My ranking of James Bond films

Women want him, and men want to be him. He is James Bond. There are books too, by Fleming and other writers, computer games and more, but it is the cinematic Agent 007 that has become a cornerstone of the global culture.

I don't know which movie I saw first. In the days long gone you could accidentally turn on the TV and get glued to the screen, because is showed a great movie, that you had never heard about. TV was great! Back then in the nineties, during a spring break, I watched almost every existing Bond film (up to Brosnan films). The channel was in Russian, as much of the culture of the nineties, and Bond films were being shown in the middle of the day one after another. That's how Bond had been rooted in me. Back then I couldn't really appreciate the acting or the writing, didn't memorise the titles of the films, what remained in my head was the most striking scenes and the overall atmosphere of the Bond world, which nobody is capable to simply shake off, me included. In subsequent years I watched some of the following films, and rewatched some of the old ones, when I had a chance.

Bond has always been in a high place in my own cultural canon, but only recently I had decided to get closer to it. I am an amateur in this sense. Now I am ready to do what many fans have already done: rank existing Bond films from worst to best. I have prepared by watching all of the Bond films more or less in the order they came out. The list does include independent film "Never Say Never Again", but doesn't include the very first 1954 American TV film and 1967 parody with Peter Sellers.

How to rate how good or bad a Bond movie is? It's possible to have one impression during the viewing, only for it to change couple days later. At the moment of viewing the film I pay more attention to the plot, but later most striking scenes emerge from all the impressions, which are to stay with me for years. Clear as a day, the best films should be able to combine both logic of the plot and vivid scenes. The presence of Bond world is also improtant: Bond has to meet the usual MI6 officials (M, Moneypenny, Q), there should be a villain with a grandiose plan, he has to seduce beautiful women along the way, and so on.

How to rate a bad Bond film? Only few rare films felt outright unpleasant to me. If I would rather watch one movie for 24 hours on loop while tied to a chair than willingly watch another movie again, the second one is clearly worse. Honestly, such cases are exceptions.

From worst to best:

26. Quantum of Solace

The more I contemplated what I had watched, the more my ranking sank until it reached the bottom. Plots with a villain who is a legitimate businessman and who wants to do something unspeakable just to make profit, are the ones I like the most. Here we have a proper villain's plan: Dominic Greene wants to rob an entire country of its water.

Probably never the drop in quality had been so great as between the first two Daniel Craig films. This is the only Bond film, where Agent 007 is totally and utterly loathsome, unlikeable, cynical asshole. Unforgivable bit is when Bond kills his "friend" Mathis by using him as a human shield, and then dumps him in the garbage. Maybe there was some hope for the movie before, but after this moment it was beyond saving. Add shaky editing, that makes one's eyes want to escape the skull, and you get the very worst Bond film.

If one were to look for rare golden nugget, it would be the design of the opening credits and some scenes where camera is standing still. Recently some fans have an opinion that the film has merits and even that it is an underrated gem. Yeah, right.

1/10

25. Tomorrow Never Dies

Bond fights a press mogul who instigates a war, so he could sell people sensational news. There's nothing wrong with the premise!

Sometimes Bond films are accused that they are lifeless, formulaic and uninspired – this is the only film I could say that about. Surprisingly theatrical and stupidly direct film. The plot lacks any intrigue. Elliot Carver declares his evilness in our faces in his first scene in a way, that makes me think that a real movie was swapped with a parody. Otherwise praised things like remote control car or female Chinese agent leave me cold. At the time of watching I didn't expect that Diamonds could ever be replaced in the bottom of the list, but here you go.

Of the good parts I could mention Dr. Kaufman and those couple scenes where Pierce Brosnan smiles. This man has a nice smile!

2/10

24. Die Another Day

A film bout North Korean evildoers, counterfeit British billionaires, space lasers, invisible cars and hilarity on the waves of CGI ocean.

First half even is quite good. I particularly like the villain Gustav Graves, as well the exciting sword duel between Graves and Bond. However the film fails afterwards. The stupid inivisible car, bad CGI, American agent Jinx ("Yo mama!") – all of these annoying things wouldn't decide the fate of the film on their own, but all together they merge into completely idiotic second half of the film. I just wanted it to end sooner.

Half of Brosnan's four films are already mentioned, will the other two rate higher?

3/10

23. Diamonds Are Forever

Slapstick movie, in which Connery was paid a lot of money to return to do a diamond related mission in America.

The beginning is watchable, but as soon we get across the ocean, movie falls apart. While we are in Amsterdam there is an intriguing couple of killers, a very good elevator fight, an introduction of a Bond girl. In America the girl becomes more and more stupid and useless, the plot stops following any logic, the scenes happen for no particular reason. The contrast with Lazenby's film that came out before this one is jarring.

I want to mention one rather good scene: Agent 007 is climbing at night, in the dark, somewhere high, outside of the skyscraper. I have always liked scenes of this type in films.

3/10

22. The Living Daylights

Timothy Dalton's first film, in which Russian general Koskov wants to defect to the West, Whitaker, an arms dealer with a private army, is somehow involved in that, and in the end we end up in Afghanistan.

If the first half of the film is quite good, the second one with the adventures in Afghanistan is too long and clumsy. The funny depiction of the Soviet Army especially bothered me – I guess, I know Russians too well! There are plenty of explosions and a great fight scene on a cargo net of an airplane, but it's too late to change the overall impression. The film does not have a real villain at all – both Koskov and Whitaker are comic reliefs.

At least this is a mediocre Bond movie that leaves the really bad ones behind.

4/10

21. Never Say Never Again

A remake of Thunderball – villain Largo steals nuclear missiles to extort money from several governments. After a break of about ten years Connery returned as Bond.

Fans who rate this movie as the worst Bond film are simply wrong. There may be some ludicrous bits, but the result is merely a mediocre Bondian film. Aging of Agent 007 is played with in the story. Villain Largo and Bond girl Domino are among the most psychologically believable characters of the Bond world. I don't think anyone can remain indifferent to villain's main henchwoman Fatima!

I cannot deny that the film has a knock-off flavour to it. It is held back by the weird malaise of many films of the 1980s, that today make them look cheap, as if made for television. I also can't imagine Bond ever playing a videogame again.

4/10

20. You Only Live Twice

Bond goes to Japan! This film gave the world such Bondian clichés as the villain's volcano base and bald Blofeld in a gray jacket with a stand-up collar.

Connery looks ten years older here. Actually, the film has many engaging scenes and great views of Japan. However, nothing really impresses me – Bond is being buried in sea, Bond is pretending to be Japanese, ninjas, a gyrocopter, a really scared cat. Instead of this and that what remains in memory is the meeting with Henderson and his sudden death.

4/10

19. Moonraker

Bond goes to space! Hugo Drax wants to destroy humanity to replace it with his space colonists.

An entertaining, but hollow film that fails to hold the right tone. A tragic death of a woman in the jaws of dogs, worthy of an artistic horror film, is followed by a hilarious and illogical Venetian gondola chase. The movie is not bad, no Roger Moore movie is bad, this one just turns out to be not as good as the others. Drax is one of the best Bondian villains.

After the movie the only question left in my mind was: did all the colonists die in space? They might be brainwashed cultists, but they're not combatants. If so, the film is simply immoral, if Moore's era is supposed to fun and carefree.

5/10

18. The Spy Who Loved Me

This time, villain Stromberg wants to turn humanity into fish. This film probably has the most famous opening, in which Bond escapes a snowy chase by jumping off a cliff with a British flag parachute. Legendary scene!

Despite memorable scenes, I find this movie very awkward. While the action takes place in Egypt, everything is going great, Stromberg's henchman Jaws is even frightening. While the plot is put together rather schematically, it's still good. It's the second half when the film becomes quite soggy. The final battle on the ship drags on too long. There was no feeling that humanity was really in serious danger from all of this.

The place in history of this film is secured by the legendary Jaws and Wet Nellie, the underwater car.

5/10

17. Spectre

In this film of the Craig's Bond saga, the viewers could finally, after many years, see Blofeld again. I think the fans tend to rate this film lower, while I'll rank actor's three films close together.

The film is split in three parts. One part is the yellow and black tinted Bond adventures at the beginning of the story (where everyone wears black even not attending the funeral). The second part is blueish and much more realistic political confrontation between M and Denbigh. The third part is the resolution of the film, which follows after Bond and the Bond girl get off the train in the middle of the desert. The first part is excellent, the second is unnecessary, the third is simply ridiculous. It turns out that all the misfortunes of the previous films were arranged by Oberhauser-Blofeld, who happens to be Bond's "brother", Bond's thick skull can't be affected by drilling, one gunshot blows up villain's entire lair and then the helicopter... eyes remain frozen wide in bewilderment.

Among the best parts I can mention the end of Mr. White's plot and the scene between Bond and Madeleine in the Moroccan hotel.

6/10

16. No Time to Die

This is the last Bond film for now, in which the filmmakers attempted to resolve all Craig's series plots.

A quality film, I just don't rank it much higher than the previous one. This time M is Bond's antagonist for no good reason. Safin could have been a great villain, but nothing about him sticks together. A soap opera worthy twist is that Madeleine, from whom Bond had parted years ago, has now become Blofeld's psychiatrist. Nanobot plot is inept. It feels like the screenwriters pushed the Bond story towards a certain outcome at all costs, and didn't think of anything better. Actors make the ending very emotional, but whether it was worth it remains unanswered.

The best part is everything what happens in Havana: there's rivalry of spy agencies, Paloma, conflict between evil organizations, betrayal, great shootout – everything here merges into a great spy knot, which perhaps in itself was worth developing into its own film.

6/10

15. Skyfall

A film where Bond returns from voluntary retirement to save MI6 and its boss M from danger.

There are more positives than negatives. For a change, Bond has chosen to entertain the audience rather than burden them with suffering of his soul. It is better not to think about two cases when Bond could have saved someone's life, but chose to remain watching. Silva is very effective villain. The annoying thing is that this again is a MI6-centric plot: Silva has no desire to make money or change the world, his only goal is to kill M, who ends up being the Bond girl of this movie. The screenwriters are more interested in this confrontation than in tying the story together with a logical thread, so random lucky clues guide Bond's actions from a situation to a situation. Finale has a big battle and conflicts with the previous facts set by Craig's series.

Usually fans rate this one higher, however, a movie with good scenes and a bad plot will always lose to movies that have both good scenes and good plot.

6/10

14. A View to a Kill

In this film, Bond stops a villain who wants to destroy Silicon Valley.

Probably because this was Roger Moore's last film as Agent 007, everything was crammed into it: Bond on skis, underwater, in the air, in a car, in high society... That just means that too often stuntman replaces Moore on the screen. I was particularly annoyed by one sequence that seemed to be a homage the Blues Brothers – it should have been cut out completely. In addition the film has flaws in the script, for example, we immediately know that Max Zorin's microchips end up with the Russians, but for some reason Bond goes to investigate a horse race in France.

The film hypnotizes with the presence of the psychopathic Zorin and his henchwoman May Day, the sets are great, especially the exploding mines and the airship.

7/10

13. License to Kill

Dalton's second film, in which Agent 007 disobeys orders for the first, but sadly not the last time, and starts a personal vendetta against drug dealer Sanchez.

What we get is a great action movie, typical of its decade, with blood and explosions, complete with Q gadgets and Bond girls. What bothers me is the already mentioned feeling of cheapness of the eighties. At times it feels like a TV action movie with a sprinkle of Bondiana, not the other way around.

Over the top action is what elevates this film to its current place.

7/10

12. The Man with the Golden Gun

Bond vs the world's best assassin Scaramanga.

The film has its good parts, but also quite a few bad ones. When Bond slaps a woman, I felt like I had been slapped. Such thing no longer seemed possible in the Moore's era, especially against a woman who seeks Bond's protection. Parts of the film don't fit togher very well: now we have tragic story of Andrea, and then – an extended blonde joke?

Good things still outweigh the bad. The assassin's private practice and amusement park has remained in my memory for many years, and was just as great now as it was then. And of course, the energetic Scaramanga himself excels as the villain.

7/10

11. Thunderball

Spectre's villain Largo steals nuclear weapons and blackmails the whole world.

I enjoyed the movie more than any of Sean Connery's movies while watching it! Later, however, I had to admit that the film hasn't remained in memory that well and I had to strain my brain to remember why did I like it so much. It has doppelgangers, exotic location, sharks, carnival, underwater battle at the end. These scenes are actually very good in a well-knit plot, but perhaps not special enough. This is very important to Bond film. So that is the film's weakness.

I would like to mention one scene in particular: the one where airplane is hijacked and then hidden at the bottom of the sea, which is shown in every detail. It's the kind of old-fashioned procedurality, that these days would be shortened by jerky editing just to keep some viewers from getting bored, yet which I like a lot.

7/10

10. From Russia with Love

In this film Bond travels to Turkey, where a female Russian agent wants to deliver a MacGuffin to the West, not knowing that it is a Spectre trap.

First half of the film is a kaleidoscope of exotic locations: Istanbul, gypsy camp, Istanbul underground, a fight on a train. All the characters are memorable: Rosa Klebb, Red Grant, Kerim Bey. The latter ranks as one of the best Bond allies and the best portrayal of a Turk in Western cinema.

A favorite film of many fans, but not quite mine due to minor quirks. It saddens me that Kronsteen was not used more. His introduction in the majestic chess room is so good that I wish that more would happen there and he himself would have much more impact on the film. The character feels like a wasted opportunity.

Another missed opportunity is to end the film on a high note after the thrilling fight with Grant on the train. Instead it starts with exotic locations and adventure, but ends with Bond hiding under a rock in an open field and then boating down a river, where the film finally fizzles out. Also, MacGuffin plot will never be as good as plot to stop a real villain.

8/10

9. Dr. No

Bond travels to Jamaica to investigate the murder of a local British agent.

This is where it all begun. This film established Bond girls, mysterious villains, brutal villain lairs and Bond himself. Unexpectedly, Spectre already appears in the very first film. The film feels like it hails from a different era, even compared to the film that followed, so some flaws are forgivable. Honey Ryder, while a classic Bond girl, isn't a very believable character with her image of a wild and superstitious nature child. There are other things that are naive or sloppy, but who really cares if the result is the seed from which grew the world of Bond.

8/10

8. For Your Eyes Only

A spy MacGuffin plot, which intertwines stories of two smugglers' rivalry and a woman's revenge.

The lack of spy gadgets is noticeable. This time the bad guys are the ones who use smart underwater gizmos and deadly motorcycles, while the good guys face them with a broken ski and a handful of pistachios. There are exciting chases on a variety of vehicles, breathtaking underwater scenes, crazy mountain climbing stunts. The colors still are bright, without the later dullness of the eighties.

It's weird to watch a movie where Bond isn't the only main character. At first I had a theory that it's an unrelated script, repurposed for Bond. Of course, actually exactly opposite is true – the plot is combined from two Flemings's stories.

On itself the film would deserve even higher ranking, yet it is in its current place because it doesn't fit the template of Bond world. The cinematic Agent 007 has moved away from the literary Bond. And by the way – pre-title scene with the bald man being thrown into the chimney, that is so inconsistent with the rest of the film – it's a dream. Bond sees dreams too!

8/10

7. Goldfinger

A film in which Bond disrupts a gold merchant's plan to increase his fortune.

Gold-covered woman has become a trope of Bond films. Everything in this film meets and exceeds expectations: an insatiable villain, an eccentric henchman, name of a Bond girl, a deadly device, an outrageous plan... Bond himself, played by Connery, does not lose his elegance even when strapped to a table and threatened by the said device. This definitely is a memorable scene kind of film.

The simplicity of the plot and occasional nonsense moments would drag any other film down, but its elements are so impressive that all that doesn't even matter.

8/10

6. Live and Let Die

A film about Louisiana alligators, drug dealers with huge ambitions and voodoo magic.

Roger Moore isn't introduced in any particular way in his first film. That is not necessary – one look at him, and nobody can have doubt who is playing Bond this time. Much of the film's magic comes from the fact that he is thrown into a completely alien environment. We got memorable scenes, we got a cohesive plot, we got Bond clichés! Since forever I am fascinated by the mysterious Baron Samedi during the voodoo ritual, who seems to be the only supernatural character of the Bond world. In fact, all of the villain's henchmen, even the unnamed ones, are memorable.

Blaxploitation themes both date this film, and grant it its special spark. This is an old-school Bond film that doesn't shy away from being unnecessarily convoluted and silly at times, but always remains entertaining.

9/10

5. GoldenEye

Brosnan's first film in which Bond kills more Russians than in all previous films combined.

The film came out after a longer hiatus and revived the public's interest in Bond. Alec Trevelyan, once brother-in-arms, now a villain, is many fans' favorite. To be fair I was annoyed by Alec's Cossack ancestors. Maybe they provide good villain's motivation, but the significance some other characters give to his bacground is just too silly. The film has bumps in the first half, which then stop mattering, because the film is exciting and filled of great characters and stunts.

And then, of course, there's the tense pen scene: click, click, click!

9/10

4. Octopussy

Bond follows the Fabergé egg to India, and ends up saving Germany from a nuclear disaster.

This has to be the favourite movie for all animal lovers. It has hunting elephants, obedient jungle cats, crocodile submarines, gorilla suits, boiled ram heads, Octopussy's very name and much, much more! In addition it combines frivolity of Moore's films and the nuclear paranoia of the Cold War very well. The opening scene with the circus clown on the run, fleeing killers, is worthy of a horror movie and sets the tone for everything that follows. As much as the Indian storyline is filled with juvenile exoticism, the European part is filled with suspenseful realism. And that's a good combination. In one scene, Bond even climbs a castle wall high above the ground – just the way I like it!

There are critics who use the image of Bond in a clown costume as the accusation of the entire Moore era, but those simply are idiots, who talk without watching the film.

9/10

3. Casino Royale

Bond has just become Agent 007, and in his first mission he has to take on terrorist financier Le Chiffre.

Daniel Craig's first film was so good that it swept everyone off their feet and made them think the best Bondian era had begun. The central poker game is full of tension. It is interesting how the film's plot cleverly uses things that people were fascinated with at that time: parkour, Texas hold 'em, exhibitions of preserved bodies, terrorism. The film also has one of the best Bond girls, Vesper. The fact that Q and his devices are missing here, along with some clichés, may not even be noticed. Also, I would like the very last scene with Mr. White completely cut, knowing that Craig's films will form a unified plot.

Both as a Bond film and as an independent adventure, the film is stunning. It promised a great future that never really came.

10/10

2. On Her Majesty's Secret Service

Bond travels to Switzerland to stop a devious plan by a megalomaniacal villain.

This may be Lazenby's only film, but what a film it is! Tracy di Vicenzo is a legendary Bond girl. At first she has to be protected from herself and her demons, but later in Switzerland she comes like an angel in the dark to save Bond from pursuers. This film has the best Blofeld as well. If there was something that bothered me, then it was Lazenby's somewhat wooden acting, which was especially evident in Bond's famous oneliners. None of them felt placed right, and all of them were flat and kind of muted.

A stunning film with Bond's most personal and tragic story.

10/10

1. The World Is Not Enough

A film in which Bond investigates a threat to the life of the heiress of an oil empire, and discovers a serious conspiracy.

Everything begins with a mysterious murder in the MI6 building, followed by a chase, explosions, old allies, beautiful women, dangerous discoveries, threats of nuclear war... The plot of the film is exciting, even knowing that Elektra King is both the victim and the main villain. This film hits exactly at the intersection of the different dimensions of cinema. Nothing here is too much or too little. The film has enough psychology to raise it above the level of a simple thriller, but not so much that it stops being entertaining. It is possible to point the finger at some geographical, religious or acting problems, but none of this really matters.

Most importantly, the movie is an immeasurable amount of fun. That is why, in my opinion, this film is at the top of the list and is the benchmark for other Bond films.

10/10

I myself am surprised by the place of "Tomorrow Never Dies" and "The World Is Not Enough" in the list. I didn't expect the Chinese to play such a big role in many of Connery's films. Moore is my favorite Bond – he has many films, none of them are bad. Time did not allow Dalton to express himself fully: his two films do not even come close to the heights of Lazenby's "On Her Majesty's Secret Service". All of Brosnan's films are in some way related to the Soviet and post-Soviet space – the Russians, the Chinese or the North Koreans always play some role. Perhaps this is also where the myth comes from, that Bond is a relic of the past, having lost its importance after the Cold War. I'm not the biggest fan of Craig's Bond. While "Casino Royale" is an amazing film, however, I feel that history will not be kind to his entire series. I, for one, have no desire to see another Bond who is grim, depressed and unable to enjoy himself.

It's time for a new Bond, who will once again return to exciting adventures without too much psychological drama. At the time of writing, no new actor has been cast. Who he will be, nobody knows.

Sometimes the question pops up – should there even be a new Bond? Maybe the end of the last film should also be the end of Bond himself? Once again one can hear old claims that Bond does not fit into the modern world, or that he has become a parody of himself, or that the world needs new heroes. Maybe it's time to try out another Jason Bourne or Jack Bauer? Actually, who even remembers those guys. As for Bond not fitting into the modern world, it is exactly the opposite. Global income inequality is as high as ever. Today's world has billionaires with private islands and villain lair like doomsday bunkers. What used to be a Bondian fantasy now is a reality. Agent 007 has to return, just like he always does.