All 27 James Bond Movies Ranked, According To Critics

Columbia Pictures

Rotten Tomatoes score: 26%

The lowest-rated Bond movie by critics is 1967's "Casino Royale," starring David Niven as the titular spy.

This version of "Casino Royale" is a parody of spy films, rather than a straightforward Bond caper. It's also one of two films about James Bond that wasn't produced by Eon Productions.

"Casino Royale" also starred Peter Seller, Ursula Andress, Joanna Pettet, Daliah Lavi, Barbara Bouchet, and Terence Coop in double roles — all of them play different versions of Bond. Woody Allen also appeared as Bond's nephew, Jimmy.

"Unfortunately, after the introductory sequences, 'Casino Royale' begins a downhill slide. It gets progressively sillier and more incoherent until it's impossible to keep any of the plot elements straight. Worse, with only occasional exceptions, the humor ceases to be funny, and the whole production degenerates into absurdity," wrote James Berardinelli of ReelViews.

Keith Hamshere/Getty Images

Rotten Tomatoes score: 37%

Roger Moore's seventh and final outing as 007 was also his worst, according to critics.

The film sees Bond travel to San Francisco to save Silicon Valley from a rogue KGB agent played by Christopher Walken. His bodyguard and lover, May Day, was notably played by Grace Jones.

The classic "Bond girl" was played by Tanya Roberts, of future "That '70s Show" fame.

"It's not double-oh-seven anymore, but double-oh-seventy, the best argument yet for the mandatory retirement age," wrote The Washington Post's Paul Attanasio.

Sunset Boulevard/Corbis/Getty Images

Rotten Tomatoes score: 40%

"The Man with the Golden Gun" starred Moore as Bond, and legendary actor Christopher Lee as the titular man with the golden gun, Francisco Scaramanga. Meanwhile, Bond's love interest, Mary Goodnight, was played by Britt Ekland.

Bond and Scaramanga engage in a game of cat-and-mouse for much of the movie, as no one knows what Scaramanga looks like, outside the fact that he has a third nipple.

"If you enjoyed the early Bond films as much as I did, you'd better skip this one," wrote Nora Sayre of The New York Times.

Bryn Colton/Getty Images

Rotten Tomatoes score: 42%

Let's get it out of the way: Yes, this movie is really called "Octopussy." Its titular character, a successful businesswoman and jewel smuggler, was played by Maud Adams. Bond and Octopussy have personal business: Years earlier, Bond arrested her father for treason.

The two form an uneasy alliance to defeat an exiled Afghan prince, Kamal Khan, played by Louis Jourdan.

"It's an easy film to hate (and often paints a big target on its back encouraging you to do so), but it works perfectly as a piece of entertainment, where the good ultimately outweighs the bad," wrote Jake Tropila of Film Inquiry.

Keith Hamshere/Getty Images

Rotten Tomatoes score: 51%

Critics think the worst Bond film starring Pierce Brosnan is 1999's "The World Is Not Enough," Brosnan's third.

Bond shares the screen with an American nuclear physicist named Dr. Christmas Jones. Equally improbable, she's played by Denise Richards. His other female costar is Elektra King, an oil heiress played by Sophie Marceau.

The classic Bond villain, Renard, an ex-KGB agent who became a terrorist, was played by Robert Carlyle.

"What do the James Bond series, the Chicago Cubs, and Master P's No Limit empire have in common? All owe their considerable commercial success more to loyalty, marketing, and tradition than to quality," wrote Nathan Rabin for the AV Club.

MGM Distribution Co.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 56%

Brosnan's fourth and final appearance as Bond, 2002's "Die Another Day," saw him get overshadowed by Halle Berry.

"Die Another Day" plays as a classic early 2000s film: heavy on the CGI and the product placement. But it's notable for its casting of Berry as Jinx Johnson, an NSA agent, whose entrance in an orange bikini remains iconic over 20 years later.

"Die Another Day" was also the first Bond movie in 39 years to not feature Desmond Llewelyn's Q as the head of the British Secret Service's fictional research and development division — in other words, he provided Bond with all of his nifty gadgets.

Llewelyn died in 1999, just a few weeks after the premiere of "The World Is Not Enough." He was replaced as Q by John Cleese for "Die Another Day," which would end up being Cleese's only appearance as the character.

"In a year when 'Austin Powers' has scoffed at 007 as a joke and 'xXx' has scoffed at him as an anachronism, 'Die Another Day' is a fluffed opportunity to assert that nobody does it better," wrote Nicholas Barber for The Independent.

Keith Hamshere/Getty Images

Rotten Tomatoes score: 57%

Brosnan suited up for his second Bond film in 1997 with "Tomorrow Never Dies," which introduced international audiences to Michelle Yeoh — for that alone, it remains an important cultural moment.

The film follows Bond as he attempts to stop power-hungry media tycoon Elliot Carver, played by Jonathan Pryce, from engineering events that will bring about World War III.

The Wall Street Journal's Joe Morgenstern criticized the film for its overuse of product placements.

"In the latest James Bond, our hero saves the world from brand-name unawareness. 'Tomorrow Never Dies' is a dramatized trade show; imagine Comdex or the Geneva Automobile Salon with a plot," he wrote.

Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Rotten Tomatoes score: 59%

It took four movies for Moore's Bond to blast off into space, which he does by the end of "Moonraker."

He takes on an all-time Bond villain, Hugo Drax (Michael Lonsdale), who somehow wants to kill the entire population of Earth with nerve gas and use his own space station as Noah's Ark to repopulate the planet with a "master race."

"The space-age plot is spread dangerously thin, the fights all tend to slapstick, and the wanton destruction has become rather too predictable. But it's held together by likable performances," wrote Chris Auty for Time Out.

Sony Pictures Releasing

Rotten Tomatoes score: 63%

Daniel Craig's lowest-rated Bond movie is 2015's "Spectre."

It was the first Bond film since "Diamonds Are Forever" to include Bond's most famous villain, Blofeld (now played by Christoph Waltz), and his criminal organization SPECTRE.

Also notable was Sam Smith's Bond song, "Writing's on the Wall," which became the second consecutive Bond theme to win an Oscar.

"'Spectre,' Sam Mendes' latest entry in the James Bond franchise, is a real oddity: the first 007 film that's more enjoyable to think about than to watch," wrote FlavorWire's Jason Bailey.

Sony Pictures Releasing

Rotten Tomatoes score: 63%

Craig's second outing as Bond, 2008's "Quantum of Solace," received a similar critical response.

The movie picks up almost immediately after the events of Craig's first Bond installment, "Casino Royale." He once again faces off against Jesper Christensen as Mr. White, an assassin.

Bond also faces environmental entrepreneur Dominic Greene (played by French filmmaker and actor Mathieu Amalric) who claims to want to stop deforestation but is actually trying to stage a coup in Bolivia to take control of the country's natural resources.

"Although it's not the most crushing disappointment of all time — finding you have won the lottery but lost the ticket is probably more crushing, I imagine — it is still a crushing disappointment," wrote Deborah Ross for The Spectator.

Anwar Hussein/Getty Images

Rotten Tomatoes score: 64%

After starring in five Bond films, Sean Connery left the role and let someone else take a (relatively successful) crack at the character. But he returned for Bond No. 7, which you might recall from its iconic theme song sung by Shirley Bassey.

Connery would once again leave the role until 1983 when he appeared in the second non-Eon Productions Bond movie, "Never Say Never Again."

In "Diamonds Are Forever," Bond faces his archenemy Blofeld (Charles Gray).

"The movie's momentum is such that one never has much time to react to its lack of reason, only to its sensations of speed and narrow escape, and to the splendor of its crazy gadgets and decor," wrote The New York Times' Vincent Canby.

Anwar Hussein/Getty Images

Rotten Tomatoes score: 67%

"Live and Let Die" (1973) might've been Moore's first outing as Bond, but it's most remembered for the Paul McCartney song of the same name.

In total, Moore played Bond seven times, the same number of appearances as the first-ever Bond, Sean Connery.

"Live and Let Die," per IndieWire, was released during the height of the blaxploitation movement in cinema, and therefore led to a supporting cast of mainly Black actors, including the first Black Bond girl, Rosie Carver, played by Gloria Hendry

"It is good, lively, mindless entertainment, slow to warm up but once embarked upon its improbable story quick to appreciate its own absurdity," wrote The Guardian's Derek Malcolm.

Keith Hamshere/Getty Images

Rotten Tomatoes score: 69%

"For Your Eyes Only" is Moore's fifth Bond movie, and a real course correction from the campier, sci-fi tone of "Moonraker."

In this installment, Bond's love interest, Melina Havelock, played by Carole Bouquet, is dead set on getting revenge for the murder of her parents. Meanwhile, Bond teams up with a former smuggler, Milos Columbo, played by Israeli actor Chaim Topol, to recover a dangerous piece of submarine tech.

"No. 12 in the phenomenally durable James Bond series. 'For Your Eyes Only' is undeniably easy on the eyes. Maybe too easy to prevent the mind from wandering and the lids from drooping," wrote Gary Arnold for The Washington Post.

Bob Penn/Sygma/Sygma/Getty Images

Rotten Tomatoes score: 71%

"Never Say Never Again" is the result of some complicated rights issues from the Ian Fleming novels the Bond movies are based on. It's a remake of the 1965 movie "Thunderball," which also starred Connery, which was in turn based on the 1961 Fleming novel of the same name.

Due to conflicts between Fleming and producer Kevin McClory, McClory ended up with the rights to "Thunderball" and anything introduced in that story, including SPECTRE.

So, in 1983, McClory commissioned a remake of "Thunderball," titled "Never Say Never Again" starring Connery once again, for a non-Eon Bond film. The title was reportedly inspired by Connery's wife who told her husband that he couldn't say he'd "never" return to Bond again, per Screen Rant.

"In 'Never Say Never Again,' the formula is broadened to accommodate an older, seasoned man of much greater stature, and Mr. Connery expertly fills the bill," wrote Janet Maslin for The New York Times.

Georges De Keerle/Getty Images

Rotten Tomatoes score: 72%

Timothy Dalton's first entry into Bond lore, 1987's "The Living Daylights," was well-received.

After Moore left the role, the British actor stepped into Bond's very prolific shoes. The only constant remaining from Moore's tenure was Desmond Llewelyn as Q.

The plot, as usual, involved Bond investigating shady activities by the KGB. In this case, he was investigating suspicious deaths of KGB defectors, which put him directly in the path of Brad Whitaker, an American arms dealer played by Joe Don Baker.

"'The Living Daylights' is different; even from a quarter of a century away, there's nothing to sully the romantic air. It's no coincidence that the most recent Bond films are the closest in tone," wrote The Guardian's Les Roopanarine.

Stephan C. Archetti/Keystone Features/Getty Images

Rotten Tomatoes score: 73%

Fun fact about "You Only Live Twice": Beloved children's author Roald Dahl, the mind behind "The BFG," "The Witches," "James and the Giant Peach," and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," wrote the screenplay.

The biggest legacy of "You Only Live Twice" is the performance of Donald Pleasence as Bond's enemy, Blofeld. In just two minutes, you can see where Mike Myers got the idea for Dr. Evil in the "Austin Powers" movies.

"What I can say for sure is 'You Only Live Twice' is the Bond film I have seen most often and I have enjoyed the hell out it every single time," wrote Phelim O'Neill for The Guardian.

MGM/UA Communications Co.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 79%

Dalton's second (and final) outing as Bond, "Licence to Kill," was even more well-received than his debut.

The film was, at the time, the darkest Bond movie ever released — it followed Bond as he was suspended from MI6 in order to help his friend and CIA agent Felix Leiter, played by David Hedison, avenge the murder of his new wife … all while trying to take down a Latin American drug kingpin.

"Dalton revives the cool, ironic detachment of the Connery years, but he also allows a touch of obsession to show through Bond's surface aplomb," wrote the Chicago Reader's Dave Kehr.

Keith Hamshere/Getty Images

Rotten Tomatoes score: 80%

After six Bond-less years, Irish star Brosnan brought the world's most dashing spy back to the big screen with 1995's "GoldenEye." His version of Bond began his tenure taking down a rogue M16 agent played by Sean Bean and romancing a Russian programmer played by Izabella Scorupco.

This movie also marked the first appearance of Judi Dench as Bond's boss at M16, M, who would go on to appear in the Craig movies.

The most lasting legacy of this movie, though, may be the Nintendo 64 game based on it, simply titled "GoldenEye 007," released in 1997. It became the third-best-selling Nintendo 64 game of all time, per VGChartz.

"With a dynamite opening reel that showcases the series' renewed vigor, 'GoldenEye' is two hours of well-executed thrills, high-tech mayhem and one-of-a-kind comedy," wrote David Hunter for The Hollywood Reporter.

Michael Stroud/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Rotten Tomatoes score: 81%

It wasn't critically beloved at the time, but George Lazenby's one and only Bond movie has been reevaluated in the following five decades. Now, it's one of the most critically admired Bond films.

Part of what makes this film so different than any other Bond movie, besides Lazenby, is that it ends in true tragedy: After Bond falls in love with Diana Rigg's Countess Tracy di Vicenzo, the two wed at the end of the movie, only for Tracy to get shot by Bond's nemesis Blofeld (Telly Savalas) immediately after.

"'On Her Majesty's Secret Service' is pure poetry. It transcends the idea of a Bond film. Gorgeously photographed, thrillingly executed, and wonderfully performed, this is the franchise zenith," wrote Jake Tropila for Film Inquiry.

Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Rotten Tomatoes score: 82%

"The Spy Who Loved Me" was Moore's third outing as Bond, and his best, according to critics. It covers similar territory as other Bond movies, including a megalomaniac villain dedicated to starting World War III — this time a shipping tycoon named Karl Stromberg, played by Curt Jürgens.

This movie was also the debut of Jaws, one of the most memorable henchmen in Bond history, played by Richard Kiel.

"The end result is unquestionably one of the Bond series' brightest spots, and includes a good deal of its finest moments," wrote Gerardo Valero for RogerEbert.com.

United Artists Releasing

Rotten Tomatoes score: 83%

After five movies and 15 years, Craig drank his final shaken, not stirred, martini in the epic conclusion to his series, "No Time to Die."

While Craig, as usual, performed his role admirably, audiences left "No Time to Die" talking about Ana de Armas' CIA agent, Paloma, and Lashana Lynch's new 007 agent, Nomi.

The less we say about Rami Malek's performance as the film's nanobots-obsessed villain Lyutsifer Safin, the better.

"No Time to Die" also became the third Bond film in a row to have its theme — this time sung by Billie Eilish — win an Oscar.

"With this fifth and final go-round, it's clear who the best Bond is. It's Craig, Daniel Craig," wrote Mark Feeney for The Boston Globe.

United Artists/Getty Images

Rotten Tomatoes score: 85%

"Thunderball" is the second-highest-grossing Bond film ever, accounting for inflation, only behind "Skyfall," per Screen Rant. At this point in history, Connery's Bond had become a full-blown phenomenon.

In the movie, Bond's mission was to recapture two atomic bombs stolen by the evil criminal organization SPECTRE. Much of the film's action takes place underwater, an impressive feat for the '60s. Bond also, of course, falls in love with the girlfriend of a SPECTRE agent, Domino, played by Claudine Auger.

"The color is handsome. The scenery in the Bahamas is an irresistible lure. Even the violence is funny. That's the best I can say for a Bond film," wrote Bosley Crowther for The New York Times.

Sony Pictures Releasing

Rotten Tomatoes score: 92%

The highest-grossing Bond film of all time is 2012's "Skyfall," starring Craig.

"Skyfall" was Craig's third Bond film, and, to many, a high point of his Bond tenure. The film delves into Bond's past in a way that hadn't been done for many years, and introduced viewers to the super-spy's ancestral home in Scotland, fittingly named Skyfall.

Javier Bardem's performance as Raoul Silva, a former M16 agent (and now cyber-terrorist), instantly solidified Bardem as one of the top-tier Bond villains.

"Skyfall" also introduced audiences to the new versions of Q (Ben Whishaw) and Miss Moneypenny (Naomie Harris).

The film's theme, "Skyfall" by Adele, also started the three-film streak of Bond themes winning the Academy Award.

"Bond traditions haven't just been updated — they've been intelligently modified and rethought, giving us the franchise's inherent pleasures in a new package," wrote Tim Grierson of Deadspin.

Greg Williams/Eon Productions/Getty Images

Rotten Tomatoes score: 94%

"Casino Royale" kicked off an entirely new generation Bond after a multi-year break. The film follows a newly appointed 007 as he joins a high-stakes poker game at the Casino Royale in Montenegro, in order to bankrupt the terrorist financier Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen).

Bond is paired with Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), a British Treasury agent. Their relationship would haunt Bond until Craig's final installment, "No Time to Die."

"Daniel Craig, an excellent actor, has more than earned his Walther PPK," wrote Stephanie Condron and Sinclair McKay for The Telegraph.

United Artist/Getty Images

Rotten Tomatoes score: 95%

The very first Bond movie, 1962's "Dr. No," is still a high bar that the franchise rarely clears.

Without the success of "Dr. No," which was released 63 years ago, it's unlikely that we would've ever gotten 26 more films about the most debonair spy on his side of the Atlantic.

"Dr. No" was successful, much due to Connery's iconic take on the character.

Does the plot, in which Bond teams up with a seashell diver in Jamaica named Honey Ryder (the first Bond girl ever, Ursula Andress) to take down a mad scientist determined to stop a rocket launch with a radio beam named Dr. Julius No make the most sense? No, but we love it anyway.

"[The] first screen adventure of Ian Fleming's hard-hitting, fearless, imperturbable, girl-loving Secret Service Agent 007, James Bond, is an entertaining piece of tongue-in-cheek action hokum," wrote Variety.

United Artist/Getty Images

Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%

Connery's second outing as Bond follows him as he goes up against multiple SPECTRE agents who want him dead after the events of "Dr. No." He also falls in love with a Soviet clerk, Tatiana Romanova, played by Daniela Bianchi.

Notably, this was Desmond Llewelyn's first appearance as Bond's technology supplier Q. He'd play the role until his death in 1999.

"A highly immoral film in every imaginable way but it sure is fun...," wrote Richard Roud for The Guardian.

Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Rotten Tomatoes score: 99%

It seems increasingly unlikely we'll ever have a Bond movie that tops "Goldfinger," a movie in which Bond meets a female pilot (played by Honor Blackman), investigates a sociopath obsessed with gold named Auric Goldfinger (played by Gert Fröbe), and sleeps with a woman named Jill Masterson (played by Shirley Eaton) who gets painted in gold for her betrayal and dies from "skin suffocation."

Not all of it has aged well — specifically, the scene where Bond forcibly kisses Galore in a barn comes to mind — but it's still where many of the tropes we've come to associate Bond with began.

"Perfection. Farty critics may scoff, but 'Goldfinger' should take its place among the greats," wrote Ian Nathan for Empire.