Every ‘James Bond’ Movie Ranked from Worst to Best

From exploding pens to parkour chases, the official Eon series of ‘James Bond’ films has spanned six decades, six lead actors, and 25 adventures that plug into changing trends in action, technology, and geopolitics. Below is a countdown from the lowest-rated entry to the highest, covering the essentials for each film—who made it, who starred, the core mission, notable locations, songs, and a few production facts—so you can quickly see where each installment fits in the long-running 007 timeline.

‘Die Another Day’ (2002)

Directed by Lee Tamahori, this film features Pierce Brosnan as Bond facing North Korean operative Zao and industrialist Gustav Graves. It opens with a mission along the Korean DMZ and later jumps to Cuba, London, and an ice palace in Iceland. Halle Berry co-stars as NSA agent Jinx, and Madonna performs the title track and appears in a cameo. The story centers on a space-based weapon called Icarus and includes gadgets like an adaptive camouflage Aston Martin.

‘Moonraker’ (1979)

Lewis Gilbert directs Roger Moore in a plot involving aerospace tycoon Hugo Drax and a scheme to repopulate Earth. The investigation moves from California and Venice to Rio de Janeiro and finally orbit, incorporating the return of henchman Jaws. The production leaned heavily on model work and wire effects to stage zero-gravity sequences before the era of digital VFX. Shirley Bassey performed the title song, marking her third for the series.

‘A View to a Kill’ (1985)

John Glen directs Roger Moore’s final outing, pitting Bond against microchip magnate Max Zorin, played by Christopher Walken. The film travels from Paris and Chantilly to San Francisco, culminating on the Golden Gate Bridge. Duran Duran’s title theme topped charts in multiple countries, marking a major pop-music crossover for the franchise. Notable set-pieces include a Paris Eiffel Tower chase and a climax involving a mine under Silicon Valley.

‘The World Is Not Enough’ (1999)

Directed by Michael Apted, this installment stars Pierce Brosnan alongside Sophie Marceau as Elektra King and Robert Carlyle as the terrorist Renard. The narrative revolves around pipelines and energy security in the Caspian region, with major sequences in Bilbao, the Thames in London, Baku, and Istanbul. Denise Richards portrays nuclear physicist Dr. Christmas Jones, and Garbage performs the title song. The pre-title boat chase through London is one of the series’ longest openers.

‘Octopussy’ (1983)

John Glen directs Roger Moore as Bond tracking a smuggling ring that ties into a nuclear plot in West Germany. Locations include Udaipur in India and Berlin, showcasing palaces, floating hotels, and circus settings central to the operation. Maud Adams plays Octopussy, leader of an all-female organization with a private island base. Rita Coolidge provides the title song, and the plot intertwines Soviet disarmament politics with counterfeit jewelry.

‘Tomorrow Never Dies’ (1997)

Roger Spottiswoode directs Pierce Brosnan against media mogul Elliot Carver, whose news empire manipulates global events. The story spans the South China Sea, Hamburg, and Saigon, featuring Michelle Yeoh as Chinese agent Wai Lin. The film spotlights stealth ships, GPS spoofing, and remote-driven vehicles, including a key sequence with a BMW sedan. Sheryl Crow performs the main title track, with k.d. lang featured over the end credits.

‘Diamonds Are Forever’ (1971)

Guy Hamilton returns to direct Sean Connery in a Las Vegas-set caper centered on diamond smuggling that escalates into a satellite-based weapon. Jill St. John appears as Tiffany Case, with Charles Gray portraying Blofeld in multiple disguises. The production makes extensive use of Vegas landmarks, including the then-new Las Vegas Hilton and desert test sites. Shirley Bassey’s second franchise theme underscores the film’s glitzy setting.

‘Quantum of Solace’ (2008)

Marc Forster directs Daniel Craig in a direct continuation of the prior story, following a shadowy organization’s water-control scheme in Bolivia. The film’s itinerary includes Siena, Haiti (filmed in Panama), Austria’s Bregenz Festival, and the Atacama Desert. Olga Kurylenko co-stars as Camille, whose mission intersects with Bond’s pursuit. The title duet by Jack White and Alicia Keys marks the series’ first main-theme collaboration between two artists.

‘Live and Let Die’ (1973)

Directed by Guy Hamilton, Roger Moore’s debut pairs Bond with CIA agent Felix Leiter against drug lord Dr. Kananga, who operates as the Caribbean ruler Mr. Big. Settings include Harlem, New Orleans, and Jamaica, integrating voodoo imagery and a crocodile farm escape. Jane Seymour co-stars as Solitaire, a tarot-reading associate of the villain. Paul McCartney and Wings deliver the title song, which became one of the franchise’s most enduring tracks.

‘The Living Daylights’ (1987)

John Glen directs Timothy Dalton in an espionage story involving a KGB defector, Afghan mujahideen, and an arms-for-opium scheme. Filming took place across Vienna, Bratislava stand-ins, Tangier, and Morocco’s desert, with aerial sequences featuring a Hercules transport. Maryam d’Abo plays cellist Kara Milovy, whose defection plot triggers the mission. Norwegian band a-ha provides the title song, with John Barry returning to score.

‘For Your Eyes Only’ (1981)

John Glen’s first entry emphasizes covert retrieval of the ATAC missile command system after a British vessel sinks. Roger Moore’s Bond moves from the Ionian Sea and Corfu to the snowy slopes of Cortina d’Ampezzo. Carole Bouquet co-stars as Melina Havelock, whose parents’ murder sets the story in motion. The title track by Sheena Easton is the only series theme in which the vocalist appears in the main titles.

‘Licence to Kill’ (1989)

Directed by John Glen, Timothy Dalton’s second film takes Bond rogue to dismantle drug baron Franz Sanchez’s operation. The action covers the Florida Keys and the fictional Central American nation of Isthmus, with large-scale tanker stunts filmed on Mexico’s La Rumorosa highway. Carey Lowell and Talisa Soto co-star as allies with competing agendas. Gladys Knight performs the title song, while the end-title track is by Patti LaBelle.

‘The Man with the Golden Gun’ (1974)

Guy Hamilton directs Roger Moore opposite assassin Francisco Scaramanga, played by Christopher Lee, whose signature weapon is a modular golden pistol. The plot uses the 1970s energy crisis as a backdrop, focusing on a high-value solar device. Locations include Macau, Hong Kong, and Thailand’s Phang Nga Bay, where the limestone islets became instantly recognizable. Lulu provides the title theme, and Hervé Villechaize appears as henchman Nick Nack.

‘You Only Live Twice’ (1967)

Lewis Gilbert directs Sean Connery in a mission to stop spacecraft hijackings that threaten superpower conflict. The film is notable for its Japanese setting, ninja-training sequences, and the first full reveal of Blofeld, portrayed by Donald Pleasence. Production built a massive volcano lair set at Pinewood Studios’ 007 Stage. Nancy Sinatra sings the title song, and the Little Nellie autogyro features in an airborne battle.

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

Peter R. Hunt directs George Lazenby’s sole appearance, involving a European crime syndicate front at a Swiss alpine institute. Diana Rigg co-stars as Tracy di Vicenzo, and Telly Savalas plays Blofeld, whose plot centers on biological agents. The film is known for extensive location work in the Bernese Alps, including Schilthorn’s Piz Gloria. John Barry’s instrumental main title and Louis Armstrong’s end-title song frame the story’s emotional through-line.

‘Spectre’ (2015)

Sam Mendes directs Daniel Craig in a story that connects prior villains to a single organization led by Christoph Waltz’s Oberhauser/Blofeld. The opening Day of the Dead sequence in Mexico City employs a long take before moving to Rome, Austria, and Morocco. Léa Seydoux returns to the series as Dr. Madeleine Swann, with Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, and Ralph Fiennes continuing as Q, Moneypenny, and M. The title track by Sam Smith won major awards, and the production revived the classic villain cat-and-ring iconography.

‘Thunderball’ (1965)

Terence Young directs Sean Connery in a NATO-warhead theft case orchestrated by SPECTRE and Emilio Largo. The Bahamas serve as the primary location, showcasing extensive underwater photography and spear-gun sequences. Claudine Auger plays Domino, while the film popularized the jet-pack and underwater propulsion devices featured on screen. Tom Jones performs the title song, complementing John Barry’s high-brass score.

‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ (1977)

Lewis Gilbert directs Roger Moore in a mission that pairs 007 with Soviet agent Anya Amasova to stop megalomaniac shipping magnate Karl Stromberg. The story spans Egypt, Sardinia, and an oceanic supertanker set constructed on the 007 Stage. Richard Kiel’s Jaws debuts here, and the Lotus Esprit submersible car anchors the film’s gadgetry. Carly Simon’s “Nobody Does It Better” serves as the title song and became a franchise standard.

‘Dr. No’ (1962)

Terence Young’s film introduces Sean Connery’s Bond investigating a missing-agents case in Jamaica. Ursula Andress appears as Honey Ryder, and Joseph Wiseman plays the titular villain operating from Crab Key with a radio-interference plot. The production established recurring elements such as the gun-barrel sequence and Monty Norman’s theme arranged by John Barry. Location filming in Kingston and coastal areas defined the early island aesthetic of the series.

‘GoldenEye’ (1995)

Martin Campbell reintroduces the character after a hiatus, with Pierce Brosnan facing former ally Alec Trevelyan, designated 006, played by Sean Bean. The plot involves a satellite EMP weapon and theft from a Russian facility, with major sequences in St. Petersburg, Monte Carlo, and a Cuban dish array. Izabella Scorupco and Famke Janssen co-star, and Judi Dench debuts as M. Tina Turner performs the title song, written by Bono and The Edge.

‘No Time to Die’ (2021)

Cary Joji Fukunaga directs Daniel Craig’s final appearance, involving a bioweapon nanotechnology threat linked to the villain Safin. The production filmed across Matera, Norway, Jamaica, London, and the Faroe Islands, with notable stunts including a motorcycle leap and bridge jump. Cast members include Léa Seydoux, Lashana Lynch as a fellow 00 agent, and Ana de Armas in a Havana operation. Billie Eilish’s title track accompanied a release that navigated global cinema closures.

‘From Russia with Love’ (1963)

Terence Young directs Sean Connery in an espionage-heavy story about a cipher machine and a SPECTRE plot to pit powers against each other. Istanbul locations, including the Grand Bazaar and the Basilica Cistern, ground the narrative in spycraft and surveillance. Daniela Bianchi plays Tatiana Romanova, while Robert Shaw’s Red Grant provides the train-car showdown. The film introduces Desmond Llewelyn’s Q in a brief but pivotal equipment scene.

‘Goldfinger’ (1964)

Guy Hamilton directs Sean Connery in a caper involving Auric Goldfinger and a plan focused on the United States Bullion Depository at Fort Knox. Gert Fröbe portrays Goldfinger, with Harold Sakata as Oddjob, whose steel-rimmed bowler became a franchise hallmark. Honor Blackman co-stars as Pussy Galore, and Aston Martin’s DB5 debuts with onboard weaponry. Shirley Bassey’s title theme and Ken Adam’s set designs helped codify the series’ signature style.

‘Skyfall’ (2012)

Sam Mendes directs Daniel Craig in a story confronting cyber-terrorist Raoul Silva and threats to MI6 and M. Locations range from Istanbul and Shanghai to Macau and the Scottish Highlands. Javier Bardem, Judi Dench, Ben Whishaw, and Naomie Harris form the core ensemble, with Ralph Fiennes joining the leadership ranks. Adele’s title song and Roger Deakins’ cinematography marked major craft highlights, and the film set franchise box-office records.

‘Casino Royale’ (2006)

Martin Campbell reboots the continuity with Daniel Craig’s newly promoted 00 agent pursuing financier Le Chiffre. Set-pieces span Madagascar, the Bahamas, Montenegro’s high-stakes card game, and a Venice climax using elaborate practical effects. Eva Green co-stars as Vesper Lynd, Mads Mikkelsen portrays Le Chiffre, and Jeffrey Wright debuts as Felix Leiter. Chris Cornell’s “You Know My Name” opens the film, while the narrative establishes character arcs that extend through subsequent entries.

Think a different entry deserves the top spot—share your personal lineup in the comments!