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| Bonds from left to right: Timothy Dalton, Roger Moore, Daniel Craig, Sean Connery, Pierce Brosnan and George Lazenby (Image: Daily Express) |
Earlier this year, I set myself a challenge - an unserious one at that. yet it was something I took seriously. For years, I have been fascinated by the James Bond franchise but only based my interest on Daniel Craig's films, which were the only ones I had seen up to that point. April this year, I couldn't answer the important questions - what was my favourite Bond film? Who played the iconic character best? I could tell you which song I rated the highest because I knew and love each of them - I feel the 'Bond theme' is a genre of its own, they are that good.
So over the last six months or so, I did it. I watched all 25 films, in order from Dr No to No Time To Die. Yes, there are two other 'unofficial' films - Never Say Never Again and the 1967 version of Casino Royale. While they included Bond as the protagonist, they aren't owned by EON Productions so are excluded by the franchise. And if other astute film critics don't include them in their 007 countdowns, I shall set them aside here too. "If it ain't a Broccoli, I ain't interested," said no one.
Before I reveal my top 25, I will say that I now consider myself a super Bond fan. Don't ask me to read any of Ian Fleming's books, I'm not a fiction reader - and if it took me six months to watch the 18 films I hadn't seen previously, I don't want to imagine how long it would take to flick through thousands of pages. It was a shame he died in 1964, aged 56, so he couldn't see most of his work being adapted, but his legacy truly lives on thanks to them. Some may snoot at his content - whether it's the reported misogynistic content or that they believed he was a poor writer - however, I'm grateful for his initial creativity that was brought to light in film. I love the concept of a 'classic' British MI6 spy with every style, sophistication and flaw, the 'Bond girls', the music and the villains, some of whom were brilliantly evil.
Certainly, some Bond films are better than others. I watched these in relatively quick succession - very few of us would have had the privilege of viewing them as they were released, with Dr No out in 1962. Yet, I promise you, I never looked at any other countdowns of this kind by 'experts', so nobody influenced my decision-making. Some of my friends told me what their favourites were but again, if you asked me what they were, my memory doesn't work like that. This is as authentic of a countdown you're going to get from me. Some descriptions contain spoilers, others don't, you've been warned.
So here you'll find my top 25 in descending order. and below that you'll see my top five best Bond theme (I can't tell you my worse as I love them all, even Madonna's Die Another Day), who I think is the 'best Bond' and I attempt to analyse the most topical question for the franchise today: who I think could, would or should succeed Daniel Craig.
Top 25:
#25: The Living Daylights - Timothy Dalton (1987)
I'm sure the film was amazing but the moment the Mujahedins (MEK) were deemed the heroes about two thirds of the way through, I lost interest. See my post in January 2024 which explains further why.
#24: Diamonds Are Forever - Sean Connery (1971)
It was Connery's last 'official' outing as Bond and I sensed throughout that he simply didn't want to be there and it made the film to be one of the most forgettable.
#23: Thunderball - Sean Connery (1965)
Tom Jones's vocals at the opening credits was the only highlight. The underwater scenes were woeful and cheap. I don't care if CGI wasn't a thing then.
#22: Live And Let Die - Roger Moore (1973)
A great introduction to Moore, however, as the film went on, it just fell flat for me. The ending was rather drab.
#21: The World Is Not Enough - Pierce Brosnan (1999)
It had potential, but with Brosnan's films, they focused too much on style rather than substance. This instalment was messy and you sense it relied more on explosives than the on-screen chemistries.
#20: Die Another Day - Pierce Brosnan (2002)
Similar to The World Is Not Enough, in that it would have been a better film if we allowed the actors to actually act. What saved it was the hilarious scene at the end when Moneypenny (played here by Samantha Bond) fantasised making out with Bond using one of Q's devices.
#19: A View To A Kill - Roger Moore (1985)
Bizarrely, the best bit about the film was Grace Jones who made a great, unintentional Bond girl. It was Moore's last outing as 007 and by this point, his narratives were too formulaic. If you're having the same type of ending after film seven, you know it's time to pass the baton to someone else.
#18: Spectre - Daniel Craig (2015)
It had great potential, but I felt in comparison to the other Craig films, the obstacles and challenges felt a little easy for Bond. Plus, how could Bond have never heard of Spectre if he faced the organisation in the 60s? Were there no handovers between 007s?
#17: Quantum Of Solace - Daniel Craig (2008)
The main problem with this film was that it followed the brilliant Casino Royale. There were great expectations for this film to be just as amazing but in fact, all I remember was the long walk in the desert.
#16: GoldenEye - Pierce Brosnan (1995)
It was wacky and the Russian accents by the British cast were less to be desired. That being said, the cast was great and I liked the Sean Bean twist, even if it was a little Dirty Den-esque. Plus, seeing the explosives in all their glory the first time around was refreshing. But the for other times, I got the point, thanks.
#15: For Your Eyes Only - Roger Moore (1981)
I felt I was watching several good short films in one. If one or two of the core themes were focused, I'd have rated it higher. That being said, Moore had a great 'bond' with the Bond girls and there were some quirky one-liners throughout. On a side note, I didn't quite appreciate the scene where Bond visited his 'wife's' grave. In the context of the books, I could understand, yet for film, it couldn't work when it wasn't Roger Moore's wife. It was not needed.
#14: From Russia With Love - Sean Connery (1963)
This was the first time we saw Connery get truly settled into the role of Bond, blending the suave with the confidence. Bond faced good villain sidekicks and I like an action film where more fists are used than bullets.
#13: Dr. No - Sean Connery (1962)
Connery certainly made a good first impression. While he offered more charm in future films, I particularly enjoyed his quirks, such as making sure everything was in their place in his hotel room until he got rudely interrupted by someone who wanted him dead. I felt, however, the villain was a little flat - perhaps this film was a little too quintessentially English for me.
#12: Octopussy - Roger Moore (1983)
This was one of the more stylish films, with a good mix of grit and sophistication. There was much to like; the settings, the action, that Bond was put through his paces, and that this is the only film title which is the name of the main Bond girl.
#11: The Man With The Golden Gun - Roger Moore (1974)
The highlight of this film was the excellent villains - Scaramanga and Nick Nack made a great partnership, to Bond's dismay. Christopher Lee was certainly one of a kind, a master of his craft.
#10: You Only Live Twice - Sean Connery (1967)
You can tell the screenplay was written by legendary Welsh-Norwegian author Roald Dahl. If you're familiar with his work you'll recognised in this film a sense of fun with pockets of menace and sinister. I'd have loved to seen the fight scenes at Blofeld's hideout on the big screen.
#9: No Time To Die - Daniel Craig (2021)
Craig's last outing as 007, and what I particularly liked was how it gave Bond continuity and character progression that made true sense, something we had not seen since Licence To Kill. Craig here truly showed Bond as multi-dimensional. I loved the character Paloma - the quirky sidekick who I hope to see in future Bond films.
#8: Moonraker - Roger Moore (1979)
I can see why some people may snoot at this because it's set in space, but it was the best escapist Bond film, I was spellbound. There were great chemistries among the cast and Jaws turned good because he found love. It was an utterly brilliant Bond film, ignore the haters.
#007: On Her Majesty's Secret Service - George Lazenby (1969)
The more I think about this film, the more I like it. Yes, the skiing scenes were badly choreographed and sometimes Lazenby felt like a fish out of water. But I'm going to let these slide because when Lazenby carried on, he made Bond his own and had great rapport with the Bond girls. And I felt all the emotions at the end. I wished Lazenby did one more Bond film to receive the plaudits he deserves.
#6: Tomorrow Never Dies - Pierce Brosnan (1997)
The plot was my cup of tea. The villain being a media mogul played by Jonathan Pryce - being a PR man called John Price, I instantly resonated with the premise and the film itself certainly did not disappoint. I even excuse some of the kung fu which I felt wasn't needed - Brosnan's best by far.
#5: Licence To Kill - Timothy Dalton (1989)
I think if Craig wanted to base his Bond on any past actor or film, it would be on this. Dalton produced one of the best Bond performances; he had fun, he could relax and when it ended, you could tell that even he knew he'd finish his Bond chapter on a high.
#4: The Spy Who Loved Me - Roger Moore (1977)
This had the recipe for a superb Bond film - a sinister villain, a gutsy Bond girl and great action scenes. Jaws is also my favourite baddie; it's good to have a sidekick who was impossible to kill. It also allowed Moore to be more than just the funny guy with very expressive eyebrows.
#3: Casino Royale - Daniel Craig (2006)
This was a great drama which had suspense, deceit and spice. Mads Mikkelsen was a brilliant villain, Eva Green took us on a journey which very few of us saw coming and when her character met her demise, we all felt Bond's hundreds of feelings. And what a great introduction to Craig who shrugged off speculation about whether he'd be able to handle the role. Oh, he did, alright. If you haven't seen the film, watch and learn from the scene where he realises that Mikkelsen's character poisoned him.
#2: Goldfinger - Sean Connery (1964)
This film had everything. From the moment I heard the electrifying tones of Shirley Bassey at the beginning, I was instantly on a journey. It featured the best Bond girl in Pussy Galore which is possibly the best character name, and I don't even care if it's outdated. She's a pilot and trained other female pilots, showing feminism and empowerment that I don't think we saw that much in 1960s film. Connery was also at his best. I absolutely loved it.
#1: Skyfall - Daniel Craig (2012)
It takes a lot of guts to kill off Judi Dench in a rather brutal way. But if you're Javier Bardem, the evillest of all villains in Bond history, then that's the only way to do it. Everyone was at their A-game in this epic. The London tube crash was incredibly done. And the lyrics from the theme song by Adele perfectly captures the 143 minutes which had the ultimate licence to thrill.
Top five Bond theme songs:
- GoldenEye, by Tina Turner
- A View To A Kill, by Duran Duran
- Live And Let Die, by Wings
- The World Is Not Enough, by Garbage
- The Spy Who Loved Me, by Carly Simon
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