Bond as a tough Chinese agent named Wai Lin. Brosnan’s sophomore Bond outing has a subtle satirical edge to it and some exciting scenes, but stretches of it seem more impersonal and functional than stylish.
The World is Not Enough (1999)
Despite strong work from Sophie Marceau as a 007 first—a principal villain who’s also a woman—and Robert Carlyle as her damaged terrorist henchman, Brosnan’s third film is marred by another incomprehensible story and Denise Richards as one of the most unlikely castings of a nuclear physicist The humorous and serious moments clash awkwardly, harming what could have been a much better entry, although this one has its fans.
Casino Royale (2006)
Four years after Pierce Brosnan exited in one of the silliest Bond films, Daniel Craig took up the mantle in an instant classic that returned the series literally to its roots. This largely faithful version of Fleming’s first book features Craig as a relatively new but deeply haunted 007, who gets one last chance to turn back before becoming the ruthless assassin of legend. It also features probably the best romance in any one of these films between a young Bond and Eva Green’s mysterious Vesper Lynd.
Quantum of Solace (2008)
Widely derided at the time, and deservedly so, for Marc Forster’s nearly unwatchable direction—the movie’s editing is also absolutely atrocious—Quantum of Solace was similarly hurt by a writer’s strike that left the script somewhat undercooked. But Craig is excellent again, and the movie works a little better if you watch it right after Casino Royale as a kind of extended epilogue.
Spectre (2015)
Bond arch-nemesis Blofeld (Christoph Waltz) and the title crime organization appear for the first time since 1971’s Diamonds are Forever in one of 007’s most polarizing entries. The action is great and some of the series callbacks are fun, but Craig seems bored and tying everything from the last four films back to Bond’s childhood is a contrived, unnecessary mistake. Spectre is better than you might have heard, but not as good as it could be.
No Time to Die
Craig might be the sixth actor to play James Bond (in the mainline films, anyway), but he is the first to do the seemingly impossible for those with more than one entry: Go out on a high note. While No Time to Die is by no means perfect, the film finds some of the fun that was lost in the previous three James Bond movies, and does what Craig always wanted to do with 007: Allow the character to grow… and then perhaps bury him. The only weak spot is an underwritten and underwhelming villain provided by Rami Malek.
