the Bond films ranked...

[Ken Gargett]

 

this from some bloke in the Guardian.

my first thoughts. he has no idea. that sill casino royale last, fair enough. but to have timothy dalton below the farces the roger moore denigrated the franchise with is preposterous. 

ranking octopussy that high. this bloke is a fool. and ranking it ahead of diamonds are forever? he says it himself, bond in a gorilla suit (and clown uniform, from memory) and that ranks higher than so many others. so wrong. 

 

James Bond on film – ranked!

Ranked

James Bond

 

With the news of Danny Boyle’s departure as director of the next 007 instalment, we rank the big-screen outings of Britain’s finest, from 1962’s Dr No to 2015’s Spectre

 

Peter Bradshaw

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 Daniel Craig as Bond, with his Aston Martin DB5, in Skyfall. Photograph: Allstar/United Artists

26. Casino Royale (1967)

Wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Even a cameo from Orson Welles couldn’t lend lustre to this pointless and unfunny spoof, a dire tongue-in-cheeker that slipped past the franchise control of the producers, Eon. David Niven saunters unsexily as the retired “Sir James Bond” in this chaotic film.

25. Die Another Day (2002)

Oh lawdy. The Bond franchise was looking lost in the grim and joyless new “war on terror”-era, and this movie featured the worst gadget in the history of 007: an invisible car. What on earth is the point of that? You can almost see the P45 being pressed into Brosnan’s hand.

24. The Living Daylights (1987)

 

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 Timothy Dalton and Maryam D’Abo in The Living Daylights. Photograph: Allstar/United Artists

This was the turn of straight actor and RSC stalwart Timothy Dalton. He was supposedly there to give Bond a hard and gritty new seriousness, but always just looked a bit humourless. This was during the Aids era of sexual restraint, too, so Bond only cops off a couple of times.

23. Licence to Kill (1989)

Bond goes rogue, and Dalton stays dull. This one is notable for the young Benicio del Toro as a humble henchman. After this, legal copyright rows caused a six-year production hiatus during which Dalton quit.

22. For Your Eyes Only (1981)

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You can hear a whistling and a crackling in the air as Roger Moore begins to tune out. The stunts hold up, but Moore is on the exit ramp and his flaccid relationship with 24-year-old Carole Bouquet is a deathly embarrassment.

21. Never Say Never Again (1983)

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The title is what Connery’s agent should have shouted at him when he was offered the comeback: (“Never”! Say “Never”! Again!) Connery lumbers back for the remake of Thunderball that no one wanted or needed. He was never a six-pack guy at the best of times, but he’s out of condition here. One to forget.

20. Quantum of Solace (2008)

Much mocked at the time, this film wasn’t as bad as that – despite the silliest title in the series’ history. Craig is always watchable and Mathieu Amalric is a very eccentric oddball villain.

19. The World Is Not Enough (1999)

Not bad, but some of the fizz has gone. In this film, the distinction between villain and henchman seems to collapse with three bad guys: Robert Carlyle, Robbie Coltrane and, erm, Goldie, who was very big in those days.

18. GoldenEye (1995)

Was it a Bondaissance? A Brosnanaissance? Whatever. Stylish yet assertive smoothie Pierce Brosnan had already made an impression in the TV caper Remington Steele. He took to Bond like a duck to water: virile, cool, nice suits. Judi Dench made her debut as M. Bond was back!

17. A View to a Kill (1985)

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Quite unexpectedly, Moore pulled it back a bit for his last hurrah. (It was also, sadly, the last hurrah for Lois Maxwell’s Miss Moneypenny.) Christopher Walken was always destined to play a Bond villain and it came to pass in this film, as the evil electronics mogul Max Zorin. A good note for Moore to bow out on.

16. Moonraker (1979)

A whopping, megabudget Bond in its day, clearly influenced by the Star Wars-led sci-fi revival. It is all about the theft of a space shuttle, but this excursion into space can’t conceal the fact that Moore is looking a bit jaded.

15. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)

 

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 George Lazenby and Diana Rigg. Photograph: Danjaq/Eon/UA/Kobal/Rex/Shutterstock

George Lazenby’s sole appearance wasn’t a bad Bond. Had he done more, Lazenby might have become a favourite. Diana Rigg played the woman who shows 007 is no commitmentphobe. They marry, before gunfire poignantly restores Bond’s eternal singledom.

14. Diamonds Are Forever (1971)

Uh-oh. Connery was tempted back to the role with a big pay packet, now looking craggier and toupeed. Ernst Blofeld, boringly played by Charles Gray, wants to use diamonds to focus his space laser. Bond girl Tiffany Case was played by Jill St John, whose real-life boyfriend, Henry Kissinger, would have been better as the villain.

13. Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)

 

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 Pierce Brosnan and Michelle Yeoh in Tomorrow Never Dies. Photograph: ITV

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It took a spanking from Titanic at the box office, but this is a good, underrated Bond: one of the very few films (or plays or books) to satirise Rupert Murdoch and his Chinese expansionist plans – a rather taboo subject in 90s media. Jonathan Pryce has great fun with the role of the villainous mogul.

12. Octopussy (1983)

Outrageously daft, but silly and fun. Roger Moore wears a gorilla costume.

11. The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)

 

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 Roger Moore and Richard Kiel in The Spy Who Loved Me. Photograph: Moviestore Collection/Rex

This has a well-loved Bond song, Carly Simon’s Nobody Does It Better. It also introduced us to the exotic henchman Jaws. The action opens with that staggering skiing-off-a-cliff stunt, just after Moore is seen supposedly skiing in front of an obvious back projection.

10. The Man With the Golden Gun (1974)

Despite iffy reviews at the time, this has one of the very best villains, wonderfully played by Christopher Lee: Scaramanga, he of the creepy third nipple. It is a preposterous 70s fuel-crisis drama about a solar energy device. There’s some funky martial arts, too.

9. Skyfall (2012)

An excellent, intelligent Bond which shrewdly expanded the role of Judi Dench’s M, developed her relationship with 007 and created a plausible, sympathetic backstory for him. Javier Bardem got his teeth into the villain role.

8. Live and Let Die (1973)

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And so began the reign of Roger Moore, tacitly conceding the campness that many saw as unavoidable for Bond. Moore was witty, sprightly and a mature 46 when he took over (Connery had started at 32.) This movie has a great song from Paul McCartney and Wings.

7. Thunderball (1965)

The evil organisation Spectre had its first appearance in Fleming’s Thunderball novel, but we were used to it by now, this being the fourth outing for 007 on the big screen. Good stuff here, but the franchise faltered a bit, with long underwater sequences.

6. Spectre (2015)

Boom! Craig and director Sam Mendes bring off an absolutely storming 007 extravaganza, kicking off with a head-banging action sequence in Mexico City. Léa Seydoux has a Veronica Lake-type sultriness and Ben Whishaw almost steals the show as the geeky Q.

5. Casino Royale (2006)

 

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 Daniel Craig in a promo image for Casino Royale. Photograph: Allstar/Sony

Daniel Craig had to face a lot of internet bickering when he was cast, but he blew everyone away with a performance that was just right: cool, cruel, ruthless, yet sardonic. It was great at the time and looks even better now. One of the best Bonds.

4. Dr No (1962)

Sean Connery’s first outing in the Bond role. It gave us the gun-barrel titles and the Monty Norman theme. There was Ursula Andress in the bikini and the exotic Johnny Foreigner villain with an outrageous island lair.

3. From Russia With Love (1963)

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Weirdly ungadgety and downbeat. Connery searches his hotel room for bugs for what seems like 10 minutes, with the theme music playing deafeningly. There’s a great train fight with Robert Shaw’s Red Grant.

2. Goldfinger (1964)

“You eckshpect me to talk?” “No, Mr Bond, I expect you to DIE!” This introduced us to Bond’s Aston Martin DB5 and the weird spectacle of Shirley Eaton suffocating in gold. It established the convention whereby the villain leaves 007 time to escape some elaborate automated death.

1. You Only Live Twice (1967)

 

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 Connery and Donald Pleasence in You Only Live Twice. Photograph: MGM/Everett/Rex Features

This great action movie put Connery’s Bond right back on top and introduced us to the Nehru-suit-wearing, cat-stroking master criminal Spectre chief, Blofeld, played by Donald Pleasence. Connery announced his intention to quit after this. Perhaps he knew it could never be this good again?

[luckme10]

Goldeneye at 18? I would put it above just about any Roger Moore film.

[ayepatz]

Red wine with fish wins every time for me.

[mikeyjb]

Any of the ones that starred Sean Connery. He's the only 007 - the rest just don't come close.

[99call]

3 hours ago, ayepatz said:

Red wine with fish wins every time for me.

I think you'll find that sliced bread IS 'the best thing'

[hedgeybaby]

It's The Grauniad, a rag not to be taken with aby seriousness.**

 

**even thinking about the paper causes me to make spelling mistakes.

Edited August 24, 2018 by hedgeybaby
Grammar

[BrightonCorgi]

There's a running joke in our house about "our favorite" Bond movie, "Casino Royale" as it is always on TV for some reason and we end up watching it.  Must've seen like 20 times already.  She's like "your favorite movie is on..."

[godpheonix]

as this guy actually watched all the films, you could'nt really confim that with that list! totally off!

[Doctorossi]

I've never seen one of these articles (it's a long tradition) rank You Only Live Twice anywhere near the top before! It's refreshing to see as I think the movie (and Thunderball and Quantum of Solace, as well) is generally underrated, but I wouldn't put it at number 1 by any stretch. It would be top 10 for me, but probably only just.

For me, Casino Royale edges From Russia With Love for the top spot.

[bpm32]

“The Living Daylights” should be much, much higher on the list.

[CaskStrength]

You Only Live Twice #1?  I have below For Your Eyes Only and both Dalton movies, who I liked as Bond.  On Her Majesty's Secret Service also badly underrated here.

[Aardwolf]

I love the older Bonds, they have a theatrical appeal to me.  You clearly know you're watching a movie when viewing one, they have cheese, comedy, and action.  Some of the newer ones are tying to compete with too many other action movies and lose some of that tongue in cheek quality.  Personally, I'm a Moore fan, then Connery, and so on down to Lazenby.  I try to incorporate a piece of Bond into every vacation I take, it's like a side hunt that connects me back to my favorite childhood movies and often favorite memories.  Can't wait to go to the Seychelles in October to check out Ian Flemings cottage where he wrote For Your Eyes Only! 

[Cayman17]

1. Roger Moore made the two worst Bond films: View to a Kill (unwatchable) and Moonraker. 

2. The Timothy Dalton films are good, I don’t care what critics say.  License to Kill was his finest, in my opinion 

3. Quantum of Solace and Spectre both sucked. 

4. Pierce Brosnan was not a great Bond.  Way too thin, looks like a model, not an assasin 

5. Thunderball is underrated as a movie, but the book is far, far better. 

6. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is better than most Roger Moore Bond films, in my opinion. 

7. The best bond film is not You only live twice. The best bond film is From Russia With Love. 

 

[Doctorossi]

19 minutes ago, Cayman17 said:

1. Roger Moore made the two worst Bond films: View to a Kill (unwatchable) and Moonraker. 

Come on, now! Yes, A View To A Kill is plenty bad, but no movie with Christopher Walken chewing that much scenery, Grace Jones providing that much scenery and a bitchin' Duran Duran theme song is "unwatchable".  ?

[Cayman17]

2 minutes ago, Doctorossi said:

Come on, now! Yes, A View To A Kill is plenty bad, but no movie with Christopher Walken chewing that much scenery, Grace Jones providing that much scenery and a bitchin' Duran Duran theme song is "unwatchable".  ?

The song is great!  But it does not save the movie, I’m sorry. 

[bpm32]

 

47 minutes ago, Cayman17 said:

7. The best bond film is not You only live twice. The best bond film is From Russia With Love. 

 

Absolutely. Generally the first or second movie with a new Bond is good, then they start getting campy and silly after that. The Connery movies were only starting to get too ridiculous by “You Only Live Twice” (that tiny helicopter more than the volcano lair). The Moore movies—good god, “Live and Let Die was already borderline. “View to a Kill” was the last Moore movie, so it was almost perfectly distilled badness. “Quantum of Solace” sucked, but that was due to the writers’ strike more than anything else. It was only at “Spectre” that you could tell Craig was past the point of no return.

[WABOOM]

The 12th track on Pet Sounds was written for a Bond movie. It wasn't used in a movie, but it's an excellent arraignment and would have been perfect. Originally it was called Run James Run.

[hedgeybaby]

I thought Timothy Dalton was an excellent Bond.

 

[hedgeybaby]

10 hours ago, ayepatz said:

Red wine with fish wins every time for me.

Old Man

[99call]

Cant stand Brosnan.  Theres something of the the date rapist about him. A bit American Psycho

[dvickery]

If it ain’t Sean Connery it ain’t James Bond .

derrek

[MooseAMuffin]

In terms of actors

Moore < Dalton < Brosnan/Craig (depending on the movie) < Connery

[bpm32]

9 hours ago, hedgeybaby said:

I thought Timothy Dalton was an excellent Bond.

 

Connery is still the best, but I liked Dalton too. Along with Craig from “Casino Royale”, he was the closest to the James Bond of the original books.

[inter4alia]

Connery is the best. 

Skyfall should be ranked higher. 

[Ken Gargett]

guys, a lot of the comments here are about ranking bonds, not the films. a slight difference. but one that the writer has not grasped. he obviously ranks the films by his preference for bonds. 

that said, it is hard to go past connery but craig has gone close. better in some ways but connery is the original. 

third, for me, is probably dalton a whisker ahead of lazenby. one film makes it hard to judge. be very interesting to see what thoughts would be if lazenby had not turned down the 7 film deal. 

next brosnan but for me, as james bond, he made a great remington steele. 

my problem with moore is that he took it into farce and although i still enjoyed the films at their time, they have not lasted and look ludicrous now. if you set out to parody bond, you already have the films made which do it. gorilla suits and clown gear and an old man having extremely hot, extremely young women falling over themselves? spare me. 

as for the films, the bloke doing the list obviously loves moore and hence should never have been allowed to do the piece in the first place. throws everything out of sync. 

i'd have dr no and goldfinger higher than russia. but close. 

i've watched quantum a number of times - so disappointed originally after casino royale which i think more than challenges for the best bond film (leave aside best 007) - and for me, the problem is not so much the writing, it is the directing. whoever did it, did a horrible job. the fight scenes, reasonably crucial in 007, are a mess. hard to know who/what is going on. take them out and it is not a bad movie. the director was dire. 

agree skyfall should be higher. the problem spectre has for me is that batista?? as the bad guy is a waste. no story, no dialogue, who the hell is he? and if blofeld had built such an organisation, who really thinks he'd let some thug walk in, kill one of his and then take that spot. absurd. would create chaos and clearly internal chaos is not what spectre is about.

also lea seydoux was the dullest of bond girls and not even craig could convincingly pull off meeting her and then two days later wanting to give up everything for her. just did not fly.