JAMES BOND FILMS–Ranked by Tomatometer
James Bond has been the spy whose reputation precedes him: As international man of mystery, guru of gadgets and espionage thrills, the agent who never encountered a boundary–country, or personal space – he couldn’t sneak across.
The Ian Fleming adaptations started with a bang. Simple as it is, Dr. No remains among the best-reviewed of 007’s movies, bringing out the legendary era of Sean Connery suited up as the debonair rogue that women yearn for and men aspire to be. (Both of my parents, father and mother admired Connery for this reasons),
In 1967, Casino Royale had no less than six James Bonds within its walls, none holding a candle. The non-comic caper is the worst-reviewed James Bond movie; it was produced outside of franchise gatekeepers Eon.
Connery’s reign was celebrated– the late actor’s films occupy three of the top five slots on this list.
George Lazenby, with only 1969’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service released, got Certified Fresh.
Then came another Brit, Roger Moore, who offered a lightly winking and intelligent Bond. Three of his movies are Rotten, three are Fresh, and one is Certified Fresh.
In 1981, Connery came back for non-Eon Bond Never Say Never Again, just as HQ was hiring Timothy Dalton for the job.
Dalton’s Bond: Cool and menacing, and his films The Living Daylights and License to Kill are praised for their dark, grittier take on the spy game.
Pierce Brosnan brought back the sex appeal, in some mediocre movies.
GoldenEye was intoxicating Certified Fresh fun, while the three that followed are all Rotten.
After Austin Powers took the piss out of the franchise for a decade, Eon turned to resurrecting James Bond as the brooding, brutish hulk we have today.
Casino Royale was a return to form, Daniel Craig’s sneer calibrated to the modern cynical viewer. Skyfall was Certified Fresh, but there was no critical love for Quantum of Solace and Spectre of 2015.
Six years have passed when No Time To Die arrived in 2021, though the longest wait for Bond’s return was the six years between Dalton’s License to Kill and Brosnan’s GoldenEye.
At 15 years, Craig holds the record for longest uninterrupted ownership of Bond, but Connery spread his appearances as Bond across 21 years.
Here is every James Bond movie ever ranked by Tomatometer! (I am one of the critics polled)
Directed By: Richard Talmadge, Kenneth Hughes, John Huston, Joseph McGrath
