james bond movie reviews

No Time to Die

After months of delays, the 25 th official James Bond film is finally here in “No Time to Die,” an epic (163 minutes!) action film that presents 007 with one of his toughest missions: End the era that most people agree gave new life to one of the most iconic film characters of all time. Everyone knows that this is Daniel Craig ’s last film as Bond, and so “No Time to Die” needs to entertain on its own terms, provide a sense of finality for this chapter of the character, and even hint at the future of the spy with a license to kill. It would also help a bit to clean up some of the mess left by “ Spectre ,” a film widely considered a disappointment. All of the boxes that need to be checked seem to drag down “No Time to Die,” which comes to life in fits and starts, usually through some robust direction of quick action beats from director Cary Joji Fukunaga , but ultimately plays it too safe and too familiar from first frame to last. Even as it’s closing character arcs that started years ago, it feels like a film with too little at stake, a movie produced by a machine that was fed the previous 24 flicks and programmed to spit out a greatest hits package.

Long gone are the days when a new Bond movie felt like it restarted the character and his universe as a standalone action film. “No Time to Die” seems cut more from the Marvel Cinematic Universe model of pulling from previous entries to create the impression that everything that happens here was planned all along. You don’t really have to have seen the previous four films, but it will be almost impossible to appreciate this one if you haven’t (especially “Spectre,” to which this is a very direct sequel).

And so, of course, we start with Vesper, the love of Bond’s life from “Casino Royale.” After a very clever and taut opening flashback scene for Madeleine Swann ( Léa Seydoux ), the film catches up with James and Madeleine in Italy, where he’s finally been convinced to go see the grave of the woman who continues to haunt him. It explodes. Is this a hint that the creators of “No Time to Die” are going to blow up their foundation and give Bond new definition? Not really, although the extended chase/shoot-out sequence that follows is one of the film’s best. (It totally had me pre-credits.)

Bond blames Swann for what happened in Italy, convinced she betrayed him, and it leads to a repeat of the “ Skyfall ” arc with James off the grid five years after the prologue. The deadly theft of a weaponized virus that can target a specific person’s DNA brings Bond back to the fold, although he’s first aligned with the CIA via Felix Leiter (a wonderfully laid-back Jeffrey Wright ) and a new face named Logan Ash ( Billy Magnussen ). He’s been replaced at MI6 by a new 007 named Nomi ( Lashana Lynch ) and James doesn’t really trust M ( Ralph Fiennes ). He’s convinced M knows more about the new threat than he’s letting on (of course, he does), but at least Bond’s still got Q ( Ben Whishaw ) and Moneypenny ( Naomie Harris ) helping him behind the scenes.

It’s definitely a crowded crew of espionage experts from around the world, but these talented supporting performers are given surprisingly little to do other than push the plot forward to its inevitable ending. Lynch feels like a self-aware nod to controversy around the casting of Bond, which is cool enough, but then she’s not given much of a character to make her interesting on her own. Seydoux and Craig have shockingly little chemistry, which was a problem in the final act of “Spectre” that’s deadlier here because of what’s missing from the final act, and a character is added into their dynamic in a way that feels cheap and manipulative. Ana de Armas pops up to give the film a completely different and welcome new energy in an action sequence set in Cuba, only to leave the movie ten minutes later. (I truly felt the MCU-ness here in that I expect her to reappear in Bond 26 or 27.)

As for villains, Christoph Waltz returns as the slow-talking Blofeld, but his big scene doesn’t have the tension it needs, ending with a shrug. And then there’s Rami Malek as the superbly named villain Lyutsifer Safin, another heavily-accented, scarred, monologuing Bond baddie who wants to watch the world burn. The polite thing to say is that Malek and the filmmakers purposefully lean into a legacy of Bond bad guys, but Safin is such a clear echo of other villains it’s as if the next Avengers movie had another big purple guy named Chanos. Craig’s Bond deserved a better final foe, one who’s not really even introduced into the narrative here until halfway through.

What keeps “No Time to Die” watchable (outside of a typically committed turn from Craig) is the robust visual sense that Fukunaga often creates when he doesn’t have to focus on plot. The opening sequence is tightly framed and almost poetic—even just the first shot of a hooded figure coming over a snowy hill has a grace that Bond often lacks. The shoot-out in Cuba moves like a dance scene with Craig and de Armas finding each other’s rhythms. There’s a riveting encounter in a foggy forest and a single shot climb in a tower of enemies that recalls that one-shot bravura take from “True Detective.” In an era with fewer blockbusters, these quick visceral thrills may be enough.

When “Casino Royale” burst on the scene in 2006, it really changed the action landscape. The Bond mythology had grown stale—it was your father or even your grandfather’s franchise—and Daniel Craig gave it adrenaline. For something that once felt like it so deftly balanced the old of a timeless character with a new, richer style, perhaps the biggest knock against “No Time to Die” is that there’s nothing here that hasn’t been done better in one of the other Craig movies. That’s fine if you’re such a fan of Bond that reheated leftovers still taste delicious—and even more so after waiting so long for this particular meal—but it’s not something anyone will remember in a few years as films like “Casino Royale” and “Skyfall” define the era. Maybe it all should have ended a couple movies ago. Then we all would have had time for something new. 

Only in theaters on October 8th .

Brian Tallerico

Brian Tallerico is the Managing Editor of RogerEbert.com, and also covers television, film, Blu-ray, and video games. He is also a writer for Vulture, The Playlist, The New York Times, and GQ, and the President of the Chicago Film Critics Association.

• Daniel Craig as James Bond
• Rami Malek as Lyutsifer Safin
• Léa Seydoux as Dr. Madeleine Swann
• Lashana Lynch as Nomi
• Ralph Fiennes as M / Gareth Mallory
• Christoph Waltz as Ernst Stavro Blofeld
• Ben Whishaw as Q
• Naomie Harris as Eve Moneypenny
• Jeffrey Wright as Felix Leiter
• Ana de Armas as Paloma
• Billy Magnussen as Logan Ash
• Rory Kinnear as Bill Tanner
• David Dencik as Valdo Obruchev
• Cary Joji Fukunaga

Writer (story)

• Neal Purvis
• Robert Wade
• Phoebe Waller-Bridge
• Elliot Graham
• Hans Zimmer

Writer (characters)

• Ian Fleming

Cinematographer

• Linus Sandgren

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Daniel Craig outshines 'No Time To Die' in his final turn as James Bond

Justin Chang

Bond (Daniel Craig) teams up with secret agent Paloma (Ana de Armas) in Havana in No Time to Die. Nicola Dove/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios hide caption

Bond (Daniel Craig) teams up with secret agent Paloma (Ana de Armas) in Havana in No Time to Die.

It's been more than a year since No Time to Die was supposed to open in theaters, and while the pandemic is far from over, the movie's long-overdue release feels like a good omen for an industry that could use it .

Never mind if James Bond can save the world — can he save the movies in the era of COVID and streaming-service domination? I have no idea. I can only say that it's a poignant pleasure to see Daniel Craig as Bond on the big screen one last time, even if the movie around him is seldom as good as he is.

Daniel Craig is the bookend Bond, giving 007's story a beginning — and an end

But then that's always been the case with the Craig Bond movies, with the sole exception of Casino Royale , the first and still the best of the five. Craig put his imprint on the character from the get-go: Like any good 007, he showed he could rock a tuxedo and toss off double-entendres with ease.

Bond With A Broken Heart: Defending Daniel Craig

But he was also a colder, broodier James Bond — closer to Sean Connery than Roger Moore , but with an aching vulnerability all his own. With this Bond, it was personal: We saw just how anguished he could be when he lost the love of his life, Vesper Lynd, a tragedy that haunted him over the next few movies and continues to haunt him in this one.

As No Time to Die begins, Bond has been retired from active MI6 duty for some time and started a new life with Madeleine Swann, played by Léa Seydoux. But he can't shake the memory of Vesper, and before long tragedy tears Bond and Madeleine apart, setting a somber tone that's beautifully captured by Billie Eilish 's opening theme song.

Coronavirus Updates

New 007 release delayed for 3rd time as pandemic continues to batter film industry.

Five years later, Bond is bumming around Jamaica when a fresh criminal conspiracy convinces him to end his retirement. The plot is too busy and complicated to summarize at length: Let's just say it involves a deadly plague of DNA-targeting nanobots that could wipe out millions of people worldwide, which feels just close enough to our real-life pandemic to suggest why the studio might have opted to hold the picture back a year.

That said, nothing about No Time to Die feels especially timely or urgent. It's the usual assembly of Bond movie clichés, which is nothing to complain about, of course, since clichés — the gadgets, the one-liners, the martinis, the sex — are the lifeblood of this series.

Movie Interviews

Bond gadgets stand test of time (but not physics).

But more than once during No Time to Die , I found myself wondering if those familiar beats couldn't have been hit with a bit more panache. Did it really take four screenwriters — including the great Phoebe Waller-Bridge , the comic genius behind Fleabag — to come up with a script this workmanlike? And between Christoph Waltz as returning villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld and Rami Malek as new villain Lyutsifer Safin, did the movie really need two scheming megalomaniacs, both of whom have facial disfigurements to conveniently signal how evil they are?

Back at MI6, Lashana Lynch plays a highly competent new spy who's been assigned Bond's 007 code number. But their professional rivalry never really takes off. The movie is on more solid footing with Bond's old colleagues: Ralph Fiennes ' M, Naomie Harris ' Moneypenny and Ben Whishaw's Q are as delightful company as ever. And a terrific if under-used Ana de Armas nearly steals the picture as an agent who teams up with Bond during a mission in Havana. It's a witty, suspenseful sequence, with enough flirtatious fun and outlandish stuntwork to recapture some of that escapist Bond-movie pleasure.

James Bond At 50

Picking the best bond: connery and craig rise to the top.

For the most part, that pleasure returns only fitfully over the movie's two-hour-and-43-minute running time. The director, Cary Joji Fukunaga , whose credits include the African war drama Beasts of No Nation and the first season of True Detective , is a skilled filmmaker with a snazzy way with action. But this is a twilight Bond movie, and the mood is overwhelmingly somber. There are continual reminders of Bond's advancing age, of his past regrets and losses. The final showdown feels less like a climax than a benediction.

Craig has been a terrific James Bond, maybe even the best, and his departure certainly deserves a little fanfare. But I admired the impulse behind this very long goodbye without feeling as moved as I wanted to be. There's something a little too strained and self-conscious about the tragic emotional arc the filmmakers have saddled Bond with over the past several movies, and it feels like more than the character can withstand. Will Bond ever be allowed to be Bond again, a dashing rogue leaping deftly from caper to caper? Not this time — but maybe the next.

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Daniel craig in cary fukunaga’s ‘no time to die’: film review.

James Bond gets lured out of retirement and back into MI6 service when a new threat to the world and to someone he loves surfaces in Craig’s fifth and final 007 action thriller.

By David Rooney

David Rooney

Chief Film Critic

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Anyone who has developed an attachment to the grit and gravitas, the coiled physicality and brooding demeanor that Daniel Craig has brought to the reinvigorated James Bond franchise, starting in 2006 with Casino Royale , will feel a surge of raw feeling in the devastating closing act of his fifth and final appearance in the role in No Time to Die .

The 25th installment in the venerable 007 series is the first to be directed by an American, Cary Joji Fukunaga , who handles the action with assurance and the more intimate interludes with sensitivity, never forgetting that there’s a wounded, vulnerable human being beneath the licensed-to-kill MI6 agent. The uneven movie’s big issue, however, is that the path to Craig’s momentous departure is drowning in plot; it’s so convoluted and protracted you might find yourself zoning out through much of the villainy.

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Release date : Thursday, Sept. 30 (U.K.), Friday, Oct. 8 (U.S.) Cast : Daniel Craig, Rami Malek, Léa Seydoux, Lashana Lynch, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Jeffrey Wright, Christoph Waltz, Ralph Fiennes Director : Cary Joji Fukunaga Screenwriters : Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, Cary Joji Fukunaga, Phoebe Waller-Bridge

Even so, it’s doubtful that this will be a deal-breaker for many Bond completists — especially given that the worldwide appetite for the high-speed chases, thundering explosions, gunfire, fight scenes and breathtaking stunt work that are abundant staples of every 007 thriller has been heightened by repeat delays from its original April 2020 release date. Even if the two-and-three-quarter hour running time is occasionally a slog, it ultimately delivers.

Viewed within the context of Craig’s tenure, No Time to Die certainly allows the actor to dig deeper on the rewarding character work he’s been doing since his 21st century reinvention of the role. Previous incarnations of Ian Fleming’s British secret agent have been defined by the sexy swagger, the arched eyebrow and the cool, calm composure even in the hairiest of situations, that glib characterization growing particularly tired in the Roger Moore years.

Craig has steadily minimized those more caricatured aspects as he explored the interiority of a man haunted by loss — notably of Eva Green’s Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale and Judi Dench’s M in Skyfall — and at war with his own trust issues. He’s also fighting against time, as the new film’s title implies. Another crushing loss awaits him in No Time to Die , well before his final reckoning. But what’s notable here is that this is arguably the most tender portrait of James Bond we’ve ever seen; the emotional stakes are raised by a love that’s far more than the usual passing flirtation.

Just as Vesper stirred something in James’ world-weary heart and then shattered it in betrayal, the romance with Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux) that began in Spectre evolves here into a potential escape from a life in which he’s constantly looking over his shoulder. The revelation of a secret more than halfway through the movie only intensifies his soulful surrender to the possibility of a personal fulfillment that Bond perhaps never believed was within his grasp.

But in order to fire on all cylinders, James Bond needs a worthy adversary, a seductive, viciously witty villain on the level of, say, Mads Mikkelsen’s Le Chiffre in Casino Royale , or Javier Bardem’s Silva in Skyfall . It’s significant that those two films remain the towering standouts of Craig’s self-contained 007 pentalogy, the latter especially.

Regular franchise screenwriters Neal Purvis and Robert Wade are joined by Fukunaga and Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who was brought in to punch up the humor and help drag Bond into the post-#MeToo age. This is all done with sufficient class and subtlety that only those who remain nostalgic for the serial bed-hopping and unapologetic sexual objectification of the Sean Connery years are likely to feel cheated. But what the writers haven’t done is create a memorable villain.

While Skyfall was the first entry to dip into Bond’s early trauma, Spectre got mired in ploddingly familiar territory by investing more heavily in that Bond origin story, giving his arch nemesis Blofeld ( Christoph Waltz ) a grudge that dated back to childhood. Sorry, but James Bond is not Batman. Blofeld resurfaces here in a maximum-security British prison from which he’s still using his influence in the criminal world, his primary aim being the elimination of Bond. Their one face-to-face encounter occurs when Blofeld is rolled out on one of production designer Mark Tildesley’s more elaborate sets, an escape-proof glass enclosure that makes Hannibal Lecter’s security measures look like kids’ stuff.

But the real criminal mastermind here is Safin ( Rami Malek ), who has continued to develop biohazardous weaponry programs initiated by the Spectre organization and has a typically maniacal scheme to unleash them on the world. Not that his evil plan is ever laid out with much lucidity.

The more interesting aspect of Safin is his decades-old connection to Madeleine, which is revealed early on in a gripping scene from her childhood in the Norwegian backwoods. The hold Safin feels he has over her puts him into direct conflict with Bond over something personal — beyond the usual generic agenda of wiping out entire populations. But Craig and Malek are not allowed enough establishing screen time together to give that conflict real teeth. Safin has a cool look, right out of a Yamamoto fashion shoot, and a penchant for Noh masks to hide his pizza-faced complexion. But as a villain, he’s no fun, and Malek can’t do much to make him memorable.

In fact, by far the coolest thing about Safin is his island lair, a high-tech laboratory compound built in an old missile silo and submarine dock, complete with a poisoned garden in a concrete courtyard sanctuary. This setting for the film’s climactic action recalls the fabulous creations of the late production designer Ken Adam for the Bond films of the 1960s and ’70s.

As always, the international locations provide plenty of travel porn, starting with the ancient town of Matera in southern Italy, where James’ assurance to Madeleine, “We have all the time in the world,” proves short-lived. This yields the first of Fukunaga’s big action set pieces, involving a death-defying leap off an aqueduct, motorcycles flying over cobbled streets and steps, and a hail of bullets raining down on James and Madeleine in his shiny new Aston Martin as church bells chime in the piazza. The fact that James was traced there by Spectre makes him instantly suspicious of Madeleine, separating them for a large stretch of the story.

Five years later, he’s officially retired from MI6, living the leisurely life of a fisherman in Jamaica when his old CIA pal Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright) asks for his help to trace a kidnapped Russian scientist (David Dencik), believed to be in Cuba. James reluctantly agrees, finding himself rubbing shoulders during an explosive Spectre gathering with his MI6 replacement, Nomi (Lashana Lynch), who tells him, “I have a thing for old wrecks.” He also gets teamed up with CIA agent Paloma (Ana de Armas), who claims to have only three weeks’ training but reveals the skills of a kickass agent. Both Nomi and Paloma are promising additions to the Bond universe, and the swift exit of de Armas once the action moves on from Cuba is a real disappointment. The character begs for a recurring role in future installments.

Just as James is torn by the secrets and ambiguities of his relationship with Madeleine, his frayed ties to MI6 also add texture to the drama. The new M (Ralph Fiennes) has somewhat soured on Bond, feeling the world has moved on and the agency needs to move on with it, and M’s rash choice of collaborators threatens to bring the whole organization down on their heads. But the loyalty of Moneypenny (Naomie Harris) and Q (Ben Whishaw) helps bring Bond back into the fold and equip him with new gadgets. Even Nomi ends up in his corner, after getting off to a rough start that eventually comes around to mutual respect.

In a delightful scene that plays like a Waller-Bridge touch, Bond and Moneypenny descend on Q at home with his two hairless cats, just as he’s preparing dinner for a male date; that nod to the fastidious inventor’s sexuality is dropped in with refreshing economy. The genuine affection between Bond and Q here seems no less warm than his bond with Moneypenny, in contrast to the more businesslike terms of his relationship with M and chief of staff Tanner (Rory Kinnear).

The portrait of a professional family — frequently exasperated by but just as often abetting the rogue decision-making of its star agent — is among the new film’s chief pleasures, adding poignancy to the awareness that Craig and his immaculately tailored Tom Ford tuxes are officially signing out. It’s a nice touch, too, that behind the teasing banter between James and Nomi, he shows welcome notes of humility with her, even an unexpected deferential side. And the depth of feeling in Craig’s scenes with Seydoux adds considerable weight to the emotional payoff.

Regardless of the plotting deficiencies and occasional pacing lags, there’s plenty here for diehard Bond fans to savor, with a frisson of excitement every time Hans Zimmer’s stirring score sneaks in a few bars of Monty Norman’s classic original Bond theme. It may not rank up there with Skyfall , but it’s a moving valedictory salute to the actor who has left arguably the most indelible mark on the character since Connery.

Full credits

Cast: Daniel Craig, Rami Malek, Léa Seydoux, Lashana Lynch, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Jeffrey Wright, Christoph Waltz, Ralph Fiennes, Rory Kinnear, David Dencik, Ana de Armas, Billy Magnussen, Dali Benssalah Production companies: Eon Productions, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Distributor: United Artists Releasing Director: Cary Joji Fukunaga Screenwriters: Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, Cary Joji Fukunaga, Phoebe Waller-Bridge Story: Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, Cary Joji Fukunaga, based on the James Bond novels and stories by Ian Fleming and the James Bond movies produced by Danjaq and its predecessors Producers: Michael G. Wilson, Barbara Broccoli Executive producer: Chris Brigham Director of photography: Linus Sandgren Production designer: Mark Tildesley Costume designer: Suttirat Anne Larlarb Music: Hans Zimmer, Steve Mazzaro Editors: Elliot Graham, Tom Cross Special effects supervisor: Chris Corbould Visual effects supervisor: Charlie Noble Casting: Debbie McWilliams

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No Time to Die review: Daniel Craig's James Bond bids a bombastic, bittersweet farewell

Diamonds might be forever, but the license to kill has always come with an expiration date. Daniel Craig can't claim the longest hold on James Bond — that honor is shared by Sean Connery and Roger Moore, with seven installments each — though he has outlasted Pierce Brosnan (four), Timothy Dalton (two), and George Lazenby (an inglorious one and done). Much has been made of the fact that No Time to Die , out this Friday after nearly two years of pandemic delays, will be Craig's fifth and final turn in the eternal tuxedo before the torch is passed to some future unknown. And Die has all the classic hallmarks of the franchise: exotic locales, astonishing set pieces, a maniacal villain with a dastardly and improbably convoluted plan that only one super-agent in the world can undo.

What also lingers in the air, amidst all the shattered martini glasses and gun smoke, is something less familiar: a very un-Bondian whiff of mortality. Imagine a James shaken, not stirred, by the idea of his own impermanence — and even, perish the thought, irrelevance. Could it be that 007's number is finally up? In fact, it's already been reassigned after his voluntary retirement — to a young Black woman no less, played with brisk, brash style by Lashana Lynch — but there wouldn't be much of a movie if something didn't pull James out of his leisurely post-MI6 life of al fresco showers and sport fishing in some remote Jamaican paradise and back to the business of her Majesty's secret service.

That cause, after several bravura opening scenes featuring his lady love du jour Dr. Madeleine Swann ( Léa Seydoux ) and a swarm of disposable henchmen, has something to do with the return of Spectre villain Ernst Blofeld ( Christoph Waltz ), and a stolen biological weapon whose potential effect on the human race would be, to say the least, cataclysmic. It comes at the request of James' old friend, CIA field officer Felix Leiter ( Jeffrey Wright ), but leads back soon enough to the old crew in London: Ralph Fiennes ' fussy M, Naomie Harris 's ever-capable Moneypenny, and Ben Whishaw 's Q, the winsome tech guy with the soul of a poet and the brain of an MIT source code.

There are new faces too: Knives Out star Ana de Armas drops in, all champagne bubbles and starlet glamour, as a newbie agent in a too-brief sequence set in Cuba; Billy Magnussen ( Made for Love ) appears as a CIA recruit with an apple-pie smile and a shameless fanboy crush on James. And of course there's the nemesis we've been promised — Rami Malek as Lyutsifer Safin, a pale, pocked wraith whose eerie facial scarring telegraphs some unspeakable damage he no doubt plans to repay ten-fold.

Director Cary Joji Fukunaga ( True Detective , Beasts of No Nation ) is fresh blood to the franchise too, and he shares screenwriting credit not only with Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, who have seven Bond films under their collective belt, but also Fleabag creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge . Her wit, or what feels a lot like it, fizzes through the first half, sparking off in little corners where the old-timey lines about craps tables and cigars usually go. Refreshingly, the women on screen — as uncommonly, unsurprisingly gorgeous as they all tend to be — read more like actual human beings than scenery here, and even James treats them accordingly. For the first hour, at least, the series feels revived: still full of the requisite international intrigue and elaborate gadgets that give Bond the glittering swagger it's always had, but dragged now into a recognizably modern era.

Nothing gold(finger) can stay, alas; as the movie rounds out its second hour and heads deep into the third, battle fatigue sets in, and so does a vaguer kind of ennui. Malek, always so great at playing the part of a man who fell to earth and can't quite wait to get back where he came from, has his unsettling stillness largely wasted on a standard-issue backstory, with too little room to explain or justify the monster he's become. His nefarious endgame, too, feels woefully underbaked — a busy pile of jargon and double helixes that makes just enough sense to get the job done but no more. The levity of the first half is soon sorely missed, and the run length alone — the movie clocks in at just under 165 minutes — dilutes the intended emotional resonance of the final scenes; Never Say Time might have been a truer title. Still, as Bond swan songs go, it's a fond farewell: faithfully bridging the old world and the new until the last, deathless postscript. Grade: B

Read more from EW's 25 Days of Bond , a celebration of all things 007 ahead of the release of No Time to Die .

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‘No Time to Die’ Review: His Word Is His Bond

The 25th episode in the venerable franchise — and Daniel Craig’s last as 007 — finds its hero in a somber mood.

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‘No Time to Die’ | Anatomy of a Scene

The director cary joji fukunaga narrates an action sequence from his film featuring daniel craig..

“Hi. I’m Cary Fukunaga, and I am the director of No Time to Die. In this scene, we have Daniel Craig, playing James Bond, narrowly surviving a deadly attack by Specter at the Tomb of Vesper Lynd. This was one of those interesting situations where the locations drove the inspiration for story. So I went on a scout trip with Mark Tildesley, our production designer, and Linus Sandgren, cinematographer. And I really loved this bridge in Gravina. It seemed like the perfect place to run a stunt. We had a drone, and we were flying the drone around the bridge to see, what could we do with it? Could he jump off, potentially? It could be an ambush site. So we just literally designed the action sequence to the locations that we were finding. This sequence was shot on IMAX, which also meant that the movements of the cameras, the ease with which we could cover multiple angles, was hindered by the number of cameras we actually had. The IMAX cameras are massive. I mean, the kind of cameras when you pick them up, it makes you want to swear. But sometimes we just had to do the stunt over and over again and just move the camera around, because you only had two, maybe three, working IMAX cameras at the time. Which is not a lot, normally, when you’re covering a big stunt. Normally, you would have five cameras placed all over the place. So we had to be very, I would say, surgical about how the camera moved, how many takes we could do before we were running out of time. We see him try to outsmart them and outrun them, but they get a sense of where he’s headed. We do a Texas switch. And basically, you see Bond on camera. And as we pan over, it’s actually a stunt double running in, not Bond, to tackle Primo on the motorcycle. And then, when we cut up closer, we do that in one take. So all the punches have to land perfectly so that it looks like each one is actually connecting when, in reality, there was safety and space between them.” “Blofeld sends his regards.”

By A.O. Scott

“ No Time to Die .” It’s kind of an ambiguous title. No time because we’re too busy or because now is not the right moment? The makers of the latest James Bond film have generously supplied us with 163 minutes — including a slow-moving Billie Eilish theme song — during which we can ponder this and other urgent questions. That’s in addition to the nearly 18 months of pandemic delay that we have waited for this episode (the 25th overall and Daniel Craig’s last in the role of the least secret member of Her Majesty’s Secret Service).

It arrives with a curious mixture of heaviness and insouciance. Mortality looms over the quips and car chases — not only the expected slaughter of anonymous minions, but an inky cloud of grief, loss and weariness. Near the beginning, in the midst of a high-toned Mediterranean holiday, Bond visits the grave of Vesper Lynd, the lover who died in “Casino Royale” in 2006. “I miss you,” he says, and “ No Time to Die ” is uncommonly preoccupied with memory and leave-taking. Tiptoeing around the spoilers, I will say that it amounts to a series of long goodbyes.

As someone who grew up in the Roger Moore era , when defiance of every kind of gravity was the hallmark of the series, I have trouble adjusting my eyes to the darkness and the possibility of tears. I don’t entirely trust the emotions that the director (Cary Joji Fukunaga) and the screenwriting committee (Fukunaga, Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and Phoebe Waller-Bridge) put into play, or the weighty themes they reach for.

As the knots in the plot are straightened out, the intricacies of spycraft recede in favor of a ponderous, familiar drama of sacrifice and revenge. The gloomy alpha villain (an ultra-gothy Rami Malek), who wants to wipe out much of humanity and is a mixture of curdled idealism and unhealed trauma, may remind you of Thanos in the final “Avengers” movies. And the overall vibe — a look that is both opulent and generic; a tone that mixes brisk professionalism with maundering self-pity; an aggressive, exhausting fusion of grandiosity and fun — is more superhero saga than espionage caper.

Still, you can’t quite hate the player, even if you suspect he may be in the wrong kind of game. Bond, now officially retired from MI6, refers to himself tongue-in-cheekily as “an old wreck,” and unlike some of his predecessors, Craig makes no attempt to seem more youthful than he is. (Craig is 53. The character, conceived by Ian Fleming as a man who had seen action in World War II, must be somewhere around 100 by now.) Which is not to say that Craig’s magnetism has dimmed or that his gym membership has lapsed.

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James Bond’s Heavy Heart in “No Time to Die”

A big welcome back to 007 . The news is that nothing much has changed, and all the fixtures and fittings are in place. The license to kill, and the supple deployment of weaponry. The occasional whip of a wisecrack. The prime spot in the cockpit of an aircraft. The Aston Martin. The dress sense. The knockout shades. No question about it: she’s the right woman for the job.

As we are reminded by the latest chapter in the franchise, “No Time to Die,” 007 is not a person so much as a designated slot. Once vacated, it fills up like a parking space. Thus, when James Bond (Daniel Craig)—male, pale, and staled by years of trouncing megalomaniacs—goes off the grid, his prized 00 number is taken by Nomi (Lashana Lynch), who is proud, Black, younger than springtime, and much amused by the autumnal state of her predecessor. “You get in my way, I will put a bullet in your knee,” she says to him, adding, “The one that works.” Harsh.

They meet in Jamaica, whither Bond has retired. (Lord knows what he does all day. Maybe he sets off with a pair of binoculars, a packed lunch, and a copy of “ Birds of the West Indies ,” by James Bond, the American ornithologist from whom Ian Fleming , another Jamaica resident, pinched the name.) Nomi is on the trail of villainy, and Bond has been asked to follow the same scent—not by the British government but by the C.I.A., in the person of Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright). Who’d have guessed that the cream of Her Majesty’s spies would end up being milked by Uncle Sam? Is that why the opening credits show the symbolic figure of Britannia, with her trusty shield, falling into a giant hourglass and slipping away into the sands of time?

The film, directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, runs almost two and three-quarter hours. That’s a lot of movie, longer than some recordings of the St. Matthew Passion, but Fukunaga has a lot of ground to cover. He begins, if you please, with a flashback to the childhood of a secondary character—not, alas, the infant Q, solemnly building particle accelerators out of Lego bricks, but a young French girl who will grow up to be Dr. Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux), the heroine of the previous Bond adventure, “ Spectre ” (2015).

We now learn that Madeleine, as befits her doubly Proustian name, was marked for life by a potent early experience: the slaying of her mother by Lyutsifer Safin ( Rami Malek ), who has a scratchy voice and an unfortunate skin condition. Later, fulfilling the standard brief of a Bond baddie, Safin will occupy an island lair and hatch plans to dominate the planet. Needless to say, if only our leading nations had clubbed together to buy him a pot of moisturizer, the whole crisis could have been avoided.

At the conclusion of “Spectre,” Bond beetled off toward Big Ben in his Aston Martin DB5, with the adult Madeleine at his side. The new film finds him in the same car, with the same passenger, in a slightly trickier environment: a hilltop town in Italy, with his enemies circling and his bulletproof windows starred but not yet broken by incoming fire. It’s the perfect moment not just for Bond to ask Madeleine, whom he suspects of betraying him, what the hell’s going on but also for Craig, in his last bow as Bond, to demonstrate what he has brought to the role. Relaxed under pressure, and pressurized by the need to relax, he has the action man’s dread of inactivity. Suits and tuxedos don’t really become him, even if they fit him, until they are bloodied and torn. Craig has been the right Bond for our times, grudging with his charm—barely a virtue nowadays—and nourished by a steady supply of traumas. He has a sense of humor, yet one-liners embarrass him, for the world is too laughably treacherous to be fobbed off with a joke. Even love seems to toughen him up.

To whom or what, then, can Bond be true? To his country? Returning to M.I.6, he is obliged to give his name at security and is handed a plastic nametag. On the way out, in the office of Moneypenny (Naomie Harris), he tosses the tag into the trash: a bitter coda to the memory of Sean Connery, deftly lobbing his hat onto the hat stand. Worse still, Bond learns that M (Ralph Fiennes), usually the solid soul of wisdom, has overseen a secret project called Heracles, which will allow Britain’s foes (unspecified, but possibly the European Union, in a war over sausage exports) to be targeted with nasty nanobots. Safin, naturally, gets hold of Heracles, and prepares to unleash it everywhere. It’s up to Bond—with a little help from Q ( Ben Whishaw ), the Royal Navy, the loyal Nomi, and, yes, a submersible glider—to save the day. Plus, if possible, himself.

There are many surprises in “No Time to Die.” The major ones I would scorn to reveal, even if you trained a laser on my undercarriage or suspended me over a tank of unfed sharks. Less important, but equally unexpected, are the glitches in continuity: Bond driving directly from labyrinthine Italian streets to a railroad station, on the flat, in what looks like another town entirely, or emerging from a foggy Norwegian forest into a nice bright day. A happier shock is the disclosure that Q has a cat, of the hairless variety. (“You know, they come with fur these days,” Bond remarks.) Maybe Q had cats all along—pussies galore!—and kept us in the dark.

The plot, too, is crawling with twists, yet we soon grasp, all too clearly, where it’s heading: du côté de chez Swann . It turns out that Madeleine has a daughter, named Mathilde (Lisa-Dorah Sonnet). “She’s not yours,” Madeleine says to Bond, reassuringly, yet the kid does have blue eyes, like his, and he is so drawn to her that, in the heat of the finale, he—the sort of fellow who used to blow up a volcano before breakfast—pauses to retrieve her knitted toy, Dou Dou, and tucks it into his suspenders. Lucky for Dou Dou, of course, but what does this herald for the brand of Bond? Everyone agrees that the age of the ladykiller is dead, unmourned, but are we ready for Bond the babysitter?

Fans will fret, and, as if to assuage them, Fukunaga piles on the retro treats: a guest appearance from Blofeld (Christoph Waltz), for one thing, and multiple morsels of Bonds past. As in “ Skyfall ” (2012), someone is trapped under a frozen lake, and the bunker where Safin breeds his toxins resembles the mega-garage where the madman in “The Spy Who Loved Me” (1977) parked his stolen submarines. In a tribute to “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” (1969), we get an Aston Martin DBS, a reprise of Louis Armstrong in the end credits, and, during a conversation between Bond and M beside the Thames, a gentle echo of John Barry’s electronic score. (How I miss Barry. Would the myth of Bond even have survived without him?) As a valediction to Craig, though, “No Time to Die” leans so relentlessly on his earlier Bond films that anyone who never saw them, or failed to take copious notes, will be stranded. You mean you’ve forgotten that Madeleine’s father was Mr. White, introduced in “Casino Royale” (2006)? Shame on you!

The problem with “No Time to Die” is that it’s all about itself, and the tug of its own origins. Such is the current mode: we live under the spell of long-form television, and of the Marvel universe, both of which woo us with recurring characters and reward us for the stamina of our emotional investment. You could argue that no form has been longer than Bond’s, but the changes of cast—the actors playing 007, M, Q, Moneypenny, and Blofeld—have refreshed the fun, and each movie, by and large, has stood alone. Not so the new film, which throbs with old wounds. It’s often exciting, but there’s something inward and agonized about the thrills, and the insouciance of Connery’s epoch, for better or worse, seems like ancient history. “No Time to Die” has a heavy heart, and right now, more than ever, we could use a light one. As we trickle back to cinemas, is it merely frivolous to hope that a James Bond flick should leave us feeling cheered up?

Still, let us give thanks for what we have. Listen to M, for a start, as he issues a command: “Q, hack into Blofeld’s bionic eye”—a strong candidate for the most Bond-tastic line ever spoken. (Top marks to Fiennes for saying it with a straight face.) Best and blithest of all is Bond’s trip to Cuba, where he teams up with a novice agent named Paloma. She is played by Ana de Armas, who is Havana-born, and who consorted so nimbly with Craig in “Knives Out” (2019). Now, in evening dress, and in extreme peril, Paloma and Bond have to shoot their way out of trouble, though not before pausing for a brace of vodka Martinis. Paloma drains most of hers in a single glug. Mid-mayhem, they pause again to refuel, with a quick tot of something at the bar, before getting back to work. What bliss: in the depths of a wry and disconsolate film, it’s like watching Fred and Ginger. “You were excellent,” Bond tells Paloma as they part. She smiles and replies, “You, too.” And so say all of us. ♦

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‘No Time to Die’ Review: Daniel Craig Says Goodbye to Bond with Most Emotional 007 Movie Ever

David ehrlich.

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James Bond has saved the world two dozen times during the last half-century, but the stakes have never been higher than they are in Cary Joji Fukunaga’s long-awaited (and even longer-delayed) “ No Time to Die .” This mega-blockbuster is saddled with the extraordinary pressure of salvaging the Daniel Craig era from the ruins of “Spectre,” justifying the spy franchise’s decision to abandon standalone adventures in favor of a more serialized arc, and resolving its current run in a way that allows the 007 brand to stay relevant in the face of a Marvel-dominated future that has little room for 59-year-old sex pests on her majesty’s Secret Service. Phew.

While several Bonds have come and gone before, none of them have ever really needed to say goodbye — they were all effectively just replacing each other on the same deathless merry-go-round. One unflappably suave British man would get off, and another would step into the open car he left behind. These were movies without a memory, and that was a signature part of their timeless (if always trend-driven) charm. Even after 007’s new wife was assassinated in the closing moments of one film, he was literally a different person by the time the next began.

But the Craig-starring saga has played by its own rules from the start. “Casino Royale” cut Bond too deep for his scars to be Etch-a-Sketched away overnight, and so “Quantum of Solace” became the series’ first proper sequel. “Skyfall” explored the past of a character who had always existed in an eternal present, while “Spectre” clumsily attempted to connect that present to a past the character had long outgrown (thereby inventing a template that “Rise of the Skywalker” would later perfect into a miserable art form).

And so, in what now seems like an inevitable course-correction, “No Time to Die” is a story about the need to leave certain things behind. It’s the modern spy movie equivalent of “The Last Jedi,” as the universe tells James Bond that he has no choice but to let the past die — to kill it if he has to — and dares Craig to pull the trigger. The actor barely even blinks. Instead, he limps, smirks, and shoots his way through five erratic movies’ worth of pent-up emotion in order to make you cry. The result might be the least exciting Bond film of the 21st century, but it’s undeniably also the most moving.

At the end of the day, “No Time to Die” is a second chance at ending Craig’s run on a strong note and tying up all of the frayed threads that “Spectre” left blowing in the wind, and it makes good on that potential even at the expense of several new shortcomings. Written by Bond custodians Neal Purvis and Robert Wade — with assists from Fukunaga and Phoebe “Fleabag” godhead Waller-Bridge — the movie is fittingly also 007’s second chance at the happiness that slipped through his fingers when he took Vesper Lynd on the worst trip to Venice since “Don’t Look Now.” And from the moment it starts with the least Bond-like cold open in the franchise’s history, it’s clear that the spy’s 25th official outing will move forward with at least one eye locked on the rearview mirror. By the time Billie Eilish starts belting out the film’s downbeat title song more than 25 minutes later, it seems entirely possible that Bond may not be able to move forward at all.

It begins in a remote patch of Norwegian nowhere some two decades ago, when the eventual Dr. Madeleine Swann — then only a little girl who’s unaware that her father works for Spectre, or that she’ll have the good fortune of growing up to become Léa Seydoux — is visited by a killer in a porcelain mask. “Your father kills people,” the uninvited visitor says to her. “Is that who you love? A murderer?” He might as well be talking to Madeleine (and to us as well) about her future boyfriend. But times change, and James Bond has always been able to change with them, at least to a certain degree. So when 007 and Madeleine arrive in the hilltop village of Matera for an all-too-perfect Italian holiday, she encourages him to stop by Vesper’s grave; Madeleine is smart enough to recognize that James would only share his future with someone if they were able to be honest about their respective pasts. To recognize that they each have them, and ought to keep them where they belong. And that’s when things start blowing up.

The chase that follows is far and away the most exciting action setpiece in the entire film, and yet for all of its death-defying leaps and spinning machine-gun cars there’s something muted about the whole affair. The sequence climaxes with an emotionally unnerving (and somewhat unhinged) test of wills unlike anything this series has ever attempted before, and surrenders to the opening credits on a note that feels like it was borrowed from one of Richard Linklater’s “Before” movies.

There’s another smash-and-grab bit of carnage when “No Time to Die” picks up again five years later — a bio-weapon heist that takes full advantage of Bond’s retirement from MI6. Not long after that, Ana de Armas swings in for a sublimely charming cameo set in neon-lit Havana, where a Spectre party ends in a frenetic shootout. But such high-octane moments prove to be the exceptions to the rule, as it grows increasingly evident that Fukunaga isn’t following the franchise’s usual template.

Sure, the movie touches upon all of the expected Bond tropes: Felix Leiter, explosive watches, a slightly disfigured and wholly underwritten villain who lives on an island fortress somewhere between Russia and Japan (more on him in a minute), etc. There’s even a fight scene in which 007 appears to drink more shots than he fires. And yet “No Time to Die” can’t seem to get through this stuff fast enough — it’s like there’s somewhere else the film would rather be. Someone else its hero would rather be with .

What little action this movie has to offer beyond its pulse-raising prologue is contained in short spurts that emphasize intentionality over destruction, the most effective of them being a cat-and-mouse sequence (with serious “Metal Gear Solid” overtones) that patiently watches Bond set up a series of tripwires, only for 007 to off the bad guys in a hurry when they fall into his trap. In other words, anyone hoping for spectacle on par with what Martin Campbell brought to “Goldeneye” and “Casino Royale” will be sorely disappointed by what Fukunaga musters here, even if the film takes full advantage of its IMAX-scale presentation by the end.

Over time, this approach slowly becomes more of a feature than a bug, as a standard-issue story about a gene-targeting nanobot weapon capable of targeting specific individuals (or entire ethnicities) is revealed to be nothing but a simple backdrop for a melodrama that’s only masquerading as an action movie. Fukunaga and his fellow writers inherited a whole mess of plot baggage from “Spectre,” and they handle it in the only way they possibly could without replacing Craig altogether: They sign over that baggage to Bond instead, tie all of the dead weight from the previous movie onto his flailing body like an anchor around a sailor lost at sea, and challenge him to slip free of it before he drowns in his own past.

By that logic, it’s almost tempting to wonder if Rami Malek is deliberately forgettable as the standard-issue villain who checks all of the expected boxes, never reveals even a semi-cogent explanation for his evil plan, and only exists to make Bond confront his own demons. Few actors could redeem a role this basic — a role so broadly sketched to be 007’s negative image — and Malek isn’t one of them. His instinct to go full Jared Leto in “Blade Runner 2049” is all wrong for Bond’s ultimate adversary, or it would be if Lyutsifer Safin were meant to be more of a threat to Bond than Bond is to himself. “I want the world to evolve,” Lyutsifer whispers at the hero spy in his hodgepodge of a Eastern European accent, “while you want it to stay the same.” One day, see-through self-analysis might not be the only way that Hollywood blockbusters are allowed to be smart, but for now it’s nice to see one so willing to define its terms for us, and so eager to illustrate them with such clever examples (Lashana Lynch is a total blast as the MI6 agent Nomi, both a worthy rival for Bond as well as a potential replacement).

Of course, a simple “evolve or die” situation wouldn’t satisfy a legacy as rich as Bond’s, nor a performance as layered as Craig’s. From the moment he got his license to kill, Craig has stood out from his predecessors for being the most bulletproof 007 to ever wear that tuxedo, but also the most vulnerable. His Bond is as sensitive as an exposed nerve, and yet still able to laugh off a direct blow to the testicles from Mads Mikkelsen; he bleeds the same way as the rest of us, but scabs over twice as hard. Connery will always be treasured for giving birth to the character, but it’s Craig who finally allowed him to grow up.

Here — in the actor’s final and most affecting go — Bond takes stock of his wounds in order to understand what they were ultimately worth to him, and his conclusion is, in its own absurd way, worth the long and winding road this franchise has taken to get there. “If you have nothing left to give,” someone tells Bond, “you are irrelevant.” But he does. And by figuring out what that is, he buys the franchise that bears his name a new hope for the future. It will probably be a minute before the powers that be decide what that future will look like, but that’s okay. Bond doesn’t need to go faster — he has all the time in the world.

MGM will release “No Time to Die” in U.S. theaters on Friday, October 8.

As new movies open in theaters during the COVID-19 pandemic, IndieWire will continue to review them whenever possible. We encourage readers to follow the  safety precautions  provided by CDC and health authorities. Additionally, our coverage will provide alternative viewing options whenever they are available.

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No Time to Die

James Bond has left active service. His peace is short-lived when Felix Leiter, an old friend from the CIA, turns up asking for help, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain arme... Read all James Bond has left active service. His peace is short-lived when Felix Leiter, an old friend from the CIA, turns up asking for help, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology. James Bond has left active service. His peace is short-lived when Felix Leiter, an old friend from the CIA, turns up asking for help, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology.

• Cary Joji Fukunaga
• Neal Purvis
• Robert Wade
• Daniel Craig
• Ana de Armas
• 4.1K User reviews
• 447 Critic reviews
• 68 Metascore
• 49 wins & 76 nominations total

Top cast 87

• Lyutsifer Safin

• Felix Leiter

• Valdo Obruchev

• Primo (Cyclops)

• Young Madeleine
• Madeleine's Mother

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• Trivia Ana de Armas (Paloma) was so worried that her action sequences would not be good enough with only three weeks of training, she has shared "I kept telling Cary, 'I just have three weeks of training' and I said it so many times he said, 'Say that in the movie.'". Her line to Bond that she had had been "training for three weeks, more or less", was kept in the final version.
• Goofs Bond uses the mini-EMP device in his watch that was given to him by Q, and in each instance it disables proximate/touching electrical devices, but it doesn't affect the radio transceiver in Bond's ear through which he is communicating with his allies. However, Q did imply that the watch did have a limited range. Obviously it would be designed with a range that would not extend to an earpiece. It's possible that, since Q-Branch produces discrete EMP devices for agents, the boffins also have the smarts to produce EMP-hardened earpieces/'phones/tablets/etc. for complimentary issue to agents also being issued with a personal EMP device.

Blofeld : James, fate draws us back together. Now your enemy is my enemy. How did that happen?

James Bond : Well, you live long enough.

• Crazy credits The first part of the closing credits is accompanied by "We Have All the Time in the World", the theme song from the 007 film On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) .
• Connections Edited into No Time to Die: Q-Dar (2021)
• Soundtracks No Time to Die Music by Finneas O'Connell Lyrics by Billie Eilish Performed by Billie Eilish Billie Eilish appears courtesy of Darkroom/Interscope Records

User reviews 4.1K

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• Sep 28, 2021
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• When was this movie set, compared to other Bond movies? Q and Moneypenny are played by young actors.
• October 8, 2021 (United States)
• United Kingdom
• United States
• 007 - No Time To Die
• 007 Talenthouse
• Không Phải Lúc Chết
• Aviemore, Highland, Scotland, UK (car chase in Norway)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
• Universal Pictures
• Eon Productions
• See more company credits at IMDbPro
• $250,000,000 (estimated)
• $160,891,007
• $55,225,007
• Oct 10, 2021
• $774,153,007

Technical specs

• Runtime 2 hours 43 minutes
• Dolby Surround 7.1
• Dolby Digital
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‘No Time to Die’: Daniel Craig’s Last Bond Movie Is One Long, Loving Victory Lap

By K. Austin Collins

K. Austin Collins

The movie’s called No Time to Die and has a runtime of two hours and 43 minutes. Someone, somewhere, is having a laugh. But not James Bond , who, for as long as Daniel Craig has been playing that iconic Ian Fleming creation (especially in the most recent films of his 15-year tenure) has tended to be a somber sort. Not a stick in the mud or a walking stiff, mind you; even if Craig’s era of the franchise has felt slightly stripped of outright camp, it hasn’t killed its sense of humor. The movies have simply leaned into what’s proven to be surprisingly vulnerable in Craig’s incarnation. No Time to Die , his final outing in the role, is no different. 

This actor’s Bond, with his aqua-pura eyes and bulldog strut, has increasingly had something of the wounded animal about him. Yes, he’s doing parkour across exotic landscapes and fighting by land, by sea, and by air like a one-man national military. Sure, his commitment to his missions has by and large been beyond question (unless the question is why, exactly, he’s been so committed). Yet rarely has he seemed overly excited about the business of being MI6’s number one man. Loss, or something like it, seemed to trail him from the start. In a way, from 2006’s Casino Royale onward, the movies have been catching up to the performance. This has remained true even as all five of the actor’s turns in the role have reveled in the usual pleasure principles of 007 adventures. The globetrotting locales, high-end cars, and spy-craft fetish objects; the gorgeous femme fatales and one-night stands and even genuine loves. Craig once said he would rather “slash [his] wrists” than be in another Bond film. That was six years and one movie ago. In the same interview, he also said: “ If I did another Bond movie, it would only be for the money.” It’s to Craig’s professional credit that his performance in No Time to Die , which comes out on October 8th, bears little sense of that lack of giving a fuck. It wouldn’t fit this movie, which, directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, very much carries the weight of culmination. We all know by now that this is the end of Craig, and wisely, No Time to Die doesn’t put up any false pretenses. As a movie, Bond-related or otherwise, it’s just fine: sometimes intriguing, sometimes not, sometimes boring, sometimes not. It’s a bit more successful if we think of it instead as a tribute to the Craig era, and to the star himself, whose 21st-century Bond will endure as a complicated man along for the ride in the franchise’s otherwise formulaic schemes. It’s like the movie has this in mind, reviving old characters and tropes, giving Bond devotees a bit of what makes the franchise a familiar comfort, while adding a dash of melancholy and a grimness — down to its visual palette and the journeyman staging of much of its showpiece scenes — that even gives the action a twinge of heaviness. The plot? It’s a plot. A roundelay of “ Just when I thought I was out… ” antics somewhat kickstarted by an old CIA friend, Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright), bringing an evil scheme to Bond’s attention, and Bond — Commander Bond, whose MI6 days are technically behind him — roped back in among familiar company. (This isn’t quite where the story starts, but what precedes it would be unfair to spoil.) It’s your usual science-gone-wrong spy movie scheme: A Russian scientist, Valdo Obruchev (David Dencik), has access to a genius technology; he, and it, fall into the wrong hands; you know how these things go. It’s more than enough of an excuse to unite the old gang: Ralph Fiennes as the M of the moment, Rory Kinnear as M’s chief of staff, Ben Whishaw as the plucky genius Q, Naomie Harris’s Moneypenny. Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux) of 2015’s Spectre , is also back with a bigger role. And on the opposite end of the ally spectrum, we also get the return of Ernst Stavro Blofeld (Christoph Waltz), who’s currently a prisoner of MI6 — though, obviously, even MI6 can’t keep this bad of a man down. 

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More notable than these old friends and foes is the addition of a few new faces, who for the most part amount to breaths of fresh air that the movie winds up needing as it wears on: Lashana Lynch as Nomi, for example, a new 00 agent worth reckoning with. Billy Magnussen as a CIA agent who’s suspicious if only for smiling too much to be an agent. And — best of all — Ana de Armas as Paloma, another very green agency operative, whose surprisingly fresh-faced attitude makes even Bond smile, as if he’s encountered the negative image of himself. The movie’s big bad that strings it all together into an excuse to see Bond back in action, a terrorist plot involving a scheme that might’ve hit a little differently pre-pandemic — and which, for the current moment, feels distinctly terrifying. It’s predicated on, among other things, the biological risks of being a social species, interacting and coming into contact and even casually crossing paths with others. You can see the pandemic parallels (even if the filmmakers hadn’t exactly planned it that way), but the movie’s more useful and energizing through-line is the emotional metaphor — particularly for a man like Bond who, as anyone who’s followed him over the years knows, has tended to have his strongest ties not to people but to his work. Obviously, the second he does find something that lasts, the movie turns on a heel and uses it against him: Bond wouldn’t be Bond if we allowed him to have a real life . 

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No Time to Die tries to milk the poignancy from this idea. It even goes so far as to try to move us outright — and for many people it will, no doubt, genuinely be moving, even if the strings are showing, even if we see it coming. The movie could have accomplished this just as well without glowering quite so much. But its commitment to its aesthetic sobriety — even the qualities that make Seydoux such a worthy, interesting international star get their lights dimmed here — seems to be the point. Fukunaga, no stranger to showing off when it counts, doesn’t resist the impulse here, yet he doles out the juiciness relatively sparingly. There’s a good bit of action in a forest dense with fog, for example, but Fukunaga’s craft feels unusually dialed down for him; a climactic gunfight in a stairwell has the appropriate sense of danger, but the emotional stakes, not the tactical excitement, are what really define the scene. Is it the most interesting way to close out the Craig era of the Bond franchise? Not really — not even with Rami Malek ’s villain, Lyutsifer Safin, skulking about in a performance that, more than doing anything to serve this particular movie, convinced me that someone out to cast him in a remake of Nosferatu. (The leap from Lyutsifer to a Klaus Kinski-esque Dracula really wouldn’t be such a leap.) He’s not exactly a foe that seems worthy of Daniel Craig. But this, too, seems to be the point. Complicated, overly talkative, a little too slow and not-infrequently rote, the movie is just the ride we’ve hitched to the Departures gate. It’s Craig we’ve come here to see — and see off. And off he goes.

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Every james bond movie ranked from worst to best (including no time to die).

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After a long delay  James Bond is back in  No Time to Die , so there's no time like the present to rank his cinematic outings from worst to best. Through six Bond actors, 60 years and 25 movies, Ian Fleming's  "blunt instrument " has punched, quipped, and slept his way through a wide variety of adventures in one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time. Blaring horns, smoking guns, and martinis (shaken, not stirred) have woven themselves into the fabric of cinematic iconography, with the promise  "James Bond will return"  a constant for multiple generations.

The character first appeared in Fleming's 1953 novel,  Casino Royale , which became a hot property for radio and television adaptations. Less than a decade and exactly nine Fleming novels later, Eon Productions (owned by Harry Saltzman and Albert R. "Cubby" Broccoli), acquired the rights to 007 and released the first film in the series,  Dr. No .  From the moment Sean Connery introduced himself as  "Bond, James Bond, " a legend was born, and the Scottish actor would go on to reprise the role in five entries before launching the tradition of passing the torch to the next 007. George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig have all followed, each giving their own spin on the British secret agent.

Related: Why Tom Hardy Would Be a Terrible Choice To Play James Bond After Daniel Craig

For a franchise so reliant on formula, there's a wide variety of  types of Bond adventures. Some embrace the ridiculous and some the hard-boiled grit of Fleming's stories. Some attempt to give 007 something resembling a soul, others have invisible cars and jetpacks. A viewer's entry point can set the tone for what they expect from a Bond film and because of that, nearly every title in this ranking is probably someone's favorite. There will be no  Never Say Never Again  or 1967's  Casino Royale  featured, and there will also be no spoilers for No Time to Die ; these are the 25 official Eon produced Bond films, ranked from worst to best.

25. Die Another Day (2002)

Invaluable to the series  only  because the film almost killed it so it could be reborn with  Casino Royale,  the 20th Bond adventure features all of the franchise's worst impulses. For being the entry that brought 007 into the 21st century, this is an incredibly tacky-looking movie, from the community theater ice palace to the CGI wave of melted ice Bond surfs. The filmmakers are lost at sea, piling on the gadgets (including a dream machine and the invisible car) and embracing the sexual innuendoes and one-liners so intensely it feels like a parody of  Austin Powers.  To witness its overblown climax - set on an exploding plane - is to see James Bond gone wrong , to witness the franchise quite literally self-destruct. Bond may have lived to die another day, but this was a close call.

24. The World is Not Enough (1999)

No Bond film is without its pleasures, but Brosnan's third time comes close. It doesn't help that several elements - 007 being wounded in the opening, a past foe of M's stepping out of the shadows - would all be handled better in  Skyfall .  Mostly, the movie just feels plodding, both an unfortunate showcase for the series' most adolescent tendencies and an undercooked preview of what it would do with the Craig entries, but this time with the wrong people involved. Sophie Marceau is an intriguing villain, but Robert Carlyle comes off embarrassed playing a terrorist who doesn't feel pain due to a bullet lodged in his head. Meanwhile, Denise Richards lays claim to the title of Worst Bond Girl of All Time.

23. The Man With the Golden Gun (1974)

The Man With the Golden Gun,  Roger Moore's second outing as James Bond , isn't just a low point for its star but the series as a whole. It's a nearly joyless affair watching 007 careen from Beirut to Macau, from Hong Kong to an island showdown with the three-nippled hitman Francisco Scaramanga, played by a woefully wasted Christopher Lee.  Fantasy Island 's Hervé Villechaize is quite literally hung out to dry and there's even a flying car. A headache-inducing theme and an incredible car stunt underscored by a lame slide whistle serve as the perfect embodiments of the film as a whole; this is both an obnoxious bang and a lousy whimper, and one of the worst Bonds yet.

Related: GoldenEye Saved James Bond's Aston Martin (And Proved Better Than Brosnan's Cars)

22. Diamonds Are Forever (1971)

Sending Bond to Vegas should lead to firecracker results, but aside from a killer theme sung by Bond chanteuse Shirley Bassey, this is mostly a stinker. Connery returned for a then-record $1.25 million salary after the box office disappointment of  George Lazenby's one-and-done  On Her Majesty's Secret Service .   Overall, it's one of the most stupidly goofy Bonds and has aged poorly. Charles Gray shows up as Blofeld in the final act, but even that appearance devolves into a childish encounter involving a launch crane and a mini submarine, an ignominious ending for Bond's iconic arch-nemesis considering he wouldn't return in earnest until...

21. Spectre (2015)

All Bond movies are reflections of the cinematic landscape in which they're released, so it's not a surprise the MCU's trend of focusing on an over-arching narrative rather than the film at hand would wind up influencing 007. Blofeld has been Thanos-ing long before Josh Brolin snapped his purple fingers, yet his re-emergence here feels hackneyed. That's partly due to the uninspired casting of Christoph Waltz, who could do this type of performance in his sleep. More distressingly his claim to being the " author" of Bond's pain stems from the sort of cynical pandering that would  bring Emperor Palpatine back in  The Rise of Skywalker . That might all be fine if said reveal didn't follow a plodding, meandering first hour that unsuccessfully mimics  Skyfall 's "ruined city" existentialism about the state of MI6, itself following a plodding, meandering theme song that unsuccessfully mimics its Adele-sung predecessor. Even a burly brawl between Craig and Dave Bautista on a train feels like a callback to a far superior sequence, in a superior film.

20. For Your Eyes Only (1981)

007 stumbled into the 1980s with this attempt to transplant Moore's Bond into a gritty throwback to the serious-minded thrills of  From Russia With Love.  Somehow, that attempt still involves an ice rink battle with a hockey team, a bizarre cameo from a Margaret Thatcher impersonator, and an opening confrontation between Bond and an uncredited Blofeld that feels less like a reunion and more like a  Tom and Jerry  short . There's an intriguing Bond girl in Caroline Bouquet's Melina, who for most of the film is on her own path to avenge the death of her parents, with little sign of being seduced by her leading man. Frustratingly, the screenplay misses the opportunity to bond her and James through their mutual loss of loved ones, a dynamic that might have lent emotion to an otherwise bland entry, particularly with James' deceased wife Tracy given a rare reference in the film's opening moments.  Alas,  For Your Eyes Only abstains, settling for being what no Bond movie wishes to be; forgettable.

19. A View to a Kill (1985)

Moore's tenure as 007 was mostly notable for its goofiness, but his final film as James Bond is mostly a staid-to-the-point-of-boring affair. There's the occasional oddity - a ski chase scored to the Beach Boys' "California Girls," or a woman in a jacuzzi saying, " The bubbles tickle my Tchaikovsky ." Mostly though,  View to a Kill,  Moore's least favorite Bond , stands out for just how old its star is. The screenplay attempts to compensate for this, saddling him through most of the story with the distinctly un-Bondian task of snooping around ornate homes and horse race events, pretending to be a journalist named James Stock. On the rare occasion he gets up to some action, whether it be a chase up the Eiffel Tower or any number of romantic couplings with younger women, the results alternate from creaky to creepy. Christopher Walken fares better as the sadistic Zorin, and together with Grace Jones' May Day he makes up one of the most dynamic villain duos in the series. Taking that into account, this one also gets a few bonus points for its Golden Gate Bridge finale, and for that bop of a theme.

Related: Daniel Craig's James Bond Recap: What To Remember Before No Time To Die

18. Thunderball (1965)

Were it not for a series of legal disputes beginning shortly after the 1961 publication of Ian Fleming's novel ,  Thunderball would have been the first entry in the Bond series. Fortunately, that wasn't the case, as after the remarkably sure-footed debut of 1962's  Dr. No and the innovations and evolutions of  From Russia With Love and  Goldfinger,  Thunderball feels the most "cruise-control" of the Connery entries. That's partly to do with its inflated running time, the first in the series to exceed two hours. However, as innovative as the sequel's copious use of underwater photography was at the time, it now only adds an element of sluggishness to an unfortunately over-padded, ponderous entry.

17. No Time to Die (2021)

The latest 007 adventure,  Daniel Craig's final Bond movie , wants to do a lot in its near-three-hour runtime. It wants to mine the emotion of  On Her Majesty's Secret Service , the first outing to give its hero a soul, as evidenced by the callbacks to that entry. It wants to tie up the loose ends of  Spectre , a task probably better left alone, but one that eats up nearly half the runtime. It also wants to return to the Bond franchise's most eccentric aspects; island lairs, evil plots for world domination, all the things that never fit well into this era of 007. Most of all, it wants to give Daniel Craig's James Bond, arguably the best 007 of all time and certainly the most dynamic, a proper sendoff, something it achieves once it has the sense to get out of its own way. A cathartic finale is one of the lone standouts here, along with a firecracker cameo from Bond newcomer Ana de Armas and a distinctly un-Bondian prelude. Elsewhere, Rami Malek is a disappointing villain, a COVID-esque plot feels both poorly timed and regressive, and Lashana Lynch's much-buzzed-about new 007 isn't given much to do. The Craig era ends with a solid goodbye to its star, but also one of his most bloated adventures. It's not the annoyance that  Spectre was, but the true final Craig film will always be  Skyfall.

16. Moonraker (1979)

Often touted as one of the worst entries,  Moonraker is at least memorable for its pre-credits skydiving sequence - one of the best stunts in the entire franchise - and for its final act, which improbably sends Bond to space. It's the film's middle hour which is the most difficult to get through, as Bond contends with Michael Lonsdale's villain, Drax, and sleepwalks through a series of uninspired setpieces, most involving Richard Kiel's metal-mouthed Jaws . Here, he's transformed into a Wile E. Coyote-esque doofus. After that tedium, the shark-jumping hijinks of the finale, where Jaws finds love with a pig-tailed blonde and Drax reveals himself to be a Space Nazi are a welcome jolt of energy. Moore's offerings were often guilty of copying the hits of the time, and while the reference here is undoubtedly  Star Wars , Ken Adam's production design and the visual effects are undeniably impressive.

15. Live and Let Die (1973)

Moore's first outing is not without its problems. The desire to mimic cinematic trends of the time sees 007 co-opting the Blaxploitation genre for a brief foray that only underlines the character's imperialist sense of superiority over his non-white supporting characters. That's the dated part of a sequel that stands out for its dark voodoo plotline, tarot card-reading Bond girl Solitaire, and for two of the series' more unique villains, Yaphet Kotto's Kananga and Geoffrey Holder's witch doctor Baron Samedi . That it all kicks off with one of the best Bond songs, by Paul McCartney and Wings, is enough to knock it up a few notches.

Related:  James Bond: Every Way Daniel Craig's Era Changed 007

14. Octopussy (1983)

After five entries flirting with the notion of making a complete mockery of the franchise, Moore finally got to turn James Bond into a literal clown.  Octopussy  gets a bad rap, not for entirely unjust reasons. It squanders its first act India setting with lame stereotypes that make  Temple of Doom  feel restrained. There's a Tarzan yell, an incomprehensible plot concerning Fabergé eggs and nuclear holocaust, plus a headscratcher of a moment where Bond seems to recognize his own theme music.   Indeed, it's a far cry from the Connery days, often feeling more like bottom-shelf Mel Brooks ( Spaceballs ) than Bond. As noticeably long in the tooth as he is here, he's also the most alive he ever was in the role, surrounded by a film that plays to his strengths and actually makes him relaxed enough to be an engaging action star. Brush away the ridiculousness and  Octopussy  boasts an impressive succession of setpieces, from chases via rickshaws and trains to a thrilling, death-defying final plane confrontation that  almost justifies the film's awful theme song, "All Time High."

13. Quantum of Solace (2008)

Criticisms that Craig's Bond has lost the franchise's sense of fun are most likely caused by this brutish, lowkey sequel to the triumphant high of  Casino Royale.  Nonetheless, Quantum of Solace,  whatever that means , isn't the series-worst entry some fans claim. It's best viewed as a coda to  Casino Royale , one which takes the vengeful Bond girl plot of  For Your Eyes Only and the "Bond as angel of death" vibe of the (superior)  Licence to Kill,  mixing both into the sort of cold-blooded revenge movie that should have followed  On Her Majesty's Secret Service.  Shot from an unfinished script due to the writer's strike, with some of the dialogue written on the fly by director Marc Forster and Craig himself, this is admittedly not the most cohesive entry. Still, Quantum is at its best when it's focusing on Bond's struggle for inner peace in the wake of Vesper Lynd's death, or on his tug-of-war relationship with his boss (featuring some of Judi Dench's best work as M in the series). It's considerably less effective when dealing with its evil environmentalist bad guy (a waste of an intimidating Mathieu Amalric), or stumbling through its overly edited action sequences. Daniel Craig makes it all worthwhile, navigating Bond's journey beautifully from wounded, vengeful lover to cold MI6 assassin.

12. GoldenEye (1995)

The 007 films have always been reactionary, both to cinematic trends and to the public perception of whichever adventure Bond underwent last. It's no surprise that after two grittier entries and a six-year hiatus, the franchise would come roaring back to life with a desire to please every kind of Bond fan at once. In that way,  GoldenEye can be frustratingly regressive, both in its Soviet-centered plot and in the type of megalomaniacal villain plan that felt tired several entries ago. Taken on its own terms as a sort of "greatest hits" Bond film, it's plenty of fun, with Pierce Brosnan's suave 007  serving as a solid cocktail of Dalton, Moore and Connery. There's nothing new or bold about his performance, but also nothing offensive. The only real innovative, tantalizing aspect of this entry is the introduction of Judi Dench as M, who - despite a brief appearance - makes a big impression, setting up the maternal-meets-adversarial relationship with Bond she would develop further in the Craig era. Other than that, this is mostly a splashy toy commercial of a film, exactly the kind of action flick in which the '90s specialized.

11. Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)

In 1997,  Tomorrow Never Dies got roundly beaten by  Titanic at the box office - but that doesn't mean Brosnan's second Bond adventure is worthy of derision. After the balls-to-the-wall brouhaha of  GoldenEye , this one feels a bit more refreshingly relaxed and in control. Its plot, which concerns a Murdoch-esque media magnate played by Jonathan Pryce ( The Wife ) , whose evil plan is to sow mass chaos to achieve - of all things - exclusive broadcasting rights in China for 100 years, is certainly among the series' more ridiculous. However, it's also the rare Brosnan film that looked at the present rather than the past, eschewing Cold War conflict for a satire on the evils of the day, exactly the sort of thing the series was doing in its earlier entries. That's to say nothing of Brosnan's chemistry with Michelle Yeoh, certainly in the upper echelon of "Bond-and-Bond-girl dynamics," nor of Vincent Schiavelli's scene-stealing Dr. Kaufman, one of the series' most genuinely funny villains.

Related: What Would Bond 25 Be Like If Craig Had Left After Spectre?

10. The Living Daylights (1987)

Contemporary audiences didn't quite know what to make of this entry's willful contrast to the Roger Moore Bond era , but nowadays, it feels like a breath of fresh air to see Bond actually break a sweat.  The Living Daylights  is the first entry since  From Russia With Love to successfully get back to the meat-and-potatoes espionage and adventure of Fleming's source material, with Timothy Dalton's Bond a nervy combination of debonair and dangerous that has largely gone undervalued in evaluations of the series. At times, his first outing can feel like a Bond film in name only, tamping down not only the character's sex appeal but also the franchise's reliance on gadgets, diabolical villains or one-liners. Nevertheless, despite a sometimes frustrating lack of humor, this is Bond at some of his leanest and meanest.

9. You Only Live Twice (1967)

The less said about a late-game plot point in this installment which has Connery donning yellow-face to disguise himself as a Japanese fisherman, the better. That ill-conceived moment aside,  You Only Live Twice -  adapted from one of Fleming's darker novels  - is all about Little Nellie (one of Q's most satisfying gadgets) and a finale that unveils both production designer Ken Adam's best set, a hollowed-out volcano lair, and the pivotal moment when Bond's arch-nemesis Ernst Stavro Blofeld first steps out of the shadows. Played here by Donald Pleasance in the character's first and greatest appearance, the short-lived but unforgettable performance created an evocative capitalization on the mystery surrounding 007's arch-villain, one whose absence would linger over most of the subsequent films. The final setpiece is a real barnstormer, with Roald Dahl's screenplay ushering in a new era of eccentric gadgets and villains for the hero.

8. Licence to Kill (1989)

If there's one entry in the Bond franchise that benefits from a marathon of the series, it's  Licence to Kill.  In a basket of oranges, this stands out as the poisoned apple of the bunch, an impressively daring follow-up to Dalton's already bold debut . Its plot begins a bit too ugly, with implied rape and dismemberment all being dished out in the first act. Soon, though, it settles into the sort of personal revenge thriller that  should have followed  On Her Majesty's Secret Service . As it stands here the final Dalton outing, which sees Bond suspended and striking out on his own is one of the series' most satisfyingly different . This entry eschews the typical aesthetics of the franchise, delving instead into the obsessive tenacity of a dangerous man who's lost one too many loved ones. Dalton really stakes his claim as the most under-celebrated 007 here; sure, he paints the character at his most hard-edged, but there's an aspect he brings to the character that never really existed before - genuine warmth. That quality is evident in his romance with Carey Lowell's Bond girl and in his rapport with Desmond Llewelyn's Q , who gets some enjoyable time in the field here. It all culminates with a rough and rowdy oil tanker showdown, and one of the most satisfying villain deaths in the series.

7. The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)

It all starts with that stellar opening stunt, then in comes the schmaltzy piano intro from Marvin Hamlisch's "Nobody Does It Better," hands-down the most swoony and romantic of all the Bond themes. From there, it's mostly smooth sailing through what is arguably one of the most important entries of the entire franchise. Fortunately, the film functions as a return to form following Moore's last outing, largely thanks to the re-hiring of  You Only Live Twice director Lewis Gilbert and series' MVP Ken Adam, whose production design outdoes itself with the final act's giant supertanker set. Ultimately, this adventure is a success because it gives Moore, always capable of playing a darker James Bond , constant conflict from his supporting cast. That's the case with Barbara Bach's Major Anya, whose uneasy alliance with 007 gives the story a crackling sense of tension.

Related: How Many People Craig's Bond Has To Kill To Become The Deadliest 007

6. Dr. No (1962)

From 007's punny quips to that iconic Monty Norman theme, it's incredible how much of the Bond aesthetic arrives fully formed in  Dr. No.  Of course, the greatest victory of all is the casting of Sean Connery, who crystallizes the sexy swagger, tongue-in-cheek sense of humor, and vicious danger of the spy right from his entrance. The series would expand with more scope and spectacle in subsequent films, but this is still one of the more tautly engaging entries, with its fair share of eye candy, from Adam's expansive sets to Ursula Andress' famed emergence from the Caribbean Sea in a white bikini.

5. From Russia With Love (1963)

One of the best sequels ever made (and Connery's, Dalton's, and Craig's favorite entry in the series ),  From Russia With Love is less a follow-up to  Dr. No as it is an alternate take on what a Bond film can be. Less jokey and more of a Cold War spy thriller, the hard-boiled grit of this entry wouldn't be seen again until Timothy Dalton and Daniel Craig resurrected it .  Connery is perfection, with a superb Bond girl in Daniela Bianchi and two series best villains in Lotte Lenya and Robert Shaw. The eleventh hour Hitchcockian train fight with Shaw still ranks as one of the best action sequences in any Bond outing, capping off a film that's 007 at its best.  From Russia With Love's formula of pulpy mystery, sensuality, globe-trotting, gadgetry, and movie star machismo has rarely been bettered.

4. Casino Royale (2006)

One of the many pleasures of a Bond rewatch is to experience the effect of how much of a pivot  Casino Royale was for the series. It's essentially a two-hour and 20 minute-long mic drop, the kickoff of the finest run the series has experienced since the Connery era. There was much resistance to Daniel Craig's casting, from his blond hair and blue eyes to his gruff, brooding demeanor. His Bond is without a doubt a gorilla of a man, leaping off scaffolding and propelling himself up with his tree-trunk arms, but the first hour embraces this fully with the kind of scrappy and brutish action beats, no doubt inspired by Jason Bourne , that simply doesn't exist in studio films with this budget level. By the time he's taken to the poker table, viewers are primed for a total reinvention and one that seamlessly melds the martinis, tailored tuxes, and dry witticisms they know and love with moments of genuine introspection. Dench's M finally gets some solid material and a sparring partner in Craig worth her weight, while Mads Mikkelsen's blood-weeping baddie is a nice tip of the hat to the quirky villains of old.

3. Goldfinger (1964)

Three movies in, Bond reached a perfect synthesis of the straight-faced silliness of  Dr. No and the ultra-cool spy thriller of  From Russia With Love.  Goldfinger  is the defining film of the Bond franchise for myriad reasons, from its increased use of gadgets to its often-imitated-but-never-equaled theme song. Its villain Goldfinger is the quintessential 007 baddie , with Oddjob one of the most beloved heavies. There's the Aston Martin, a bevy of memorable Ken Adam sets, and a Bond girl in Pussy Galore who straddles the line between having her own agenda and being seduced by her leading man. When that man is Sean Connery, it's hard to deny. In his third time in the role, he's as perfect a fit as a tailored tux from Saville Row, cementing his 007 as one of the most definitive movie star performances in history, and anchoring the series' most wholly entertaining offering.

Related: Martin Campbell Is Right About Craig's Disappointing James Bond Movies

2. On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)

Famed film critic Leonard Maltin once said that, if Connery weren't recast in  On Her Majesty's Secret Service , it would be the best of the Bond films. While it does feel strange to heap such praise on the film starring the only actor to play 007 just once, George Lazenby is also the best agent for this particular job. Sure, he flubs quips Connery would have knocked out of the park, but those asides also feel out of place in a film that is the most human in the series. Bond's coupling with Diana Rigg's Tracy gives the franchise a genuine love story, as well as its most tragic punch. Not only does the shattering ending teach Bond why he can never  really be human; it also shows why the series, beyond economical reasons, is doomed to go on forever. Lest the promise of romance and tragedy deter casual fans, rest assured the back half is a parade of thrilling action, with the battle between Bond and  Blofeld (Telly Savalas here) given its most raw, personal treatment. That's to say nothing of Michael Reed's cinematography (matched only by Deakins' work on  Skyfall ), nor of John Barry's doom-laden electronic score, which boasts Louis Armstrong's heartbreaking "We Have All the Time in the World" and the only instrumental theme which ever dared go toe-to-toe with Monty Norman's original.  On Her Majesty's Secret Service may be a very different Bond adventure, but it's also one of the best cinematic offerings the franchise has given viewers thus far.

1. Skyfall (2012)

The James Bond series has always been about aging; it just was never acknowledged. For Sean Connery and Roger Moore, it was business as usual in their final outings. Despite graying hair and wrinkled faces, they fired off one-liners, slipped into bed with significantly younger women and left the big stunts to their doubles. There's no hiding that with  Skyfall, which action and twists aside is entirely about old dogs, antiquated relics of a bygone era and about whether or not the world needs Bond anymore. That's a valid question to ask after 50 years of movies, but director Sam Mendes manages to answer with a firm, "More than ever." This is that rarest of things, a well-made, thoughtful, and gorgeous looking (thanks to cinematographer Roger Deakins) action film, one that boils the entire series down to its simplest pieces of iconography, trusting its emotional center to what has been its most dynamic relationship for a while now; Craig's Bond and Dench's M. Dench turns in awards-worthy work, as does Javier Bardem as Silva , the cyber-terrorist who would sow the seeds of distrust in M for Bond.  Skyfall  is the complete package - a satisfying mixture of the old and the new, both a celebration and reflection of all things 007.   James Bond will continue to return beyond No Time To Die , but it'll be difficult for the franchise to ever find as perfect a final resting place as  Skyfall.

Next: Daniel Craig Was Sure He Was Done As Bond After Spectre (Why He Returned)

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Every James Bond Movie, Ranked

The best of Bond. And the worst...

• 30 years experience at tech and consumer publications, print and online. Five years in the US Army as a translator (German and Polish).

There have been a lot of James Bond movies over the years.  The most famous secret agent on the planet has been a pop culture powerhouse for decades, through 25 movies to date. Some have been genuine masterpieces, others less so.

If you've watched all or many of the movies, you surely have a favorite. If you're new to 007 but Bond-curious, you may be looking to hit the stylish, stunt-spectacular highlights and avoid the groaning misfires. We're here to help you with that or to confirm/challenge your personal list of the best. The rankings below put all the Bond movies in order from worst to best, based on reviews by film critics over the years.

Daniel Craig brought us a new Bond for a new century, even as his first film in the franchise, Casino Royale, harked back to the Ian Fleming novel that introduced 007, way back in the 1950s. The Bond movies got started with Sean Connery , who first donned the dinner jacket and battled Spectre in Dr. No , which debuted in the UK in October 1962 but not in the US until May 1963 (making for an extended 60th anniversary). In the intervening years, we've seen spins on Bond from George Lazenby , Roger Moore , Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan. Your enthusiasm for each may vary.

Right now we're in limbo, waiting to find out who Eon Productions will call into action as the next new James Bond and how the man from MI6 might be reinvented yet again .

The rankings below are based on an aggregate of movie reviews , specific to when the films came out, as compiled by Metacritic. If you're looking for more background on Bond, and recommendations on where to start, check out our intro to James Bond .

You can now catch the Bond movies on Amazon's Prime Video subscription service, though you'll probably have to pay for a rental for anything that's not No Time to Die. Some of the Craig movies have been available through Netflix as well, and a wider selection of Bond movies have recently been showing up on the MGM Plus service (newly rebranded from Epix). HBO Max just reported for 007 duty, too, with about half the Bond movies available, including Dr. No, The Man With the Golden Gun (Roger Moore), The Living Daylights (Timothy Dalton), GoldenEye (Pierce Brosnan) and Craig's Casino Royale.

See also:   Being James Bond: How 007 Movies Got Me Into Intelligence Work

James Bond movies ranked, from worst to best

27. A View to a Kill

According to the critical consensus, Roger Moore isn't just the star of the worst James Bond movie -- this snowboarding 1985 entry -- he's the star of the worst James Bond movies, period. When combined and averaged, his 007 films produce a franchise-low Metascore of 53.7.

A View to a Kill was Moore's seventh and final 007 movie. His co-stars included Christopher Walken as gleefully murderous villain Max Zorin and Grace Jones as Bond baddie (and eventual ally) May Day. The plot that Bond has to foil: Zorin's scheme to destroy Silicon Valley so he can control the market for computer chips.

"The James Bond series has had its bummers, but nothing before in the class of this one," Pauline Kael wrote for The New Yorker.

Metascore: 40

26. The Man With the Golden Gun

As far as critics are concerned, this 1974 installment , Moore's second outing as 007, is another bottom-dweller in the James Bond franchise. "If you enjoyed the early Bond films as much as I did, you'd better skip this one," Nora Sayre wrote in The New York Times.

The Man With the Golden Gun , featuring Christopher Lee as the Bond villain and rival marksman Scaramanga and eventual Fantasy Island star Herve Villechaize as his henchman Nick Nack, grossed $97.6 million worldwide, the weakest box-office performance by any of the Roger Moore 007 films.

Metascore: 43

25. Casino Royale (1967)

This offbeat, comic entry features a multitude of actors as James Bond. But more 007s do not make things merrier -- or better. Variety called this version of Casino Royale "a film of astounding sloppiness" and "an insult to the Bond name." 

This is one of the two noncanonical, non-Eon films in our rundown. (And for Bond completists -- sorry, we're not including the 1954 television production of Casino Royale, which portrayed our hero as Jimmy Bond, and an American to boot.)

1967's Casino Royale , featuring David Niven, Peter Sellers and Orson Welles, grossed a Bond-worst $41.7 million worldwide.

Metascore: 48

24. Tomorrow Never Dies

The first of the four Pierce Brosnan Bond movies in this list gets credit for giving Michelle Yeoh an early Hollywood showcase -- but for little else. According to Salon's Charles Taylor, this 1997 movie "scores zero in suspense, wit or class."

When averaged, Brosnan's four James Bond movies post a 57.5 Metascore, the second-lowest among 007 actors who have starred in at least four movies. 

At the box office, Tomorrow Never Dies , featuring Jonathan Pryce as villain Elliot Carver, grossed $339.5 million worldwide. That's on par with, but on the low end of, the other films of the Brosnan era.

Metascore: 52

23. For Your Eyes Only

Critics are kinder, if still cool, to Roger Moore's fifth 007 adventure. In the Chicago Sun-Times, critic Roger Ebert wrote that the 1981 film "is a competent James Bond thriller. … But it's no more than that."

Aside from its reviews, For Your Eyes Only is a success of the Roger Moore era: It earned an Oscar nomination for its Sheena Easton-crooned title song, and it grossed $195.3 million worldwide -- the second-best box office showing for a Moore installment. 

Metascore: 54

21 (tie). The Spy Who Loved Me

Nominated for a franchise-best three Oscars, this 1977 Roger Moore adventure nonetheless rated mixed reviews from critics. "After the opening sequence," Newsweek's Maureen Orth wrote, "much of the action in The Spy Who Loved Me … is somewhat downhill."

The Spy Who Loved Me , featuring the first of two franchise appearances by Richard Kiel as the villainous Jaws, grossed $185.4 million worldwide, making it one of the biggest box office hits of its release year.   

Metascore: 55

21 (tie). Live and Let Die

Roger Moore's first James Bond movie is, well, another middling effort -- at least per the critics. In retrospect, this 1973 film may have suffered by comparison with the just-concluded Sean Connery era.

"Even the art direction -- long the Bond films' real secret weapon -- seems to have fallen to a shrunken budget," the Chicago Reader's Dave Kehr wrote. "Not much fun."

At the box office, Live and Let Die , co-starring Geoffrey Holder as the voodoo-practicing henchman Baron Samedi and Yaphet Kotto as head bad guy Katanga/Mr. Big, and featuring the hit title song by Paul McCartney's Wings, was a big step up from the Sean Connery film that preceded it, Diamonds Are Forever. Live and Let Die grossed $161.8 million worldwide.

20. Die Another Day

The final Pierce Brosnan James Bond film may have introduced the invisible car, but critics think of this 2002 film  as a retread, not an innovator. "Surely it will not be giving things away to tell you there's absolutely nothing new about the latest episode," Desson Thomson wrote in The Washington Post.

Co-starring then-reigning Oscar winner Halle Berry as Bond girl Jinx Johnson, with Monty Python's John Cleese as Q, and featuring the hit title track by Madonna, Die Another Day grossed more money than any other Pierce Brosnan 007 film: $431.9 million worldwide.

Metascore:  56

19. The World Is Not Enough

This 1998 film is the third Pierce Brosnan James Bond film. "This keeps one reasonably amused, titillated, and brain-dead for a little over two hours," Jonathan Rosenbaum wrote in the Chicago Reader.

The World Is Not Enough grossed a solid $361.7 million at the worldwide box office. It co-stars Robert Carlyle as the villain Renard, who feels no pain; Sophie Marceau as the strikingly conflicted Elektra King; and Denise Richards as a nuclear physicist. 

Metascore: 57

17 (tie). Licence to Kill

The second -- and final -- James Bond movie of the Timothy Dalton era gets good marks as an action movie, but not necessarily as a 007 movie. "James Bond might as well be any of a dozen movie cops," the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Joe Pollack wrote of this 1989 entry .

Licence to Kill , featuring Robert Davi as the drug lord villain Sanchez, Carey Lowell as Bond girl Pam Bouvier and a young Benicio del Toro as a henchman, grossed $156.2 million worldwide -- a big drop at the box office compared with Dalton's debut 007 film.

Metascore: 58

17 (tie). Quantum of Solace

This 2008 film is the worst-reviewed of the 007 Daniel Craig era. "Quantum of Solace may be explosive with images of fiery infernos," Film Threat's Jay Slater wrote, "but it's convoluted and confusing." 

On the whole, the Craig-led Bond films boast a Metascore average of 69.4, making his movies the second-best reviewed 007 movies of all time.

On one hand, Quantum of Solace , co-starring Mathieu Amalric as Bond villain Dominic Greene, is one of the biggest-grossing James Bond movies of all time, with $591.7 million in worldwide ticket sales. On the other hand, the film is the lowest-grossing James Bond film starring Daniel Craig. 

16. Diamonds Are Forever

The lowest-ranked Sean Connery film in this rundown is the Scotsman's sixth Bond project -- and the last one that the iconic star made before taking a 12-year 007 hiatus. According to critics, Diamonds Are Forever was evidence of a franchise in need of new blood. 

The New Yorker's Pauline Kael called the film an "unimaginative Bond picture that is often noisy when it means to be exciting."

Diamonds Are Forever co-stars Charles Gray as arch-villain Blofeld and Jill St. John as Bond girl Tiffany Case, and features Putter Smith and Bruce Glover as the archly menacing Mr. Kidd and Mr. Wint, respectively. Among the Sean Connery 007 installments, the movie grossed a middling $116 million worldwide.

Metascore: 59

14 (tie). Spectre

This 2015 Daniel Craig adventure  is "filled with big sets, big stunts, and what ought to be big moments," Matt Zoller Seitz noted for RogerEbert.com, "but few of them land."

Spectre co-stars Christoph Waltz in a new take on the old reliable Bond villain Blofeld, with Ralph Fiennes taking over as M, and like Skyfall, delves deeper into Bond's origin story. It grossed a whopping $879.6 million worldwide, the second-biggest take for the franchise.

Metascore: 60

14 (tie). The Living Daylights

This 1987 Timothy Dalton entry, the first of his two turns as James Bond, wins points from critics for not being a Roger Moore entry. "After the fizzle of the later Roger Moore Bonds," Empire's Kim Newman wrote, " The Living Daylights brings in a new 007 … who manages the Connery trick of seeming suave and tough at the same time."

The Living Daylights outgrossed its predecessor, Roger Moore's A View to a Kill, by nearly $40 million, for a worldwide box office total of $191.2 million.

12 (tie). On Her Majesty's Secret Service

This 1969 film, which marks George Lazenby's lone outing as James Bond , is a pretty good 007 entry, per critics. While the New Yorker's Pauline Kael found its star "quite a dull fellow," she called the movie "exciting."

On Her Majesty's Secret Service broke new ground: It featured a James Bond wedding, with Diana Rigg as 007's feisty but ill-fated bride, Tracy di Vincenzo. At the box office, though, the film fell flat with an $82 million worldwide gross.

Metascore: 61

12 (tie). You Only Live Twice

This 1967 entry marks Sean Connery's fifth outing as James Bond. Chicago Sun-Times critic Roger Ebert saw signs of wear: "Connery labors mightily," Ebert wrote.

For a Sean Connery James Bond movie,  You Only Live Twice  grossed a so-so $111.6 million worldwide. The film is nonetheless influential: Its cat-petting iteration of Blofeld (played by Donald Pleasence), complete with villain's hideaway in a volcano, inspired the Austin Powers franchise's Dr. Evil.  

11. Octopussy

According to critics, this 1983 film is Roger Moore's second-best James Bond movie. "It soars, all right, but it does it on automatic pilot," wrote Jay Scott for Toronto's Globe and Mail.

Octopussy , co-starring Maud Adams in her second franchise outing (after The Man with the Golden Gun), as the titular character, grossed a solid $187.5 million worldwide.

Metascore: 63

10. Thunderball

According to critics, this 1965 film is a lesser Sean Connery 007 entry, but a worthy entry overall. Wrote Empire's Kim Newman, the movie "effortlessly plies the glory Bond years, concluding with a stunning underwater battle."

Thunderball is the top-grossing Sean Connery 007 movie of the 1960s and 1970s: It took in $141.2 million in worldwide ticket sales. It also provided the template for Connery's final James Bond outing nearly two decades later, Never Say Never Again.

Metascore: 64

9. GoldenEye

The first Pierce Brosnan Bond movie is the best Pierce Brosnan Bond movie, per critics. "New Bond man Brosnan can't be faulted for much," Desson Thomson wrote in The Washington Post. "In this new venture, he's appropriately handsome, British-accented and suave."

GoldenEye featured Sean Bean as a double-0 agent turned bad guy, Famke Janssen as Bond girl Xenia Onatopp and Judi Dench in her first turn as Bond boss M. It grossed a then-huge $356.4 million worldwide. Pent-up demand may have helped: The 1995 film was the first James Bond movie since Timothy Dalton's License to Kill, released six years prior.

Metascore: 65

8. Moonraker

Released in 1979, two years after Star Wars changed just about everything in Hollywood, the fourth Roger Moore James Bond film sees 007 sent to outer space. Critics non-ironically cheered. "Moonraker is a satisfying blend of familiar ingredients,"  wrote The Washington Post's Gary Arnold.

Moonraker , co-starring Lois Chiles as astronaut Holly Goodhead (yes, really), is the ninth-biggest-grossing James Bond movie of all time, with $210.3 million in worldwide ticket sales. 

Overall, Moonraker is the best-reviewed Bond movie of the Moore era. 

Metascore: 66

6 (tie). Never Say Never Again

The top-grossing Sean Connery Bond movie, this 1983 film is also one of the better-reviewed Bond movies. 

Never Say Never Again marked Connery's final 007 appearance and, from a critical standpoint, seems to have benefited from having been released during the reviled tail end of the Roger Moore era. 

"It is good to see Connery's grave stylishness in this role again," Time's Richard Schickel wrote. "It makes Bond's cynicism and opportunism seem the product of genuine worldliness (and world weariness) as opposed to Roger Moore's mere twirpishness."

Despite the presence of Connery, who first embodied Bond on the big screen, this movie wasn't from Eon Productions, making it the second of the two non-canonical films in our list.

Metascore: 68

6 (tie). No Time to Die

The final film to star Daniel Craig as 007 has drawn largely positive reviews, following an extended wait for its release brought about by production delays and the coronavirus pandemic. With a running time of 2 hours, 43 minutes,  No Time to Die  is the longest Bond movie of them all.

"No Time to Die packs a quintessentially Bond punch while also taking huge risks with the aging character and decades-old formula," Richard Trenholm said in CNET's No Time to Die review . "Every Bond film markets itself as a fresh twist, but No Time to Die is genuinely bonkers at how far it goes." 

 Or put more simply: "James Bond finally gets a life." 

The first James Bond feature film , released in 1962 (though it didn't arrive in the United States until 1963), is one of the best James Bond movies, per critics. "Sean Connery excellently puts over a cool, fearless, on-the-ball, fictional Secret Service guy," Variety praised.

Dr. No , featuring Ursula Andress as original Bond girl Honey Ryder (yes, really), was one of 1963's Top 10 box office hits. It grossed $59.6 million worldwide.

Metascore: 78

4. Casino Royale

The first Daniel Craig James Bond movie, Casino Royale blew away critics with its new take on the spy saga. "[Craig's] Bond is at least the equal of the best ones before him, and beats all of them in sheer intensity," The Wall Street Journal's Joe Morgenstern raved.

The opening minutes of the film reveal how Bond earned his double-0 rating, and for fans of the Ian Fleming novels, it manages to both stay true to the 1953 book and adapt that story for audiences a half-century later.

The 2006 film grossed a then-franchise-best $594.4 million worldwide. 

Metascore: 80

The top-grossing James Bond movie to date, with a worldwide take of more than $1.1 billion, this 2012 film is, according to critics, the best Daniel Craig 007 movie -- and that's not all.  

" Skyfall is one of the best Bonds in the 50-year history of moviedom's most successful franchise," James Adams wrote in Toronto's Globe and Mail.

The film won the series' first two Oscars since 1964's Goldfinger; it claimed statuettes for sound editing and for Adele's title song. 

Metascore: 81

2. From Russia With Love

The second James Bond movie is, per the critical consensus, the second-best James Bond movie ever. The New Yorker's fabled Pauline Kael praised the 1963 release : "Exciting, handsomely staged, and campy."

From Russia With Love , featuring Lotte Lenya as Bond baddie Rosa Klebb and Robert Shaw as the Spectre assassin gunning for Bond, grossed $78.9 million worldwide, a take that represented significant growth over Dr. No, and firmly established 007 as a franchise to watch.

Metascore: 83

1. Goldfinger

Here it is: This 1964 Sean Connery entry is, per the critical consensus, the best James Bond movie. It had all the elements we've come to expect: the megalomaniac villain with an outrageous and murderous scheme, the henchman with a quirky method for killing (Oddjob and his hat), big set pieces with extravagant action, Bond in a dinner jacket.

"Larger than life, faintly ridiculous, completely cool, Goldfinger is the quintessential James Bond movie," Empire's Ian Freer wrote.

The film grossed a then-franchise-best $124.9 million worldwide and won the franchise's first Oscar (for sound effects). 

When Connery's seven 007 movies are taken together, the average Metascore comes in at 71.4, making his run the undisputed leader among Bond movies.

Metascore: 87

James Bond movies in chronological order

In the official Bond canon -- the films made by Eon Productions -- there are 25 films, including No Time to Die. Because of licensing issues, there were two other, non-canonical movies: the 1967 version of Casino Royale, and Sean Connery's final outing, 1983's Never Say Never Again.

Sean Connery

• Dr. No (1962)
• From Russia With Love (1963)
• Goldfinger (1964)
• Thunderball (1965)
• You Only Live Twice (1967)

David Niven, among others

• Casino Royale (1967)

George Lazenby

• On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)

Sean Connery, first comeback

• Diamonds Are Forever (1971)

Roger Moore

• Live and Let Die (1973)
• The Man With the Golden Gun (1974)
• The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
• Moonraker (1979)
• For Your Eyes Only (1981)

Sean Connery, second comeback

• Never Say Never Again (1983)

Roger Moore, still on his run

• Octopussy (1983)
• A View to a Kill (1985)

Timothy Dalton

• The Living Daylights (1987)
• Licence to Kill (1989)

Pierce Brosnan

• GoldenEye (1995)
• Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
• The World Is Not Enough (1999)
• Die Another Day (2002)

Daniel Craig

• Casino Royale (2006)
• Quantum of Solace (2008)
• Skyfall (2012)
• Spectre (2015)
• No Time to Die (2021)

Best James Bond films: Every Bond Movie Ranked Best to Worst

We run down the best James Bond films. Where does the latest film No Time To Die rank? And is the original movie, Dr. No, the best?

Everyone has an opinion on what the best James Bond films are. And also which ones are the worst!

Harry Potter movies ranked Oscar Best Picture winners ranked Spider-Man movies ranked 25 best movie posters ranked Disney’s animated movies ranked Mission: Impossible movies ranked

Dr. No , the very first Bond movie, was released on 5 October 1962. But where does the original rank in our list? And what about No Time To Die , the latest in the long-running series. As fans of the series, we should add that every Bond movie has something going for it! 

Every fan is hoping the makers get a move on and finally cast the next James Bond and get shooting a new movie.

We've stuck to the official Bonds, so no Never Say Never Again (1983), which to be frank isn't a huge loss. In our latest update, we've added in some fun facts about each film, plus who the main villains were in each film. Here's our verdict...

25. The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)

Great title. Great villain. But, sadly, not a great film. Christopher Lee is terrific as assassin Francisco Scaramanga, aka the man with the golden gun. The movie goes up several gears every time he's on-screen, but the rest of it is largely forgettable. It does, though, feature a quite wonderful stunt where Bond's car does a full 360 in mid-air to clear a river. And the Bond v Scaramanga shoot-out is entertaining at the end.

Villain: Francisco Scaramanga (Christopher Lee). Fact: "The Man with the Golden Gun", first published in 1965, was Ian Fleming's final James Bond novel.

24. Live and Let Die (1973)

Roger Moore's first outing as 007 is entertaining enough while still very much at the bottom of our list. Bond battling a drug lord isn't nearly as much fun as him trying to destroy a volcanic lair. The theme song performed by Wings is probably the best thing about the whole movie.  Well, that and the scene where Bond uses some nifty footwork to escape some very hungry crocodiles.

Villain: Kananga (Yaphet Kotto), Tee Hee (Julius Harris) Fact: The famous crocodile skipping scene used real crocs and took 5 very dangerous takes by the stuntman Ross Kananga to perfect.

23. Die Another Day (2002)

Is the invisible car ridiculous? Yes, but it’s also a lot of fun. What’s really a drag is the rather downbeat opening. Nothing quite adds up and there are far too many crazy stunts. However, there are some great lines, especially… Bond: "You know, you’re cleverer than you look". Q [John Cleese]: “Still, better than looking cleverer than you are” Ouch! 

And yes, this is the one where Madonna is a fencing instructor. The less said about that the better, but this film isn't nearly as bad as people remember. Judi Dench is always good value as M, while Tophy Stephens makes a half decent villain as Gustav Graves. Plus Rosamund Pike and Halle Berry have their moments.

Villain: Gustav Graves (Toby Stephens). Fact: The North Korean beach scenes were filmed in Cornwall, England!

22. Moonraker (1979)

Hmmm. Hugo Drax makes a rather dull villain, while Jaws, brought back after sparkling in The Spy Who Loved Me , completely loses his menace and even falls in love! All the fighting in space is fairly laughable, at least Q gets to make a good gag at the end. The theme song is rather dreary to boot.

Villain: Hugo Drax (Michael Lonsdale) Fact: Bernard Lee made his final appearance as M.

21. For Your Eyes Only (1981)

After the craziness of Moonraker , For Your Eyes Only feels unusually serious for a Roger Moore Bond. The plot's pretty good, with a neat twist. Moore, though, sparkles as Bond when there's plenty of jokes about and this film rather lacks them. The attack on the clifftop monastery base is good fun at the end. While Sheena Easton's theme song is a corker.

Villains: Kristatos (Julian Glover), Locque (Michael Gothard). Fact: Singer Sheena Easton is seen in the main title sequence, the first time a performer is featured in it. 

20. The World Is Not Enough (1999)

An enjoyable Pierce Brosnan adventure, which sees the relationship between Bond and Judi Dench’s M develop. Robbie Coltrane makes a welcome return as Zukovsky, and there’s a slightly bizarre cameo by Goldie! Robert Carlyle isn't exciting as the villain, but the relationship between Bond and Elektra King makes the film. Notable for sadly being Desmond Llewelyn’s last appearance as Q. Llewelyn played the role in 17 of the movies.

Villains: Renard (Robert Carlyle), Valentin Zukovsky (Robbie Coltrane), Bull (Goldie). Fact: Robbie Coltrane celebrated his 49th birthday during filming.

19. Diamonds Are Forever (1971)

Sean Connery was tempted back for one last outing as 007 (not counting Never Say Never Again !). Should he have bothered? Well, he's still great as 007 even though it's not as magical as his earlier performances. Charles Gray as Blofeld is sadly about as scary as Dr. Evil in the Austin Powers film series. In fact, this is arguably the worst villain of the lot. Great theme song though performed by Shirley Bassey. 

Villains: Blofeld (Charles Gray), Mr Kidd (Putter Smith), Mr Wint (Bruce Glover) Fact: Sammy Davis Jr makes a cameo.

18. A View to a Kill (1985)

Blimey, Roger Moore is looking a bit old by this point, can he actually climb all those stairs on the Eiffel Tower?! Still, Moore remains great fun in his final outing. And the whole thing is hugely helped by Christopher Walken and Grace Jones being fab as baddies Max Zorin and May Day. While it sags a bit in the middle, the ending over the Golden Gate Bridge is spectacular and Duran Duran's theme tune is a corker.

Villain: Max Zorin (Christopher Walken). Fact: Lois Maxwell made her final appearance as Miss Moneypenny.

17. No Time to Die (2021)

The first 15 minutes are absolutely brilliant and then... well, it slows down and never quite recovers in a movie that is way too long. Daniel Craig is enthralling throughout but again the baddie is forgettable. Plus, the whole tone of the film is so downbeat, come on we want some fun! As for the ending, well we won't spoil it other than to say "Why do that"? Perhaps this was one Bond film too many for Craig. Villains: Lyutsifer Safin (Rami Malek) Fact: During the famous opening gun barrel sequence there's no blood.

16. Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)

Doesn't match the zip of Pierce Brosnan’s first outing as Bond in GoldenEy e, but is still very watchable. You have to love the remote-controlled car, while Jonathan Pryce makes a decent villain as media baron Elliot Carver. However, the best part of the film is the wonderful Dr. Kaufman, a deliciously meticulous assassin who’s somehow highly amusing! He delights in telling Bond how brilliant he is before, obviously, winding up dead. Shame he didn't get more screen time.

Villains: Elliot Carver (Jonathan Pryce), Dr Kaufman (Vincent Schiavelli) Fact: Bond gets a new gun, The Walther P99.

15. Quantum of Solace (2008)

At just one hour and 46 minutes, this is easily the shortest of Craig's Bond outings and the short length does inject some pace into the action. With Bond on another revenge mission, his investigation leads him to Dominic Greene, who's part of the mysterious Quantum organization. Never comes close to the heights of Casino Royale , but still very watchable. Villain: Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric). Fact: The title is the name of a short story by Ian Fleming.

14. Licence to Kill (1989)

Erm, perhaps Timothy Dalton's 007 gets a bit too serious. Bond is out for revenge and it's great when Q finally pops up as it gives it a bit of light relief. Still, it's a pretty good thriller, and watch out for a young Benicio del Toro as a henchman. Dalton also makes a highly engaging Bond, but sadly this was his last outing.

Villains: Franz Sanchez (Robert Davi), Dario (Benicio Del Toro). Fact: It was originally titled Licence Revoked.

13. Octopussy (1983)

Terrific fun right from the start, especially the scene where Bond almost gives a government official a heart attack by bidding thousands for a Fabergé egg! And it's hard to argue with a film that ultimately sees Roger Moore dressed up as a clown while he attempts to disarm a nuclear bomb! Even Q gets in the act here, helping Bond out by flying into battle on a hot air balloon. There's also a great action scene on top of a train that has echoes of the train sequence in Paddington 2 .

Villains: Kamal Khan (Louis Jourdan), Gobinda (Kabir Bedi), Orlov (Steven Berkoff) Fact: Maud Adams, who played the title character, appeared in multiple Bond films. 

12. You Only Live Twice (1967)

The screenplay by Roald Dahl sees Bond head to Japan to investigate why American and Russian spacecraft keep going missing. A certain Ernst Stavro Blofeld is behind the plot and is here wonderfully played by Donald Pleasence, who remains the best Blofeld. You can actually imagine him trying to take over the world!

As Bond and Blofeld come face-to-face at last, the master villain tells 007: "You only live twice Mr Bond." 

The rather ponderous middle section of the film stops it ranking higher up our list. But it has a great ending as Bond sets about destroying Blofeld's volcano lair. Villain: Blofeld (Donald Pleasence). Fact: The sumo wrestling match is real.

11. Spectre (2015)

Contains spoilers! Yep, it was cinema's worst kept secret that Blofeld (Christoph Waltz) was returning and seeking world domination, as ever. However, ultimately the baddie side of the film doesn't quite live up to expectations. 

The rest of the tale, though, is enthralling as Bond seeks to put all the pieces of the puzzle together. Léa Seydoux is great as Dr Madeleine Swann, who reluctantly partners Bond. Moneypenny (Naomie Harris), Q (Ben Whishaw), and M (Ralph Fiennes) all slowly work out Bond might be onto something.

Special mention must go to the brilliant opening sequence which sees Bond hunt down a foe in brutal fashion in Mexico City on the Day of the Dead.

Villains: Blofeld (Christoph Waltz), C (Andrew Scott). Fact: Gary Oldman was one of the actors considered for the part of Blofeld.

10. Thunderball (1965)

Connery is still on fine form as SPECTRE's latest dastardly plan sees them nicking two atomic bombs. Well, one is never enough! Emilio Largo is a suitably menacing villain and you certainly wouldn't want to take a dip in his shark pool! The jetpack is a lot of fun, but the underwater fight scenes drag somewhat, while the speeding boat scene at the end hasn't aged well. Villains: Largo (Adolfo Celi), Count Lippe (Guy Dolmen). Fact: During the shark swimming pool scene, despite protective measures a shark got through, leading to a swift exit from the pool by Connery!

9. On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)

Is George Lazenby any good as Bond? Well, his one effort certainly goes down as one of the best Bond films.

The late Diana Rigg is truly magnificent as Contessa Teresa di Vicenzo — a glamorous name completely ruined when Bond calls her Tracy! It's the one where Bond falls in love, of course, and this makes it the only 007 film (maybe Skyfall ?) that is genuinely sad as Tracy slips away from him. 

There are some great stunts and Telly Savalas is good value as Blofeld. Not sure about all the scenes with 007 in a kilt and Lazenby at the end of the day is no Sean Connery. However, he does make for a different type of Bond and maybe he was the right man for this story.

Villains: Blofeld (Telly Savalas), Irma Bunt (Ilse Steppat).  Fact: Diana Rigg did not eat garlic on purpose to put off George Lazenby during romantic scenes. However, it's fair to say the pair didn't exactly hit off!

8. Skyfall (2012)

This film really comes alive in its final act as Bond and M head to Skyfall, his childhood home. Silva, a brilliant villain played by Javier Bardem, then launches a huge attack on Skyfall as he tries to gain revenge on M. It leads to some brilliant scenes between Bond and M leading up to the unthinkable happening. Add into a mix a great theme song from Adele and you have a corking Bond. 

Villain: Silva (Javier Bardem) Fact: A shot of James Bond composer John Barrie's former house features in the movie, doubling for a property owned by M.

7. The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)

Easily Roger Moore's best Bond movie. And it's worth a top 10 spot just for the moment Bond looks like he’s about to plunge to his death only for his Union Jack parachute to shoot out! Still the best stunt. 

There’s so much to enjoy — from a great villain in Jaws to the fabulous moment the underwater car emerges on a beach and 007 cooly lobs out a fish!

Much of the action also takes place in Egypt, with the pyramids acting as a great backdrop. Plus Roger Moore and Barbara Bach, who plays Soviet agent XXX, have a great chemistry.

Villain: Jaws (Richard Kiel), Stromberg (Curd Jurgens). Fact: The iconic ski jump stunt was performed by stuntman Rick Sylvester (obviously not Roger Moore!) from Mount Asgard in Canada.

6. Dr. No (1962)

Sean Connery is introduced as Bond in one of cinema’s truly iconic scenes. "I admire your courage, Miss, er…” "Trench, Sylvia Trench, I admire your luck, Mr…" "Bond, James Bond.” Magic! 

Connery just oozes class as Bond; while Ursula Andress is great as Honey Ryder with Joseph Wiseman suitably villainous as Dr. No. It’s a shame we don’t see a little more of Dr. No, who berates Bond for being “just a stupid policeman".

Villain: Dr. No (Joseph Wiseman). Fact: It's the only Bond movie without a pre-title sequence.

5. GoldenEye (1995)

Pierce Brosnan’s first and best outing as 007 opens in spectacular style as he bungees jumps off a dam and the film cracks along at a ferocious pace. Great turns by Sean Bean and Robbie Coltrane only add to the enjoyment. Plus we get our first introduction to Judie Dench’s brilliant M. 

Throw in some great gadgets from Q, a belter of a theme tune sung by Tina Turner, and you've got yourself one of the best James Bond films going. Oh, and the GoldenEye computer game for the Nintendo 64 was rather special.

Villains: Alec Trevelyan (Sean Bean), Xenia Onatopp (Famke Janssen), Boris Grishenko (Alan Cumming). Fact: Goldeneye is the name of Ian Fleming's estate on Jamaica where he wrote all his Bond novels.

4. Casino Royale (2006)

Before its release there was some grumblings over whether Daniel Craig would be any good as Bond, well he gave his critics an emphatic answer! He's fantastic as Bond and gives real depth to the character as he falls for Eva Green's Vesper Lynd. Mads Mikkelsen is also a great villain as Le Chiffre, who turns out to be a terrible poker player. Add in the memorable foot chase across scaffolding, and you have one of the best Bond films of all-time.

Villain: Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen). Fact: Daniel Craig was initially unsure about taking the part but was won over by the script.

3. The Living Daylights (1987)

OK, this might be controversial. But The Living Daylights is brilliant! And we reckon it deserves to be this high on our best James Bonds films list!! Timothy Dalton makes an exceptional debut as 007 and it's a shame he only ended up making two films. 

After the fun of Roger Moore, he brings a seriousness back to the part and heads off on a cracking Cold War thriller. And there’s fun too, check out a baddie dispatching people with explosive milk bottles! Plus we love Bond hurtling down a snowy hill in a cello case. Inspired!!

Villains: General Georgia Koskov (Jeroen Krabbé), Brad Whitaker (Joe Don Baker). Fact: Princess Diana visited the set.

2. Goldfinger (1964)

Auric Goldfinger is our favorite villain, and he has the honor of delivering the best line in the whole series. As Bond has a laser beam heading for a very uncomfortable place, he pleads with Goldfinger: "Do you expect me to talk" to which Goldfinger smirkingly replies: "No Mr. Bond, I expect you to die." 

There's a string of great scenes between the pair, especially their golf match, which ends with hat-throwing henchman Oddjob crushing a golf ball! Throw in Honor Blackman as Pussy Galore, Shirley Bassey's cracking theme song, and an audacious raid on Fort Knox and you have all the ingredients for a fantastic Bond movie.

Villains: Auric Goldfinger (Gert Frobe), Oddjob (Harold Sakata) Fact: Goldfinger was the first Bond movie to win an Oscar, winning for best Sound Effects.

1. From Russia with Love (1963)

Bond at its very best. Sean Connery is on top form as 007, delivering some magical lines, particularly declaring: "She had her kicks" after the demise of knife-kicking baddie Rosa Klebb. It also has arguably the greatest plot of the series as SPECTRE devilishly plays MI6 against the Russians to acquire a Lektor machine. 

It's also notable for the first appearance of Blofeld (although you don't see him fully) in the movies and Desmond Llewelyn as Q. And to cap it all off there's a quite brilliant fight sequence on a train between 007 and assassin Grant. Perfection.

Villains: Rosa Klebb (Lotte Lenya), Grant (Robert Shaw), Kronsteen (Vladek Sheybal). Fact: Pedro Armendariz, who plays Bond’s ally Kerim Bey, was dying of cancer during the making of the movie, but was determined to finish filming.

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David is the What To Watch Editor and has over 20 years of experience in television journalism. He is currently writing about the latest television and film news for What To Watch.

Before working for What To Watch, David spent many years working for TV Times magazine, interviewing some of television's most famous stars including Hollywood actor Kiefer Sutherland, singer Lionel Richie and wildlife legend Sir David Attenborough. 

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All 25 James Bond Movies Ranked From Worst To Best

In 2022 the James Bond franchise celebrates its 60th anniversary.

When it comes to 007, aside from women wanting him and men wanting to be him, he has always managed to reinvent himself throughout the generations whilst staying true to the enduring qualities that make up his character: adventure, class, and most importantly heroism – something that will forever remain in fashion, and audiences will never tire of seeing on the big screen.

Although this list is a ranking of sorts, let me be clear. There are no bad Bond films – only good ones and great ones. Much merit is to be found in every Eon instalment. These days we have quite the wait between each film, with a likely longer drought ahead of us as one era ends and a new one is yet to begin. In the meantime, its gives me great pleasure to look back on the world’s oldest cinematic franchise – the first ever blockbusters – the screen adventures of the coolest agent ever. Mr Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Bond. James Bond…

25. Die Another Day (2002)

Nearly 20 years have passed since the 20th Bond film celebrated the franchise’s ruby anniversary. Peirce Brosnan was back in his forth and untoward final outing as 007. After being captured and imprisoned in North Korea, a disavowed Bond must team up with swanky NSA agent Jinx (Hallie Berry) to stop madman Sir Gustave Graves (Toby Stephens) from using his satellite laser weapon. What follows is the premise for what would have proved a very decent video game, but thanks to floundering execution by director Lee Tamahori, ends up being an uncouth mess of cartoon whiz. Its overblown reliance on CGI, from Bond surfing on a Tsunami, to an invisible Aston Martin, seems not only a misstep with its fantastical tone after the changed world of 9/11, but a grievous moment of infamy for a franchise renowned for its jaw-dropping signature stunt work.

That being said, if you can swallow the telegraphed lines of uninspired dialogue – “yo mama” – the slavish aping of the franchise’s greatest moments, and even endure Madonna, with her awkward shoehorned cameo and non-Bondian theme that would set up an uncharacteristic lacklustre techno-soundtrack by David Arnold, there are nuggets of greatness to be enjoyed. Brosnan is great as Bond. Though he may not have found a definitive voice to the character as previous actors had, it would be hard to say that the man did not embody the charm and sophistication needed to play 007.

Meanwhile, the gothic ice-palace is a fun location; the hovercraft chase is interesting; Rosamund Pike’s Miranda Frost is welcome, and the gadgets, no matter how tacky, have excellent payoffs throughout the film, with the Aston-v-Jaguar chase on a frozen Icelandic lake being the film’s highlight. Yes, the villain is wearing what appears to be a Power Ranger’s suit. Yes, another villain has diamonds spangled across his face. Yes, Miss Moneypenny indulges in a VR-inspired wet dream. But despite being somewhat of a misfire, this film has its moments.

24. The World is Not Enough (1999)

Though not as offensive as Die Another Day (2002), its predecessor, The World is Not Enough, manages to be a very standard inoffensive Bond adventure. All the boxes are ticked of what one wants, but no feat is surpassed, and the film lacks an overall identity that fails to make it, well – memorable. In his third outing as 007, Peirce Brosnan’s Bond must protect oil heiress Elektra King (Sophie Marceau) from terrorist Victor Zokas, a man who does not feel pain – all whilst endeavouring to prevent an attack on a Trans-Asian pipeline.

The film overall acquires a vanilla quality, saved by the sprinkling of some fun moments: the opening boat chase across the River Thames, the return of Robbie Coltrane as Valentin Zukovsky (a loveable side-character first seen in Brosnan’s Goldeneye), a fight sequence in a caviar factory, and the outlandish idea of Bond girl Denise Richards playing Dr. Christmas Jones, a nuclear physicist… But the most brilliant scene for any-long-term fan has to be Desmond Llewellyn’s last appearance as the affable Q, who played the cranky quartermaster 23 times.

23. Quantum of Solace (2008)

Following one of the finest Bond films ever made, Quantum of Solace was always going to face an uphill battle. That, and produced amidst a writer strike, where dialogue was being written on the set, Daniel Craig’s second Bond film comes as a haphazard affair.

Acting as a direct coda to Casino Royale (2006) the film works best when seen as a sequential follow-up, for the thematic thread of vengeance carries through in this story where 007 must stop a renegade environmentalist from monopolizing Bolivia’s water supply. Though his plan was scoffed at by viewers at the time, the premise of capitalizing on water in an age of climate change remains an apposite choice today, suiting the grounded first-half of Craig’s brooding tenure as 007. Yet director Marc Forster leans into this tone a bit too much, offering the far from glamorous locations of Bolivia’s deserts and caves, whilst also taking inspiration from the Borne films in his quick cuts and edits that feel so unleashed at times it can be difficult to make sense of what is going on.

Jack White and Alica Keys were poor choices to pen a Bond theme, whilst Mathieu Amalric’s Dominic Green is a suitable slimbeball, nothing more. The strength of this film lies with its women – from Gemma Arteton’s wry Strawberry Fields to Olga Kurylenko’s cool and capable Camille Montes. Yet perhaps the real standout is Craig’s wardrobe and the sartorial smart-casual look Bond sports, along with some snappy Tom Ford designs that give one a variety of choice to dress up like 007 without needing to seize a tux.

22. Diamond Are Forever (1971)

On the trail for stolen diamonds, James Bond (Sean Connery) must confront Ernst Stavro Blofeld (Charles Gray), who intends to force the nations of the world to give up their weapons and be at the mastermind’s mercy. A disenfranchised Connery was lured back one final time to play the secret agent that made his name for a then-record $1.25 million salary. Sadly, a now older, portly Connery lacked the willingness to give an energised performance, providing a lacking portrayal. His supporting cast, however, help raise the film, with Jill St. John’s ditzy Tiffany Case and the ever-camp Charles Gray. Mr Wint and Kidd (Bruce Glover and Putter Smith) are villainous additions too. To set a Bond film in Las Vegas seems like an inclined choice, naturally giving the film a sordid sleazy vibe that is not opposed to the tongue-in-cheek nature of its overall tone, with Blofeld at one point disguised in drag.

To some, this film might be disappointing when knowing what could have been, expecting a grand showdown between Bond and his nemesis after Blofeld – spoiler – killed his wife in the previous entry. But such continuity between films is dusted away with in favour of Connery’s return and an effort to capture what audiences knew and loved. Nevertheless, if you accept Diamonds Are Forever for what it is – a camp garish romp, then plenty (O’Toole) of fun is to be had, propped up by some of the finest zingers of the series by screenwriter Tom Mankiewicz and a stupendous score by the great 007 composer John Barry, who can somehow equate sound to the glistening of diamonds – beautifully matched against a luscious theme song by Shirley Bassey that is just the right amount of dirty for this ribald racy romp.

21. For Your Eyes Only (1981)

James Bond (Roger Moore) is pitted against the Russians in a scrambled hunt for a sunken spy ship that contains the ATAC device – an instrument that, in the wrong hands, could prove troublesome to the British navy. After the previous entry took 007’s fantastical tone to the limit by propelling the MI6 agent into outer space (more – or Moore – on this later) producer and Eon Head Honcho Cubby Broccoli decided the franchise needed to steer less towards the stars and return to the grounded reality of the Ian Fleming novels.

This is certainly the most grounded film in Moore’s tenure – no supercars here, only a battered citroën as an impromptu getaway in an awesome car chase in Corfu, along with the climax being Bond teaming up with a small band of avengers reminiscent of a WW2 operation, scaling the mountain retreat of villain Kirstatos (a lamentably wasted Julian Glover). Moore’s Bond was known for capturing the more humorous side of the character, but here the actor proves himself as a consummate performer. He can do humour, yes; be the ultimate ladies man – but here is his turn as Fleming’s Bond, a man grounded with the pain and weight of vengeance, who deals the brutal reality of being a killer to a young Melina Havelock (Carole Bouquet).

That being said, this is a Roger Moore Bond film, so is there still a healthy smattering of fun, from a talking parrot to a teenager ice-skater infatuated with a then 53-year-old Moore, to a bizarre cameo by Margret Thatcher. Bill Conti does a terrific job as composer, capturing with wah-wah guitars the funky discotheque sound of the burgeoning 1980s. It is unlikely to be the first Moore film you will reach for, but it is certainly a worthy addition to Eon’s rich 007 canon.

20. Moonraker (1979)

007 goes to space – a premise so bonkers how could you possibly not want to see it? In this stratospheric instalment Roger Moore’s Bond must thwart Sir Hugo Drax (Michael Longsdale) a megalomaniacal billionaire intending to wipe out humanity and replace it with his very own master race, cultivated in his own private space station. Unlike the novel, which was set entirely in England, the film capitalized on the popularity of Star Wars by launching their hero among the stars. Whilst the third act is hilariously bombastic and outlandish, there is a nice natural momentum from the grounded to the fantastical that leads into its cartoonish off-the-wall space-stationed splendour, with laser guns galore.

With any other Bond it would be something to pooh-pooh at, but with Moore’s fantastical turn as 007 it seems like a very natural progression for his outlandish tenure. Meanwhile, Michael Longsdale is an excellent Bond villain, his seemingly drab demeanour concealing a raging fanatic, and with such a mellifluous voice he very well makes the offer of a cucumber sandwich one of the most menacing lines in the series. Lois Chiles as Dr. Holly Goodhead is a welcome, smart and capable addition who can hold her own against Bond’s scepticism.

John Barry is back as our composer, this time delivering a sensuous operatic score that compliments Shirley Bassey’s theme – admittedly the lesser of her three Bond songs, but a good one none the less. We even have the return of fan favourite henchman Jaws, spoilt slightly from his sudden turn from baddie to goodie for the enamoured child-viewer to root for. But overall Moonkraker appeals to the child within us all. It’s James Bond – in space! There is no other Bond film that knows how daft it is. And this film is balls-to-the-wall fun because of it, putting it in the top 20.

19. Goldeneye (1995)

From the overblown Moonraker we come to the overrated Goldeneye. To be sure, a controversial choice for many fans, but let me explain. Goldeneye is not a bad Bond film – it is actually a very good Bond film – but one, without its popular video game that won a legion of fanboys, I’m unsure whether would have garnered as much popularity over the years as it did. But Peirce Brosnan’s first outing as Bond sees him at his grittiest, grounded and best. Here he must stop Goldeneye, a high-tech satellite weapon that could destroy all electronic circuits from falling into Russian rebel hands. A

few things let this outing down: extraneous padded sub-plots with dull side-characters who have a tiresome fascination for their 90s tech, Èric Serra’s middling hip-hop score, and 007 driving a BMW – a far from worthy successor to Aston Martin. That being said, Goldeneye is overall rich with its excellent supporting cast: Sean Bean’s sneering Alec Trevelyan, a former 006, Framke Janssen’s sumptuous sadist Xenia Onatopp with her trademark killer thighs (pun most defiantly intended) – and – the olive in the martini – Judi Dench as M, playing a bollicking queen of hearts who is not afraid to put Bond in his place. And let us not forget Tina Turner’s theme – simply one of the best.

18. A View to a Kill (1985)

At 57-year-old Roger Moore bowed out as Bond in A View to a Kill, squaring off against software tycoon Max Zorrin (Christopher Walken), a super villain who intends to destroy Silicon Valley in his greedy bid to wipe out his rival businessmen. Though Moore may be a bit long in the tooth, he still exudes the grace, suaveness and charm that makes him one of the finest Bonds in the franchise. His team up with Ex-Avenger Patrick Mower as Sir Godfrey Tibbet is both endearing and downright hilarious to think that these two ailing gents are her Majesty’s finest operatives. But go with the absurdity and you’ll have a great time. Because of his age a fatherly quality can be found in Moore’s performance when he is matched with his much younger Bond girl Stacey Sutton (Tanya Roberts), even taking time to cook her a quiche.

If the film had leaned into this interesting aspect, it could have ranked much higher. But there is still plenty of entertainment to be had. Walken as a mad tycoon is everything you would wish for and feels fitting among Moore’s rogues’ gallery, complimented by Grace Jones’s iconic Mayday. And if that wasn’t 80s enough, Duran Duran provides a killer theme.

17. Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)

Peirce Brosnan’s second outing as 007 sees him going against mad media mogul Elliot Carver (Johnathan Pryce), who has initiated a military crisis between Great Britain and China merely for his own greedy purposes to acquire the scoops and headlines for his newspaper “Tomorrow”. This films seems to reach the zenith of the Brosnan era – not too grounded and self-serious like Goldeneye but not too crazy like Die Another Day.

Pryce plays a wonderfully hammy villain, embodying the mad newspaper men in our own reality who run and shape the world into their own image and sensibilities. Such an adversary very much speaks to our own modern media-saturated times. Teri Hatcher lends a smouldering sense of pathos as one of Bond’s former flames whilst Michelle Yeoh as Wai Lin is a cool Chinese agent who helps raise Bond’s game, as well as other things. Director Roger Spottiswoode delivers an easy globe-trotting adventure, spoiling the audience rotten with a confectionary of exciting locations from England, France, Germany, Thailand and more. It’s a Bond film that will transport you and give you an easy ride, one that simply aims to be a breezy adventure.

16. The Living Daylights (1987)

Tasked with protecting a defected Russian agent, James Bond (Timothy Dalton) is soon embroiled in a plot to ship weapons to deadly mercenaries in what was the actor’s first outing as 007. Dalton, with his Shakespearian credentials, mines the character of Bond and his dark side like no actor before him, paving the way for Daniel Craig’s grittier portrayal in years to come and being the first actor who captured the true character of what Ian Fleming envisioned. There is a Byronic quality to Dalton’s performance, particularly when falling for Maryam D’Abo’s Kara Milovy. Additionally, plenty of Fleming titbits are found from the author’s short stories, satisfying fans of the canon.

There are standout original moments too – the Aston Martin V8 at times rivals the fan-favourite DB5, and John Barry is our composer for the eleventh and final time, delivering one of his best soundtracks – his marrying of sequenced electronic rhythms overdubbed with his orchestra were a relatively new innovation for the time and are a cool sound for this cold war thriller. Yet despite all this and boasting one of the finest pre-title sequences in the series, points are deducted for Dalton’s stiffness when it comes to humour, a core component to the Bond role no matter what medium he’s in.

15. The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)

Roger Moore’s sophomore outing as 007 sees him and his Walther PPK going against Francisco’s Scaramanger, the world’s number-one hitman – the man with the golden gun. Though the plot may slump, with at times it turning into a mindless take on a Kung-Fu-film, this Bond adventure is incredibly entertaining.

Lulu’s theme is the dirtiest song in the series, Britt Ekland is galvanising as Bond girl Mary Goodnight, and the corkscrew car jump over a broken bridge is one of the finest stunts captured on film. But the standout addition is Christopher Lee’s three-nippled Scaramanga. Lee was a distant cousin of Fleming and, like the author, seems to know exactly what makes the Bond villains tick – greed, power, and an insatiable need to show off. His Thai island and deadly funhouse is a gothic masterstroke, setting the stage for what will be a tense showdown between these two masterful marksmen, whilst Scaramanger’s accomplice NickNack (Hervé Villechaize) is a wonderful twist on the classic Bond villain’s henchman. There is also the return of J. W. Pepper (Clifton James) a goofy American side-character, but for my money a hilarious addition, with the slack-jawed policeman and Moore’s Bond being the buddy-cop duo you never knew you needed.

With this being the early stages of Moore’s run as Bond, there are naturally some teething troubles; in one scene him being violent to a woman that seems more akin to Connery’s Bond than it does to Moore. But for the most part, Moore is playing his ever-charming self, brimming with aplomb – seducing two women in the same room – in one underappreciated outing.

14. No Time to Die (2021)

The latest instalment in the franchise sees James Bond’s Jamaican retirement interrupted by CIA pal Felix Leiter (Jeffery Wright), leading the former 007 into a treacherous plot involving Rami Malek’s Safin, a poisoner who harbours deadly nanobot technology in what is Daniel Craig’s swansong. There are moments in this film that stand out as superlative to the rest of the series: the DB5 has its finest hour in a stunning pre-title sequence in Matera, and Craig is given the most drama to chew on than any actor before him, with his performance and physical prowess on full display at he manages to keep up with one of the most action-packed Bond films to date; all while his MI5 regulars become wonderful touchstones that help tie his era up – with Ralph Fiennes delivering a cracking cankerous M – and new additions Lashana Lynch and Ana De Armas spicing up an overall stellar cast.

Director Carry Joji Fukunaga brings contemporary technical innovation along with a fresh va-va-voom flare to the Bond franchise, propelling it into the 2020s. It’s a Bond film that does its best to rise to its gargantuan ambition: giving Craig a worthy send-off, but in doing so collapsing slightly under a plot that feels muddled and overstuffed, failing, for example, to make clear what the villain’s intention are – a fairly basic requirement for any Bond film. It is commendable, however, for Fukunaga and co to try and remix new ideas into a franchise that is nearly 60 years old.

Spoilers ahead – but Bond’s child with Madeline Swann (Léa Seydoux) is a daring yet natural follow up to a relationship that Bond (and us) consider to be his true love, building whole new avenues for high stakes. But the choice to kill Bond off was a risk too far. Not only does it pander to the modern tired trend of our heroes going out in a blaze of self-sacrifice, but it seems like it is an intrinsic betrayal of what Bond is – an unstoppable force. It’s a quick and unimaginative way of keying into a grand emotional payoff that does not sit right at all. Bond films should leave you thrilled and elated. You do not watch them to feel lost in a sombre silence.

For the most part this is a fun crazy last hurrah for the Craig era, energized by a rip-roaring Hans Zimmer score. But the last 20 minutes will leave you cold. This could very well have been the film that would have been remembered for its interesting, rewarding positive take on James Bond finally finding a family. Instead, it will simply be remembered as the one that killed him off. And that seems a shame. Nevertheless, don’t let the last 20-minutes sour what is otherwise a bombastic last throw of the dice for Craig’s thrilling take on 007. James Bond, of course, will return…

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The 10 Most Violent James Bond Movies, Ranked

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The James Bond franchise occupied a unique space when compared to other commercial blockbusters , as 007 himself is not a superhero. Bond may be gifted with extraordinary skills of espionage and networking, but he is ultimately a realistic hero who is capable of getting injured. As a result, the films in the Bond franchise tend to be a lot more violent than many of the other currently running film franchises that appeal to a wide audience.

Some films in the Bond franchise are more violent than others , as some have particularly satisfying deaths for their main villains. While none of the Bond films have yet crossed over into R-Rated territory, it is surprising to see what the series was able to get away with in its PG and PG-13 installments. Here are the ten most violent James Bond movies, ranked.

10 ‘No Time To Die’ (2021)

Directed by cary fukunaga.

No Time To Die served as the epic conclusion to Daniel Craig’s iteration of the Bond franchise , which was notably the darkest take on the character yet. Craig’s films ignored some of the more superficial elements that were established in earlier entries in the series in favor of featuring more realistic villains; the threat is certainly real in No Time To Die , as early on Bond’s longtime ally Felix Leiter ( Jeffrey Wright ) is gunned down by enemy agents.

No Time To Die features an epic final battle that did something no other entry in the series had ; it finally allowed Bond to die while he was saving his friends. While this merely marked the end of Craig’s run as the character , as he will certainly be recast for an upcoming continuation, it will be interesting to see how the series moves on from this climactic moment.

No Time to Die

Rent on Amazon

9 ‘The World Is Not Enough’ (1999)

Directed by michael apted.

The World Is Not Enough may not always be ranked as one of the best Bond films , but it did provide a nice change of pace by putting Bond up against villains who actually provided an interesting threat. The ruthless Elektra King ( Sophie Marceau ) was a sadistic villain who was unafraid to ruthlessly dispatch with her opponents; the level of depravity that King goes to inspires Pierce Brosnan ’s 007 to get far more hostile in his approach.

The World Is Not Enough is one of the rare films in the series where Bond point blank executes people , in what felt like a direct homage to the original source material from Ian Fleming . It’s perhaps because of how dark things got in The World Is Not Enough that the subsequent film, Die Another Day , opted to get far sillier and more comical in its approach.

The World is Not Enough

8 ‘quantum of solace’ (2008), directed by marc forster.

Quantum of Solace was a direct continuation of its predecessor that saw Bond on a mission of revenge after his love Vesper Lynd ( Eva Green ) is killed by agents of the criminal organization QUANTUM. This sort of direct sequel was a first for the franchise , as Bond is working on his own without the assistance of M ( Judi Dench ) and the other leaders of MI6.

Due to its rather brief running time and frequent gunplay, Quantum of Solace feels closer in tone to an old-fashioned exploitation revenge thriller than a traditional spy adventure. Although this may have invoked backlash from longtime supporters of the series, it did help steer this iteration of the franchise in a novel new direction. Craig has been praised for giving a performance that embodies what Fleming originally imagined for the character back in the 1950s.

Quantum of Solace

Watch on Prime Video

7 ‘The Living Daylights’ (1987)

Directed by john glen.

The Living Daylights served as a “soft reboot” for the Bond franchise that took it in a darker direction , as the previous films Octopussy and A View To A Kill were so comical in their approach that they felt like they were satirizing the series. Roger Moore may have been great at showing a more comedic side of Bond, but Timothy Dalton gave a more brooding performance that reminded viewers that Bond was a spy with a license to kill.

The Living Daylights ditched s ome of the antiquated Cold War elements established in previous films in favor of putting Bond in a conflict against a group of international terrorists. The film was also notable in giving Bond less superficial gadgets to work with, leaving the door open for more gunplay and sequences of intense hand-to-hand combat with the ruthless villains.

The Living Daylights

6 ‘goldeneye’ (1995), directed by martin campbell.

Goldeneye had to prove that it was worthy of competing against other action movies of the 1990s like Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Speed , and Martin Campbell certainly delivered with one of the most action-packed installments in the series to date. Since this version of Bond is sent into many active combat zones and faces off with various squads of villains, Goldeneye has a higher body count than any other entry in the series; in fact, Brosnan’s Bond has proven to be the most lethal version of the character.

Goldeneye featured moments of torture and depravity that many other Bond films shied away from. It also served as yet another example of a film in which Sean Bean was cast to play a memorable character who is met with a particularly brutal fate by the time that the story wraps up.

5 ‘Live and Let Die’ (1973)

Directed by guy hamilton.

Live and Let Die served as a great new take on the Bond franchise after the disappointment of Diamonds Are Forever that completely changed the influences of the series. Rather than trying to imitate what Sean Connery had already done to perfection in From Russia With Love and Goldfinger , Live and Let Die served as a throwback to classic blaxploitation films like Shaft and Dolemite .

Voodoo magic, death by crocodiles, and seedy ally shootouts are all present in Live and Let Die , which avoided the international locations of the previous films in favor of telling a more grounded story set in the criminal underworld of Louisiana. It’s actually rather surprising that Moore’s iteration of the character grew sillier with each subsequent installment, as Live and Let Die is certainly one of the more disturbing and graphic entries in the franchise.

Live and Let Die

Rent on Apple TV

4 ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’ (1969)

Directed by peter r. hunt.

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is the most unique entry in the Bond franchise , as it was the only film to star George Lazenby as 007. Lazenby depicted Bond as a realistic character capable of being put in great danger, and On Her Majesty’s Secret Service certainly didn’t give him time to breath; between an exciting chase down the side of the Swiss Alps and a brawl with the minions of SPECTRE, Bond is put in several situations where he is forced to use violence to defend himself.

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service features the single most shocking moment of violence within the entire 007 franchise when Bond’s new bride Tracy ( Diana Rigg ) is murdered shortly after their wedding. It’s a haunting moment that’s made all the more shocking and heartbreaking because of the great performances by Rigg and Lazenby.

On Her Majesty's Secret Service

3 ‘skyfall’ (2012), directed by sam mendes.

Skyfall was the film in which Bond was forced to contend with his past , as a near-death experience in the opening sequence forces him to question whether his loyalties to MI6 and Great Britain were ever justified. Sam Mendes clearly wanted to make a Bond film that addressed modern fears about terrorism, as Skyfall features many disturbing moments of cyberattacks, bombings, and public shootings.

Skyfall is particularly violent because of its main villain , as Raoul Silva ( Javier Bardem ) is a particularly sadistic character who tortures Bond. The final battle with Silva in Bond’s childhood home is one of the most thrilling moments in the entire series, and the death of M was certainly one of the most emotional. Although Skyfall contains many clever references to the franchise’s past, it certainly paved the way towards its future with some truly off-putting moments of violence.

James Bond's loyalty to M is tested when her past comes back to haunt her. When MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost.

2 ‘Casino Royale’ (2006)

Casino Royale was a grounded, gritty reboot of the series that explored Bond’s origin story , which had previously only been told in an unofficial parody film starring David Niven and Woody Allen . The new version of Casino Royale faced Bond against a criminal banker ( Mads Mikkelsen ) who is responsible for arming the world’s terrorist organizations; a moment featuring Bond being tortured is easily one of the most violent scenes in any PG-13 film. Simiarly, an opening parkour action scene contained much of the brutal hand-to-hand combat scenes that Bond films typically had shied away from.

Casino Royale makes Bond a vulnerable character again , as he sustains serious injuries as he tries to infiltrate a high stakes poker game. The shocking death of Vesper isn’t just a disturbing moment of violence, but one of the saddest scenes in the entire Bond franchise.

Casino Royale

Watch on Paramount Plus

1 ‘License to Kill’ (1989)

Licence to Kill is less of a Bond film and more of a straight up revenge thriller , as the story saw 007 having his license to kill revoked after a friend is attacked at his wedding. It was the first instance in the series where Bond wasn’t working in league with MI6, and aimed to take a more realistic look at espionage through the incorporation of modern terrorism and conspiracy theories.

Licence to Kill was one of the rare films in the series to question whether Bond himself was a hero , as Dalton’s version of the character commits some fairly disturbing acts of savagery. It’s perhaps unsurprising that longtime fans of the franchise were turned off by the violent new direction of Licence to Kill , resulting in a six-year hiatus before Brosnan was cast in the role moving forward in Goldeneye .

Licence to Kill

James Bond goes rogue to seek revenge against drug lord Franz Sanchez after his friend Felix Leiter is brutally attacked and left for dead. Stripped of his license to kill, Bond infiltrates Sanchez’s organization, navigating a dangerous world of deception and betrayal. As he gains Sanchez’s trust, Bond meticulously dismantles the drug empire from within.

KEEP READING: Every Jack Ryan Movie, Ranked by Rewatchability

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The ultimate guide to James Bond film locations and experiences 

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From Dr. No to No Time To Die , this is your guide to the best James Bond film locations, destinations and experiences – and how to find them.

Vodka martinis, futuristic gadgets and beautiful women may define the James Bond persona, but they aren’t the only things that have kept audiences enthralled with the gentleman spy for the past 70 years. Throughout 25 films and 14 books written by Ian Fleming, Bond has traversed more than 50 countries both real and fictional, taking fans on a whistlestop tour of the world’s most beguiling cities. Armed with an all-access passport, money and insider knowledge of every destination, Bond is a traveller but never a tourist. 

In his book Licensed to Look , Michael Denning observes that “travel and tourism make up much of the interest and action of a bond thriller”. Whether travelling ‘for business’ while undercover, or in the company of a ‘Bond Girl’ under the guise of a honeymoon or summer fling, Bond’s travels range from mass tourism to exclusive luxury, drawing in a diverse audience who crave the same experiences. 

James Bond: The Original Influencer  

Fleming’s fictional creation had such influence that in 1959, The Sunday Times sent Fleming on a world tour tasked with creating a series of travelogues. From Hong Kong, Tokyo and Honolulu to Las Vegas, Berlin, Vienna and Monte Carlo (and many more in between), Fleming unearthed excitement and adventure in every destination – locations that became characters themselves. 

At a time when international travel was a rarity and film was a form of escapism, the 1962 movie adaptation of Dr. No took Bond’s cultural influence to new heights. Set among white-sand beaches and crystalline waterfalls in Jamaica, Bond took viewers to paradise while fighting the forces of evil. 

The journey continues on the Orient Express in From Russia with Love , to Switzerland in Goldfinger , the Bahamas in Thunderball and Japan in You Only Live Twice . While Bond’s globetrotting missions left a trail of wanderlust-struck fans in his wake, EON Productions – the franchise’s production company – established a tradition of leaving a location better than they found it. 

How James Bond films benefit their locations 

The alpine adventure of 1969’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service utilised an under-construction restaurant on top of the Schilthorn in Switzerland’s Bernese Alps. Reachable only by cable car, the production company offered to complete the build and incorporate a helipad provided the venue could serve as Blofeld’s lair, Piz Gloria. It did, and the helipad went on to be used by emergency services, while the restaurant is now home to Spy World, an interactive exhibition dedicated to the film. Similarly, in 2015, Spectre’ s Day of the Dead opening scenes in Mexico City inspired a real parade to be initiated in 2016.

In his book, James Bond Destinations , Daniel Pembrey reports that EON Productions “donated a warehouse’s worth of floats, giant skeleton marionettes and other props” to the celebration, which was organised in response to tourism demand. Austria also benefitted from the film, which had scenes filmed on the Sölden peaks. Today, the interactive James Bond museum 007 Elements sits atop the snowy peaks, welcoming thousands of people every year. Thailand’s Khao Phing Kan appeared as Scaramanga’s lair in 1974’s The Man with the Golden Gun and became a key tourist hotspot known as James Bond Island, which welcomes thousands of visitors each year. 

James Bond has informed travel trends since the 1960s 

Each instalment of the prolific film franchise is a love letter to its destination, and Bond’s economic, aesthetic and sociological influence is evident in the realm of travel. Luxury operator Black Tomato offers limited-edition 007 multi-day tours curated in partnership with EON Productions. Premium resort wear label Orlebar Brown and ski specialist Bogner each produce official James Bond product lines inspired by the films and the infamous motifs. The century-old luggage maison Globe Trotter creates the official James Bond luggage for those in the know. And let’s not forget the travelling exhibition of the spy’s luxury vehicles, Bond In Motion. From jaw-dropping landscapes to spectacular cultural immersions, these film locations grow beyond backdrops to become characters inextricably entwined with the myth, the man, and the legend himself: Bond, James Bond.

Eight of the best James Bond experiences around the world

• Travel agency Black Tomato hosts and organises 007 tours around the world.
• 007 Action is a new exhibition showcasing Bond vehicles, gadgets and costumes at the METAstadt Convention Centre in Vienna, Austria from September 2024.
• 007 Science: Inventing the World of James Bond is open at The Griffin Museum of Science + Industry in Chicago, USA. It analyses the tech from 007’s 25 films and explores how physics, chemistry, engineering and mathematics have shaped James Bond’s on-screen adventures.
• Travelling vehicle exhibition Bond In Motion has arrived at Washington’s International Spy Museum in the USA.
• Journey to the peaks of Gaislachkogl Mountain in Solden, Austria, to explore 007 Elements , a cinematic gallery installation dedicated to James Bond 3,040 metres above sea level.
• Join a 007 London Walking Tour that explores film locations from the entire franchise across the English capital.
• 007 x SPYSCAPE: DRIVEN is an exhibition in New York City, USA, that investigates creative process behind the James Bond films.
• Climb to the top of Switzerland’s Schilthorn mountain where On Her Majesty’s Secret Service was filmed. Here you can find Spy World , an interactive exhibition dedicated to the movie and the revolving summit restaurant which served as the headquarters of James Bond’s arch-nemesis Blofeld, known as ‘Piz Gloria’.   

14 iconic James Bond film locations in London

• Ian Flemings home at 22b Ebury Street in Mayfair. 
• The Langham on Regent Street, the central location of GoldenEye .
• The National Gallery’s Room 34, where Bond first encounters Q in Skyfall.
• Somerset Houses’ courtyard Christmas icerink was disguised as St. Petersburg in GoldenEye .
• Visit Dukes London, the bar where Fleming dreamt up the infamous ‘shaken, not stirred’ martini.
• The River Thames’s most notable appearance in the franchise is during The World Is Not Enough. 
• The home of the British Government, Whitehall, has been featured in Octopussy , A View to a Kill , License to Kill and Skyfall .
• SIS Building, Vauxhall is the secretive MI6 headquarters.
• The Reform Club is a private members-only establishment in Pall Mall that was used as a fictional fencing club known as ‘Blades’ in Die Another Day . 
• In Spectre , M, Q, Bond and Moneypenny sit down for a delicious meal at Rules restaurant in Covent Garden, the oldest in the English capital. 
• The bridge Bond runs down while wielding a gun in Spectre is Westminster Bridge. 
• The budget was tight for GoldenEye , and St. Pancras Station in Kings Cross played the role of Russia’s St. Petersburg Station. 
• Towards the end of Spectre , 007 and Moneypenny have a meeting on the picturesque Millenium Bridge in London, with the dome of St. Paul’s presiding over the rendezvous. 

The ultimate guide to James Bond film locations around the world 

1962 dr. no.

• Jamaica is considered the ‘spiritual home’ of James Bond, as it is where Ian Fleming wrote all 13 of his spy books while staying at ‘GoldenEye’ , his residence on Oracabessa Bay. Jamaica has acted as the backdrop to many Bond films, particularly in Kingston where the famous ‘Three Blind Mice’ scene occurred on South Parade Square. 
• The small town of Ochos Rios in Jamaica served at Crab Key. 

1963 From Russia With Love

• With film locations in Italy and Turkey, Bond visited the Bridge of Sighs in Venice, the Blue Mosque, Grand Bazaar, Hagia Sophia and Basilica Cistern in Istanbul.

1964 Goldfinger 

• The golf course where Bond challenges Auric Goldfinger is Stoke Park Country Club in Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom. 
• The winding roads of Switzerland’s Furka pass are traversed by Bond in his Aston Martin DB5. 

1965 Thunderball 

• Almost every underwater scene is filmed at the southwest reefs of New Providence off Coral Harbour in the Bahamas, and you can even dive to see the remains of the Vulcan Bomber prop today. 
• While the nuclear warheads in this film are hidden in a fictional underwater cave guarded by sharks, you’re more likely to find swimming pigs at the film location, which is Thunderball Grotto in Exumas, Bahamas.

1967 You Only Live Twice 

• Journey to Japan to see the James Bond film locations from this instalment, which sees our beloved spy visit Himeji Castle. Blofeld’s desert lair is also located in Japan’s Shinmoe-dake Vulcano. 

1969 On Her Majestry’s Secret Service 

• The epic snow scenes from this film take place on the Schilthorn in Switzerland, where you can also find Spy World. 

1971 Diamonds Are Forever 

• The opening scenes were filmed at a private beach on Cap d’Antibes in France’s Cote d’Azur. 

1973 Live and Let Die 

• The Swamp Safari Crocodile Farm at Falmouth in Jamaica is where the croc-jumping scene was filmed 

1974 The Man With The Golden Gun 

• So famous is the James Bond film location in Thailand’s Phang Nga Bay, it is now known as James Bond Island, made famous as Scaramanga’s lair. 

1977 The Spy Who Loved Me 

• The cylindrical plateau of Mount Asgard on Baffin Island in Canada was used for the opening stunts

1979 Moonraker 

• Scenes of Hugo Drax’s lair were filmed in France at Chateau Vaux-le-Vicomte, a privately owned palace outside Paris.

1981 For Your Eyes Only 

• Escape to Corfu Island in Greece and you’ll see the olive plantations around Pagi where the Citroen chase was filmed. 
• Another James Bond film location in Greece was Metéora Monastery (Holy Trinity Monastery), where 007 climbs up the cliffside to recover a stolen ATAC device.

1983 Octopussy 

• India’s floating hotel, Taj Lake Palace in Udaipur, infamously housed a cult of female smugglers run by none other than Octopussy.

1983 Never Say Never Again 

• James Bond film locations for this film were plotted in France, Spain, the Bahamas and Elstree Studio in the United Kingdom. 

1985 A View To A Kill 

• The antagonist in this film, Max Zorin, resided in the very real Château de Chantilly, a castle in France located around 50 kilometres north of Paris.
• The two-Michelin-star Jules Verne Restaurant atop the Eiffel Tower in Paris is where Roger Moore’s Bond faced off with Grace Jones (AKA May Day). 

1987 The Living Daylights 

• The opening scenes for this ‘80s film take place at the Rock of Gibraltar in Gibraltar. 
• When Kara is eventually allowed to play Tchaikovsky at the film’s end, she does so in Schönbrunn Palace Theater in Vienna, Austria.
• When Bond traversed ‘Afghanistan’, he was actually in the Sahara in Morocco. Join a quad-bike or camel tour from the nearby town of  Ouarzazate and explore the area, along with the UNESCO-listed citadel that doubled as the Mujahideen hideout.

1989 Licence To Kill 

• Tucked away in Florida’s Key West, Hemingway House (the home of literary great Ernest) appears as an MI6 base. 

1995 GoldenEye 

• The towering dam Pierce Brosnan runs across in his debut film is Verzasca Dam in Ticino, Switzerland. 

1997 Tomorrow Never Dies 

• After a brief visit to London’s Somerset House and its courtyard, Bond departs for Hamburg, Germany, where we scenes are shot on Monckebergstrasse, and Hotel Atlantic Kempinski stands in as Alster Hotel Atlantic. 

1999 The World Is Not Enough 

• The River Thames in London Served as a backdrop to the memorable speedboat chase 
• Eilean Donan Castle in Scotland appears as the Scottish headquarters of MI6  

2002 Die Another Day 

• Cadiz in southern Spain masquerades as the Cuban town of Havanna in this ‘90s iteration.
• Another James Bond film location, another car chase. This time, the thrilling hunt takes place in Jökulsárlón, Iceland. 

2006 Casino Royale 

• There’s an abundance of James Bond film locations in Italy, and this film saw Villa del Balbianello on Lake Como act as Bond’s hideaway during his recovery, before cruising into Venice via the Grand Canal on a speedboat. Bond moors his boat in front of The Belmond Hotel Cipriani. 
• Prague is home to quite a few James Bond film locations from Casino Royale. The National Museum in Prague appeared as Casino Royale, Danube House is where the pre-title sequence was filmed and Strahov Monastery appeared as the House of Commons. 

2008 Quantum of Solace 

• In the real world, Dominic Greene’s lair is the residence of on-site scientists of the ESO Paranal Observatory in Chile’s Atacama Desert. While you can’t stay there, you can join a free tour of the facility on Saturdays. 

2012 Skyfall 

• The mountainous terrain of Scotland’s Glen Coe and Glen Etive were used for Bond’s family estate 
• When MI6’s operations move underground after an explosion, the subterranean scenes were filmed in the Old Vic Tunnels that run under London’s Waterloo Station. 

2015 Spectre 

• The SIS Building at Vauxhall Cross in London, also known as the MI6 Building, is one of the most well-known James Bond film locations and was spectacularly ‘blown up’ in this instalment. 
• When Bond ventures out to Blofeld’s secret desert lair, he does so in Morocco’s Gara Medouar Crater. 
• Visit Mexico City in November during the Day of the Dead celebrations to rub shoulders with skeletons used in the film’s opening scenes. 

2021 No Time To Die 

• Cairngorms National Park was used for the car chase scenes 
• When Bond and Madeleine are engaged in an epic car chase, the picturesque Atlantic Ocean Road in Norway stands in as a dramatic backdrop. 
• The two-tier bridge and aqueduct bond leaps from is Puglia’s Ponte Madonna della Stella in Italy. 

Read more:  A visitor’s guide to the real Schitt’s Creek A guide to the film locations of Harry Potter 37 of the best Harry Potter experiences around the world 31 real-life Disney locations you can visit with kids

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James Bond Movies In Order: How To Watch All 27 007 Movies

Dr. No celebrates its 60th anniversary!

If you’re looking to watch all the James Bond movies in order, you’ll hit the good stuff right away: All the Sean Connery movies in his first run are classics of the franchise. Before hitting Connery’s departure from the 007 role in 1971’s Diamonds Are Forever , you’ll encounter George Lazenby’s solo entry (1969’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service ) and 1967’s comedy spoof Casino Royale , which was made outside of Eon Productions, the company founded to steer Bond from the book to the big screen.

Roger Moore took on the mantle from 1973’s Live and Let Die to 1985’s A View to a Kill , with Connery returning one last time in the non-Eon Never Say Never Again in 1983.

Timothy Dalton appeared twice as Bond to close out the ’80s with The Living Daylights and License to Kill .

After six years, the longest period between switching lead actors, Pierce Brosnan debuted with 1995’s GoldenEye , and exited with 2002’s Die Another Day .

2006 saw the introduction of Daniel Craig as the latest Bond in town with Casino Royale , and he will be retiring with the long-delayed No Time to Die . With its 2021 release, Craig will hold the record for longest continuous actor to represent Bond.

Continue on to see the full list on how to watch all the James Bond movies in order! — Alex Vo

Dr. No (1962) 95%

From Russia With Love (1963) 97%

007: Goldfinger (1964) 99%

Thunderball (1965) 85%

007 - You Only Live Twice (1967) 74%

Casino Royale (1967) 26%

007 on her majesty's secret service (1969) 81%.

Diamonds Are Forever (1971) 64%

Live and Let Die (1973) 67%

The Man With the Golden Gun (1974) 42%

The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) 82%

Moonraker (1979) 60%

For Your Eyes Only (1981) 69%

Octopussy (1983) 42%

Never Say Never Again (1983) 71%

A View to a Kill (1985) 37%

The Living Daylights (1987) 73%

Licence to Kill (1989) 80%

GoldenEye (1995) 80%

Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) 57%

The World Is Not Enough (1999) 51%

Die Another Day (2002) 55%

Casino Royale (2006) 94%

Quantum of Solace (2008) 64%

Skyfall (2012) 92%

Spectre (2015) 63%

No Time to Die (2021) 83%

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