From Dr. No to No Time to Die: Ranking the James Bond Films Part 2

Here is part 2 of my James Bond ranking. After watching all of the films, I found that each actor has at least one good film so there is a solid representation of all the eras in this half of the list. With that said, here is the rest of the James Bond ranking.

13. From Russia with Love

From Russia with Love is very much in the same boat quality-wise as Dr. No. However, I find the plot of this film to be a bit more cohesive. One of the things I liked about this movie is how much of an influence it had on some of the Mission Impossible films, specifically numbers 2 and 4. The whole first half feels like it heavily influences those films. I really liked the whole train aspect of the second half. It gives this whole murder on the Orient Express as it keeps you on edge for something bad to happen. The biggest issue I had with this movie was that it did take a bit to get going. The first third of the movie meanders quite a bit. Overall, this is a solid follow-up to Dr. No but it isn't at the point yet where the franchise really found its groove.

Score: 7/10 Grade: B

12. The Living Daylights

The Living Daylights is the first outing of Timothy Dalton as James Bond and is a nice return to form after the campy Roger Moore era. This movie brings back the more serious bond that still has the subtle quips and humor. I found this film to have a bit more of a streamlined plot as many of the other get unnecessarily complicated and clunky with the villain's plan. I enjoyed the whole second half of the film taking place in Afghanistan. It brings a new location that had not been done before and has this big battle in the desert. This movie also has one of the more useful love interests as she is the driving force that brings James Bond the ground support he needs at the end of the movie. It was also cool to see the actor who plays Sallah from Indiana Jones in a role in this movie. There were some aspects of the plot that didn't hold up, such as why Bond needed to stay on the plane when he could have jumped out and let it blow up. In the end, this is a good James Bond film and a refreshing return to form for the franchise.

Score: 7.5/10 Grade: B

11. You Only Live Twice

You Only Live Once is one of the James Bond movies that effectively blends multiple genres together. This movie takes the typical James Bond style and brings in some martial arts movie aspects to it. The movie is the first to expand the horizons of the setting as it takes place in Japan as compared to the European/American settings of the other films. On the martial side of the movie, we get to see James Bond train as a ninja and see this huge-scale battle with all the ninjas against the forces of Spectre. This movie is also the film that fully introduces Blofield which is just another knock in its favor as Blofield is one of the more iconic Bond villains. The biggest issue I had with this film was with the handling of the main female characters. The first female exits the movie about 2/3rds of the way through and then another is just suddenly introduced and becomes the center of Bond's affection almost instantly. I thought that was just weird writing as they could have just stuck with the same girl for the entire film. In the end, this is in the upper half of the Sean Connery films with only a weird character choice keeping it from being higher on this list.

Score: 7.5/10 Grade: B

10. Tomorrow Never Dies

Tomorrow Never Dies is another James Bond film that mixes the spy and martial arts genres. This movie takes one of the James Bond tropes that has been in multiple other movies (pairing with an agent from another country) but this time with Michelle Yeoh as a Chinese agent. It is a lot of fun to see Michelle Yeoh in this movie as she gets to showcase her martial arts skills. She is also one of the few Bond girls who can take care of herself and rarely needs Bond to save her. The dynamic between the two is a lot of fun as Bond is caught a bit off guard by some of Michelle Yeoh's techniques. I also thought the main villain was a bit more original as he is a media mogul who instigates war so that he has compelling news to tell. I do wish the movie would have handled Michelle Yeoh's character a little better. She could have been a bit more present in the first half of the film and I don't think she needed to hook up with Bond in the end. Overall, this is one of the better Bond films, and was fun to get some more Bond martial arts action.

Score: 7.5/10 Grade: B

9. For Your Eyes Only

For Your Eyes Only is one of the best films of the Roger Moore era. This movie is considerably less goofy than most of the other films of this era. I liked the setting of this movie as we get both some mountain and tropical action. The skiing sequences were a lot of fun. I also found the rock climbing fight to be very exciting. This movie has the peak age difference between Bond and his girlfriend a crazy 30-year age difference. Up until the end, I thought the movie did a great job of handling the age difference with James Bond acting as more of a fatherly figure to Melina to try and talk her out of killing the man who murdered her father. This seems to be the case up until the end when he sleeps with her. The 30-year age difference was just weird considering he is old enough to be her father. He shows restraint with the Bibi character. Apparently to Bond, 31 years is too big a difference but 30 years isn't. I think if the film and era as a whole were more committed to the more fatherly James Bond, these movies would have been much better received considering Roger Moore was older when he started as James Bond than Sean Connery was when he finished. Overall, I thought this was a solid James Bond adventure that could have handled the huge age difference just a little better.

Score: 7.5/10 Grade: B

8. License to Kill

License to Kill is the second and final outing of Timothy Dalton as James Bond. I like that this film is more of a personal story for Bond. He isn't assigned any sort of mission but is instead out on his own to avenge the attack on his friend. This movie shows a different side of Bond as he is acting more for revenge than for the well-being of the world. The movie does a great job of allowing Bond to toe the line of what is right and wrong. I also thought the action sequences in this movie were a lot of fun. This movie also has a truck chase sequence that feels very similar to the first Indiana Jones and also involves Bond tag teaming with an airplane during the chase. This movie also gives Q a bit more screen time as he gets to be directly involved with Bond's mission. The biggest issue with the movie is that Bond is very one-note with his struggles. He keeps repeating how he is better off alone over and over again and it just gets a little old. I also thought the whole love triangle aspect was a bit unnecessary. In the end, this is a great more personal story for James Bond and allows him to act outside of his agency.

Score: 7.5/10 Grade: B

7. On Her Majesty's Secret Service

On Her Majesty's Secret Service is the one film from the Connery era that doesn't star Sean Connery. This Bond is played by George Lazenby and while he is only the character for one film, holds his own pretty well in the franchise. Just like You Only Live Twice, this film does a great job of combining multiple genres. This movie is one part romantic story and one part spy action film and does both very well. The whole first half of the film is about building Bond's relationship with Tracy as there is a considerable amount of time with them spent together. It really elevates Tracy's character instead of having her just be another one-off Bond girl. The movie also does a great job on the action side as it has a very cool setting in the Swiss Alps with a cool ski chase sequence. Finally, the two aspects combine together for a finale that is both exciting and emotional. The only hang-up I have in the film is that Tracy is shoehorned a bit into the second half. She is just randomly there instead of inserted organically. Overall, this is a solid entry in the franchise that manages to do something just a little different.

Score: 7.5/10 Grade: B

6. Goldeneye

Goldeneye is the first film of Pierce Brosnan's run as James Bond and his best film. This is the first James Bond film that feels a bit more modern and I like how they tie that into the story. I like how the movie acknowledges that times are moving forward and that James Bond's tactics are a bit dated. The movie does a good job of showing Bond's struggles with the changing times. The movie also does a good job of showcasing the handling of the changing times between different agents as each of Bond's agent friends handles it differently. I liked that Sean Bean is in this movie. It is fun to see him play opposite Pierce Brosnan. It was also cool to see Jean Gray from X-Men in one of the villain roles as her character here is so different than in X-Men. The main issue I had here was that the final evil plan was a bit anticlimactic. They go through all this trouble to see the Goldeneye only to have the purpose of it be unexciting. Ultimately, this is another solid Bond entry and the best of the Pierce Brosnan era.

Score: 7.5/10 Grade: B

5. The Spy Who Loved Me

Along with For Your Eyes Only, The Spy Who Loved Me was one of the few bright spots in the Roger Moore era of Bond. This movie opts to return to a more traditional spy movie tone with a little less goofiness. This is one of the more enjoyable stories in the franchise as we have to see Bond work with an agent from a rival country for a majority of the movie. Of course, there is still a bit of romance in there, but there is a lot more of the two just working together than in other films. I also found Anya to be one of the better Bond girls in the franchise as she doesn't just fall for Bond's shenanigans when it comes to women. She messes with him a bit and actually saves him multiple times. The big submarine battle was also a lot of fun as it felt more like a classic Bond finale than most other Roger Moore films. The villain's plan was also a lot more understandable than most others as he is just using submarines to try and start WWIII. In the end, this is probably my favorite of the Roger Moore films and one of the higher points of the franchise.

Score: 8/10 Grade: B+

4. Goldfinger

Goldfinger is the best of the Sean Connery films and also one of the best in the franchise. This movie has one of the more straightforward stories as it is about James Bond stopping Goldfinger from robing the US gold reserve. The movie also has one of the more memorable villains in the franchise Goldfinger as well as one of the more iconic henchmen in Odd Job. The final act in this movie is a lot of fun in this movie and is such a jump in scale from the previous two films. I also thought that the main Bond Girl, Pussy Galore (aside from the questionable name) was a fairly strong character as she has her own little arc throughout the story. This movie also begins to show a bit more of Bond's humorous side which I quite enjoy. The main thing holding back this movie is that there are elements that just don't age super well, the name Pussy Galore and the main change point of her character arc to name a few. However, in the end, it is still easily the best Sean Connery Bond film and one of the favorites in the franchise.

Score: 8/10 Grade: B+

3. No Time to Die

No Time to Die is the newest James Bond and one of the best. This movie is a great send-off to Daniel Craig in the role of James Bond. All of the other eras treat their final film as just another entry but No Time to Die tries to tie everything up and give the character a proper ending. I like how the movie builds on James Bond's relationship with Madeline. She is the first girl to carry over to a second movie. I also liked the new characters, like Ana De Armes, who was a new CIA agent, and Lashawna Lynch, who was the new 00. It is fun to see James Bond's dynamic with these new agents. I also like how this flips expectations on its head. The direction the movie is set up is so different than how it plays out by the end. Rami Malek was a solid addition as the main villain. I like the intensity he brings to the character. The main issue with this movie is that I don't think there was enough of the villain in it. When Rami Malek is there, he is great. But he is in so little of the movie that he doesn't feel much of a threat. This is very similar to my issue with Blofeld in Spectre. Overall, this is a great closer to the Craig era of James Bond and delivers a story that is both emotional and action-packed.

Score: 8.5/10 Grade: A-

2. Skyfall

Skyfall is one of the more emotional films of the modern James Bond era. The movie focuses on both M and Bond as it dives into their pasts. With M specifically, the movie explores her past mistakes and the consequences that they have in the film something The World is Not Enough also tries to do, but this film does it better. Because of this, we get to spend a lot more time with M and her character. Silva is one of the best villains in the franchise. His origin is all because of the choices that M made, putting him on a dark path and a sense of betrayal. I thought that the third act was a great change of pace as it takes a more grounded approach and basically becomes James Bond meets Home Alone. This movie also introduces new versions of Moneypenny and Q, both of whom are great additions to this era. In the end, this is another great Daniel Craig Bond film and further cements this era as the best Bond era.

Score: 8.5/10 Grade: A-

1. Casino Royale

Casino Royale is my favorite James Bond film. This is the first film with Daniel Craig as James Bond and it starts the era out on a high note. This movie has so many great action sequences that any one of them would make a solid climax of the movie. However, the movie manages to make each action sequence top the previous one. The best part of the movie is how it makes something as simple as a poker game seem so intense and important. The movie also makes the wise decision to break up the poker game with little spurts of action whether it be a fight sequence or trying to counteract poison. I also like how the movie opts to break from tradition. After watching 20 James Bond movies, you start to expect things to go a certain way in the third act. However, this movie subverts those expectations. Instead of a big action showdown, the movie opts for a smaller confrontation with the villain which still manages to work. The movie also does this in its final moments, you think everything is about to be all wrapped up but then there is one more twist that kicks things into high gear. Overall, this is just a great Bond movie and a general action movie. It is a little untraditional but still does the character justice.

Score: 9.5/10 Grade: A