When it comes to the greatest movie
franchises of all time, the James Bond franchise is certainly one of
the best, if not the best. Probably the greatest thing about the Bond
franchise is that, because there have been 23 Bond films, everyone is
bound to have their own unique list when it comes to ranking them all
in order from best to worst. No two lists are ever going to be the
same. So, with that in mind, here is my list of rankings for the 23
Bond films by Eon Productions. At the time I am writing this, I have
not yet seen the 'unofficial' Bond films, including the 1967 'Casino
Royale' with Peter Sellers and the 1983 'remake' of Thunderball,
'Never Say Never Again', starring the original Bond himself, Sean
Connery and even if I did, I actually wouldn't even include them on
this list. Finally, because I've already listed my picks for the Top
5 Best and Worst Bond films back in November during 'Bond Month', I
won't be going into much detail about those films. This will be more
focused on the other 13 Bond films I have not talked about yet. So
grab your Vodka Martinis ('Shaken, not Stirred' of course), and let's
get rolling...
23. A View to A Kill:
Roger Moore's too old, the lead Bond
girl's nothing more than a Damsel in Distress, and the movie's just
plain dull. The only saving graces are Christopher Walken as the
villain Max Zorin and the main theme by Duran Duran.
22. The Man with the Golden Gun:
Same problems as 'A View to a Kill',
except this one was only Roger Moore's second Bond film compared to
his last, so age is not a problem here. The only reason this one's
worth watching is Christopher Lee as the villain Scaramanga.
21. Moonraker:
James Bond... IN SPACE!! That is all...
20. Diamonds are Forever:
This was just a poor way to end Sean
Connery's run as Bond for Eon. It's a film that's just way too campy
to be taken seriously, though to its credit, it is entertaining.
19. Die Another Day:
I don't think this one is as bad as
most people have put it out to be, but still it's not perfect.
There's way too much CGI, Halle Berry's Jinx is not really that good
of a Bond girl, and the second half is a bit of a mess. Still, Pierce
Brosnan does a solid job as Bond alongside Toby Stephens as main
villain Gustav Graves and Rosamund Pike as Bond girl Miranda Frost.
18. Octopussy:
'Bond 13' (no, I will not refer to it
by its official title, which is hands down the most ridiculous title
for a Bond film) is by far the most over-the-top Bond film to date.
Bond swings on a vine and yells like Tarzan, swims around in a
'crocodile suit', and dresses up like a clown. Need I say more? But,
for some odd reason, this is actually my 'guilty pleasure' of the
series because of its over-the-top nature. That's what makes it so
entertaining.
17. You Only Live Twice:
While this film certainly has some
great set pieces and action sequences, things start to fall apart in
the second half of the film. Not only does Sean Connery not really
look invested in this film, but for a movie that serves as the first
full appearance of Ernst Stavro Blofeld, perhaps Bond's most famous
foe, he is not given much to do which is a shame because Donald
Pleasance does a solid job as Blofeld.
16. The World is Not Enough:
This is a mixed bag of a Bond movie
because there are good things in it and also bad things in it. First
off, what's good about this film? Well, Pierce Brosnan gives what is
probably his best performance as James Bond and Sophie Marceau's
Elektra King is a pretty solid villain because, like 006 in
'Goldeneye', the relationship between Bond and Elektra is more
personal. But while both Brosnan and Marceau do good jobs, Robert
Carlyle is underused as the other villain Renard and Denise
Richards... yeah there's no denying it, she's one of the worst Bond
girls ever. I don't think she's the absolute worst (see Stacey Sutton
from 'A View to a Kill') because at least she helps Bond a few times.
This is really more of a miscasting.
15. Quantum of Solace:
To put it simply, Quantum of Solace is
not as good as its predecessor, 'Casino Royale'. Why? Well, the main
reason is because unlike the slower-paced 'Casino Royale', 'Quantum'
is more fast-paced and there's not really much time given towards
character development which, considering how Daniel Craig portrays
Bond and how Casino Royale played out, should be essential to this
film but it's surprisingly lacking here. Also, the editing is... kind
of bad; there's a lot of fast cuts making it hard sometimes to see
what's going on. Finally, the main villain is just boring. So, is
there anything good in this film? Well, the one thing that does hold
it together is Daniel Craig, who is still fantastic as Bond and the
relationship between Bond and M is also handled well here. So while
Quantum of Solace is by no means as good as Casino Royale, I don't
really hold that against it that much because it is a true sequel to
it.
14. Thunderball:
After the first three Bond films in the
series, in comes this film and well, it ain't as good as the first
three. There are two things holding it back. The first is the
villain, who is just a generic eye-patch-wearing agent of SPECTRE.
There's also the underwater sequences which, while well-shot for the
time, just get monotonous and drag the movie out longer than it
should be.
13. Live and Let Die:
'Live and Let Die' is a solid debut for
the third Bond, Roger Moore, with some very memorable villains and
easily the hottest Bond girl ever. Granted, the movie's not exactly
perfect because there are times where the film goes really
over-the-top, like during the boat chase scene (which is a pretty
awesome action scene, by the way) where we see a lot of this crazy
sheriff, J.W. Pepper (who also makes a return in the next film, 'The
Man with the Golden Gun' (as if that film couldn't get any worse)).
12. For Your Eyes Only:
While this is a top-notch Bond film in
regard to the more serious tone it takes compared to its more campy
predecessor, 'Moonraker', this is not really my favorite of Roger
Moore's Bond films because I actually think it's a bit too serious
for a Roger Moore Bond film. I'm glad that the filmmakers decided not
to do another over-the-top film like 'Moonraker', but I don't
associate a serious Bond film with how Roger Moore portrays Bond. If
this was a Timothy Dalton or Daniel Craig Bond movie, it would much
better but for Moore, not so much. But I'm not going to lie, this is
still a solid Bond film. Speaking of Timothy Dalton...
11. The Living Daylights:
Because he only starred in two Bond
films, Timothy Dalton (like George Lazenby before him), never got a
chance to make his mark as James Bond, which is sad because he's
perhaps one of the best to have ever played him. Dalton's Bond has a
lot more edge to him than someone like Roger Moore or even Sean
Connery and that's more in tone with the Bond that author Ian Fleming
created in the original Bond novels. However, Dalton also could have
done a lot better at humor. So how about his first of only two Bond
films? Well, it's a solid Bond film with a good Bond girl and some
really good Bond allies. The only problem? The main villains are
really weak. There are two of them in this film and neither of them
are any good. That is why I listed them as the worst Bond villains of
all time back in November during 'Bond Month' because of the fact
that there are two crappy Bond villains in one movie. So, my pick for
the best Timothy Dalton Bond film is...
10. Licence to Kill:
In my opinion, the most underrated Bond
film ever. I know 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service' is also pretty
underrated, but while that film has had a very positive reception
from both critics and audiences since its release, 'Licence to Kill'
has not been so lucky which is a shame because it's a damn good Bond
film in terms of how Bond is portrayed and how this whole mission
effects him personally. This is 'Casino Royale' before 'Casino
Royale' even came out. Granted, the film does get a bit too brutal at
times, like when one of the main henchmen gets locked in an air
compression chamber and his head blows up. As the first Bond film to
get rated PG-13, it's probably a bit too violent for a film given
that rating. But the best part of this whole film is the villain,
Franz Sanchez. While the character is a despicable bad guy, Robert
Davi actually brings a bit of charm to the role, so much so that the
filmmakers could have passed him off as Bond and I'd buy it. The
bottom line is that no, this isn't the best Bond film, but it's one
that's much better than what some have put it out to be.
9. Tomorrow Never Dies:
While I can't say 'Tomorrow Never Dies'
is as good as Pierce Brosnan's first Bond film, it's still a solid
Bond film and if anything else, it's much better than Brosnan's last
two Bond films. It has a pretty good villain in Jonathan Pryce's
Elliot Carver and one of the best Bond girls in franchise history in
Michelle Yeoh's Wai Lin, one of only two Bond girls who can be
considered as Bond's equal.
8. The Spy Who Loved Me:
This is easily Roger Moore's best Bond
film. It's a Bond film that mirrors that of 'Goldfinger' by being a
perfect mix of action and humor. Like 'Tomorrow Never Dies', it has a
terrific lead Bond girl in Barbara Bach's Agent XXX, another Bond
girl who is Bond's equal and the way the two of them become connected
makes for some great romantic tension. The film also features one of
the series' best henchman in Richard Kiel's Jaws (let's just ignore
his appearance in 'Moonraker', shall we?) and that makes up for a
lead villain, Stromberg, that's just an okay villain.
7. Dr. No:
Why is the first Bond film ever only at
number seven, you ask? Well, that is because Dr. No is admittedly
really dated. There's no theme song (by that I mean there's no song
performed by a singer), the main villain and lead Bond girl don't
appear until the movie's halfway over, and there's no Q and any use
of gadgets. That's not a bad thing; it just shows that this series
obviously got better and better as it went on. This is still a really
good Bond film, and while it is slower-paced, it's still a solid film
and Sean Connery makes a name for himself as the first (and best)
James Bond right from his first words. All together now, 'Bond...
James Bond!'
6. Goldeneye:
While Goldeneye is only number six on
this list, it is my personal favorite James Bond film and one that
holds a special place in my heart because... it is the first Bond
film I ever saw. Likewise, Pierce Brosnan is my personal favorite
James Bond because he was the first Bond who held the position when I
was young (though, ironically, I didn't see this film (or any of the
other Bond films for that matter) until after Brosnan's tenure as
Bond was finished). It helped bring Bond back to prominence just like
Casino Royale would do 11 years later. Brosnan shines in his first
outing as Bond, and Sean Bean also does an excellent job as the main
villain, Agent 006, giving Bond a more personal villain to face than
some of the other Bond villains. We also have solid turns from
Izabella Scorupco as lead Bond girl Natalya and Famke Janssen as
henchwoman Xenia Onatopp. All in all, it's one of the best Bond films
ever and that is why it is at this spot in the list.
5. On Her Majesty's Secret Service:
Another underrated Bond film and sure,
George Lazenby is no Connery, but he still does a fine job here and
the film ends with the saddest moment in franchise history, one that
was never truly resolved in future installments.
4. Casino Royale:
A film that brought back Bond in a
whole new way, resulting in a grittier and edgier Bond film unlike
anything we have seen before. Top that with Daniel Craig's terrific
performance as Bond and you have one of the greatest Bond films ever.
3. From Russia With Love:
So if 'Dr. No' is the dated Bond film,
then 'From Russia With Love' is the first Bond film to resemble later
Bond films much closer. An engaging story, top-notch villains, and
probably Sean Connery's best performance as Bond.
2. Goldfinger:
A perfect mix of action and humor. This
is just classic Bond anyway you look at it.
1. Skyfall:
So why is 'Skyfall', the most recent
Bond film, my pick for the best Bond film ever? Well, 'Goldfinger' is
a classic Bond film, but when it comes to taking the character of
Bond to a whole new level, 'Skyfall' takes the cake for that. I love
the whole idea of Bond not only having to come back from a supposed
death and try to get back in the game, but also to prove that someone
like him is still useful in today's modern world and director Sam
Mendes executes this perfectly. Javier Bardem's Raoul Silva is also a
terrific villain, whose actions mirror those of the Joker from 'The
Dark Knight' very closely. Like in 'Quantum of Solace', the
relationship between Bond and M is terrific and Judi Dench is given
her most substantial role as M to date (also her last and her
send-off is both sad and well-handled). I just can't find anything
wrong with this film and sure, in the end, Goldfinger might be the
better film. But, as the Bond franchise celebrated its 50th
anniversary, it was honored with a top of the line Bond film, and
that is why 'Skyfall' is my pick for the best Bond film of all time.
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