The 007 franchise is one of the most legendary movie series of all time. With over two dozen films, six actors to date have taken up the mantle of the legendary British agent, from Sean Connery to Daniel Craig, all of whom have made their own mark. However, as with most film franchises, some entries in the series are considered to be far better than others.
So, what's the best James Bond movie? Every fan has their favorite Bond era, actor, and individual movie, but a ranking by Rotten Tomatoes score gives an interesting viewpoint on the series' highest and lowest moments.
Updated on October 21st, 2021 by Mark Birrell: With the belated release of No Time to Die bringing the number of Eon Productions' James Bond movies to 25, and the total number of films starring the superspy to 27, now is a great time to be looking back at such a rich cinematic history launched by one beloved character. Though not every 007 film is considered a winner in the eyes of critics, each has its charms and the best Bond movies seem to embody the widest range of these distinct characteristics.
Casino Royale (1967) - 25%
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Though Ian Fleming's original Bond novel had a very respectable adaptation in the official Eon Productions lineup of 007 movies with 2006's Casino Royale, the first take on the material was designed to be a spoof that lampooned the spy genre at the height of its popularity.
Though it was a financial success, it has never been particularly well-liked by either critics or fans, a noteworthy feat considering the breadth of talent involved both in front of and behind the camera, including Peter Sellers, John Huston, and Orson Welles, amongst many others.
A View To A Kill (1985) - 38%
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Roger Moore's final film as James Bond is the worst of the Eon Productions series according to critics' scores on Rotten Tomatoes, with following 007 Timothy Dalton taking the franchise back to its roots for the next movie.
A View to a Kill has, nevertheless, remained a well-known and even well-liked Bond title thanks in part to its chart-topping theme song from Duran Duran and great villains in Christopher Walken's unhinged businessman, Max Zorin, and Grace Jones as his formidable henchwoman, May Day.
The Man With The Golden Gun (1974) - 39%
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The Man With The Golden Gun was Roger Moore's second film as 007 and stars Christopher Lee as the titular villain, Francisco Scaramanga, a world-class assassin who hunts people on his private island for sport. Naturally, Scaramanga meets his match in Bond but not before a game of cat and mouse between the two across China and Thailand.
Despite rarely being championed as one of the franchise's best entries, Scaramanga lives on as one of its most famous villains, though this is one of the few aspects of the movie that's praised.
Octopussy (1983) - 43%
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Roger Moore's Bond rarely caught much of a break with critics despite his long and successful run as the character and his sixth outing as 007 also proved to be a dud with reviewers. Investigating the murder of fellow agent 009, Bond embarks on an adventure that takes him to and India, where meets the mysterious businesswoman "Octopussy".
The story contains a number of tropes and hallmarks from the series' most popular entries but it has always had a reputation as a lesser rendition of them.
The World Is Not Enough (1999) - 52%
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Pierce Brosnan's third movie as James Bond followed a downward trend for the franchise which began with Brosnan's previous movie in the series, delivering on the hallmarks of the frachise but ultimately failing to supply fans with anything distinctly new or memorable.
The plot of The World Is Not Enough revolves around the world of oil and, despite a third-act set piece aboard a nuclear sub, it proved to be still too drab to be an entertaining action movie and too campy to be considered a serious spy movie.
Die Another Day (2002) - 56%
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The final Bond movie of Pierce Brosnan's tenure, Die Another Day opens with 007 being captured by North Korean forces. After being tortured in captivity, Bond is freed and is convinced that a traitor is responsible for his ordeal. Heading to Cuba, 007 uncovers a conspiracy that leads to a gigantic doomsday weapon in the same vein as ones that were seen in previous Bond movies, including Brosnan's debut outing.
The lack of originality certainly didn't help the movie's overall reception but the ridiculousness of the CG-heavy action sequences, in particular, proved to be a bridge too far for even longtime fans of the series also.
Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) - 56%
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In Pierce Brosnan's second outing as 007, the superspy has to stop Elliot Carver, a media mogul, from using his news empire to cause a war between the West and China.
The plot bears a number of similarities to Sean Connery's iconic Bond movie You Only Live Twice, which also took most of its action to Asia, but it has never stood out to either fans or critics as one of the most memorable 007 adventures despite great from Michelle Yeoh as a Chinese agent helping Bond and Jonathan Pryce as the dastardly Carver.
Moonraker (1979) - 60%
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One of the most infamous James Bond films ever made, Moonraker was, in part, a reaction to the immense success of the original Star Wars movie and took 007 to space to stop a villain seeking to end all life on Earth.
With laser guns and the return of fan-favorite henchman Jaws from Moore's popular 007 entry The Spy Who Loved Me, the movie had plenty of ridiculous action and was a big box office success for the series despite persistent criticism against its excessive camp factor.
Spectre (2015) - 63%
• Available on Fubo TV
One of the most recent 007 movies so far, Spectre is the Daniel Craig movie that follows Skyfall. Pursuing the clues of a cryptic message left for him by Judi Dench's M, James Bond comes across a secret meeting where he discovers the Craig era's version of the hidden organization known as SPECTRE, led by the iconic villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld.
Despite the returning favorites, including the freshly minted new versions of Q and Moneypenny from Skyfall, Spectre failed to live up to the expectations set by director Sam Mendes' first Bond movie.
Diamonds Are Forever (1971) - 64%
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The last film starring legendary original Bond actor Sean Connery in the official Eon Productions line-up, Diamonds Are Forever sees the secret agent on a mission where he infiltrates a diamond smuggling ring. Out of all the films that Sean Connery has been in, this film was deemed to be one of the wackiest by critics.
While not sharing quite the same level of quality seen in his previous films starring the character, Connery's costly return proved to be a successful move for the series, ensuring its longevity.
