Every James Bond Movie Ranked Worst To Best

Since he first appeared on the big screen in 1962, James Bond has become a worldwide film sensation. The epitome of the cool, debonair spy, 007 has stolen hearts, foiled terrorists, and earned both critical praise and big box office dollars. Not only that, Bond has been played by a series of different actors, both in the "official" series and three "unofficial" films. In other words, there's a whole lot of secret agent action to enjoy.

Of course, if you're new to the franchise, it can all be a bit overwhelming. Which installments are worth your time? And if you're a diehard Bond fan, you no doubt debate which films are the very best of the series. Well, we're here to help the newbies and the 007 veterans by ranking every single film featuring the legendary super spy. Some of these are all-time classics, while others ... not so much. So rev up your Aston Martin, shake that martini, and get ready for all sorts of cool gadgets, nefarious villains, and memorable Bond girls as we rank every 007 from worst to best.

Updated on June 7, 2022: No matter what, James Bond always finds a way back to the big screen. So be sure to check back here when a new 007 adventure is released, and we'll let you know if it's worthy of the best of Bond.

He probably would have preferred to go out on a strong note, but Roger Moore's final appearance as James Bond in "A View to a Kill" is by far the weakest. This was also the last Bond film to feature Lois Maxwell as Miss Moneypenny. Moore delivers a performance that could be described as zombie-like, dozing his way through nearly every scene.

To be fair, not all of "A View to a Kill" can be blamed on Moore. The plot is nearly non-existent, centered on a Silicon Valley magnate (Christopher Walken) who wants to control the market for computer chips. To put it bluntly, who cares? Although Walken and his henchwoman (played by Grace Jones) do a fine job with what they were given, it's only their performances — and the enjoyable theme song by Duran Duran — that keep this one from the bottom of our list.

Despite doing a great job of toning down the campiness of the franchise in "For Your Eyes Only," director John Glen returned to the tired old formula for "Octopussy" and the subsequent films he directed. Of all of the Roger Moore Bond films, this one may be the cheesiest — which is saying quite a lot.

Featuring jewelry heists, a cult, and a world-domination storyline involving nuclear weapons, "Octopussy" suffers from an overabundance of plot and an underwhelming amount of substance. Most of the scenes could have benefited from some major editing, and there were several that could have been excised entirely — like those of Bond disguised as a clown or a gorilla. If Glen had focused more on good action sequences like the train fight or the final battle on a plane, "Octopussy" would have been a much better movie.

Pierce Brosnan's second outing as James Bond following "GoldenEye" was unable to repeat the massive success of his first go-round — although "Tomorrow Never Dies" was a box office hit nonetheless. It's worth praising the film for what it does right: Brosnan is suave and smooth as Bond again, and his onscreen chemistry with Teri Hatcher steams up every scene they share. Plus, the film stars Hong Kong action legend Michelle Yeoh, which is always a positive in any movie.

Jonathan Pryce also presents a much more realistic villain than normal — a media mogul who attempts to start a war in order to boost his news market share. That being said, despite the shiny exterior and new arsenal of gadgets, there's very little new ground explored in "Tomorrow Never Dies." It plays things safe, which is the opposite of what a Bond movie should do.

For his final stint as James Bond, Pierce Brosnan gave his best performance in the role since his debut in "GoldenEye." "Die Another Day" was also the best-conceived story since "GoldenEye," with a plot that mostly made sense (except for the improbable space laser).

Director Lee Tamahori succeeded in evoking the feel of classic Bond films for "Die Another Day" via throwback imagery like Halle Berry's Jinx emerging from the ocean, much like Ursula Andress in the original "Dr. No." Many of the action sequences are also praiseworthy, including the fight between Jinx and Miranda Frost at the end of the film. Unfortunately, "Die Another Day" also relies heavily on special effects for its movie magic, and sometimes it shows — badly.

Like most "second" films for a new Bond actor, 2008's "Quantum of Solace" wasn't as good as "Casino Royale." That's not to say it's bad, or that Craig didn't play the part well. But the movie still has some fundamental flaws — namely, the villain Dominic Greene and his plot to monopolize Bolivia's fresh water supplies are kind of boring — although his death via motor oil is a satisfying end.

"Quantum of Solace" is a dark film, with Bond set on revenge and not a tongue-in-cheek quip in sight. Olga Kurylenko and Gemma Arterton were great as Bond girls, and the inferno and fight at the hotel in the final act is the stuff of nightmares. While it's definitely a solid entry in the Bond franchise, "Quantum of Solace's" main problem was that it had to live up to "Casino Royale."

"Moonraker" features one of the most unrealistic (and retreaded) plots found in a James Bond film. A spacecraft is hijacked (much like "You Only Live Twice") in order to release a deadly chemical around the world (much like "On Her Majesty's Secret Service"). Starring Roger Moore in his fourth Bond outing, this movie marked the point where Moore's portrayal of Bond slipped from merely flippant to positively silly. That being said, "Moonraker" still has a lot of positives.

The campiness is cheerful, and the cast all does a good job of selling the silliness. Fans applauded the return of Jaws (especially in the cable car scene), and it's fun to see him get a girlfriend. Finally, despite the outlandish outer-space conclusion, the romantic epilogue will still go down as containing one of the best Bond double-entendres in history when Q (Desmond Llewelyn) remarks, "I think he's attempting re-entry!"

After the camp and flashiness of "Moonraker," new director John Glen delivered a delightfully stripped-down Bond film with "For Your Eyes Only" in 1974. It approaches the feel of the earliest Bond movies, and Roger Moore gives his most serious and rugged performance yet. If you usually dislike Moore's take on 007, you'll be pleased by his performance, which is largely free of his glib and even silly James Bond.

The return to a Cold War threat was a smart move, as was the decision to nix any large and overly bombastic set pieces. What remains is an action-packed and smartly shot movie that does have its flaws but is definitely an enjoyable Bond film nonetheless.

Considering that it wasn't made by Eon Productions, "Never Say Never Again" turned out surprisingly well. One of the original writers of 1965's "Thunderball" retained the rights, which allowed him to make his own adaptation in 1983, directed by Irvin Kershner ("The Empire Strikes Back"). The movie's title is a reference to Sean Connery's claim that he would "never again" play Bond again after "Diamonds are Forever."

Even though the story is mostly rehashed from "Thunderball," there's something about this movie that's more entertaining than the original. Max von Sydow delivers a wonderful performance as Blofeld, and Rowan Atkinson is nervously hilarious as Bond's handler at the British Consulate. It's comforting to see a more experienced Sean Connery back in the role he made famous, and he's clearly more comfortable and having more fun in his final farewell to the franchise.

In Timothy Dalton's second (and final) performance as James Bond, the filmmakers opted to play to his strengths, resulting in a much darker and more violent Bond film. While there are definitely a few preposterous moments (like capturing an airplane with a helicopter), on the whole, "Licence to Kill" is much more sensible than most Bond movies.

When Bond's longtime CIA counterpart, Felix Leiter (David Hedison), and his new wife (Priscilla Barnes) are attacked during their honeymoon, Bond does everything he can to help Leiter track down his wife's killer — including resigning from MI6 and going rogue. Like all good Bond films, "Licence to Kill" has plenty of entertaining action scenes. This time, there's also an entertaining plot to go along with them.

Following his appearance in "You Only Live Twice," Sean Connery decided to retire from the franchise. This meant that Eon Productions needed to find a new leading man, and they picked model George Lazenby. It would be his only appearance in a Bond film, but Lazenby does a fairly good job as the lead — although it's easy to tell he isn't quite comfortable in the role. Director Peter Hunt has an eye for action, however, and those action sequences (especially the ski chase) paired with the much more serious tone of "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" make it a keeper.

While Lazenby is at times wooden with his delivery, the delightful Diana Rigg does well carrying several scenes as his love interest, Tracy. The villain Blofeld is played convincingly by Telly Savalas, and the emotional punch of the final scene all add up to a thoroughly enjoyable Bond movie.

As the fourth film in the series, "Thunderball" was perfectly placed to capitalize on the height of the Cold War, with a plot focusing on two stolen atomic bombs and Bond's attempt to recover them from SPECTRE. While it isn't quite as good as its three predecessors, "Thunderball" is still a very solid Bond movie, with Connery reprising his role as 007 opposite Adolfo Celi as main villain Emilio Largo.

With a much bigger budget ($9 million) than previous entries, Eon Productions didn't skimp on "Thunderball." The scenery and action sequences remain some of the best parts, lavishly set in the Bahamas with impressive underwater cinematography employed extensively throughout the movie. Along with the inflated budget came a slightly bloated film, however. If 15 minutes or so had been cut, it might have been a much better movie.

James Bond returns to form in one of the best films in the franchise, 2012's "Skyfall." Directed by Sam Mendes ("American Beauty," "Road to Perdition"), this movie takes a fantastic leap by exploring the past of Bond's superior, M (Judi Dench), which comes back to haunt her in the form of former MI6 agent turned terrorist Raoul Silva (Javier Bardem).

"Skyfall" hits all the right notes for a classic Bond film, from the exotic locales to the compelling plot full of twists and actual surprises. That's not to say there isn't plenty of action too — a gorgeous fight scene in a high-rise building stands out. Judi Dench absolutely shines here, and Mendes deserves credit for finally giving her character something more to do than hand Bond his assignments. The viewing audience loved it too — "Skyfall" grossed over $1 billion at the global box office.

It was meant to be a complete reboot of the James Bond franchise — set at the very start of his secret agent career — and 2006's "Casino Royale" was so well-executed that it ended up nearly topping our list of Bond movies. Instead of treating Bond as window dressing to go along with jaw-dropping action scenes, as had been done since the 1960s, the production team made the wise choice to actually let Bond's haunted and human personality shine through.

In the difficult position of giving life to the previously two-dimensional 007, Daniel Craig was tapped to take the lead role, and he excels, arguably establishing himself as the best Bond of all time. Mads Mikkelsen plays a convincing and creepy Le Chiffre, nearly channeling Peter Lorre's 1954 performance of the part. Craig's performance, as well as the writing for this adaptation of Fleming's first novel, make "Casino Royale" one of the best in the series.

Although the margin between our top four Bond films is nearly razor-thin, "Goldfinger" is the best of the bunch. From the dramatic and "shocking" opening sequence to the amazing gadgetry Bond uses and the unforgettable image of actress Shirley Eaton painted gold from head to toe, it's a movie that awed audiences in its day and remains a major part of our popular culture.

You'd be hard-pressed to find a better henchman than Oddjob, and the name of Bond girl "Pussy Galore" still inspires a giggle even now. The laser table and the climactic fight in the airplane are among the best Bond scenes of all time. "Goldfinger" also was the first Bond movie to include the line "shaken, not stirred," and it was the first to feature a theme song by the incomparable Shirley Bassey, establishing the opening title song tradition that continues to this day. Many other Bond films imitated the formula perfected in "Goldfinger," but few come close.